Vol. XTI. 



Jan. 1, 1888. 



No. 1. 



TERMS: 81.00 PkbAnnttm.in Advance ;1 T? (%+nJ\l-i oTn nrJ t'-ti 7 J? '7 ? f Clubs to different postoffices, not less 

 2Copiesfor$1.90;3for82.75;6for$4.00; -C/Ol/CC/C't't'OAt'fc/tl' Ufl/ -t O / C? . | than 90 cts. each. Sent postpaid, in the 

 10 or more, 75 cts. each. Single num- \ published semi-monthly by •' ^- '^^ ^''^^ Canadas. To all other coun- 



ber. Sets. Additions to clubs maybe ( .... tries of the Universal Postal Union, 18 



made at club rates. Above are all to yl / DDDT MPDIhlA nUlf) cts. per year extra. To all countries 

 be sent to ONE roSTOFFiCE. J/J. /. tlUUI, IVILUIIvH, (//// C/. Uorof the U.P.U.,42cts.per year extra. 



DOOLITTLE'S BEE-CAVE. 



BO.XES FOK EXTRACTED HONEY. 



T SEE on pag-e 888 of Gi.eanings for 1887 that you 

 j^ wish a description of m.y special repository for 

 ^i bees. My bee-yard slopes aentl.v to the north 

 **■ (I wish it were southeast), while near the west 

 end is a slight sag- through which flowed a 

 small brooli in wet weather, but which was dry the 

 larg-er part of the sum,iner. This brook now has an 

 underground passag-e. so as to be entirely out of 

 the way. West of the brook was a knoll, or rise of 

 ground, facing- the oast, and rising at the rate of 

 about four inches to the foot. Into this knoll I dug 

 about 30 feet, or so that the back end of the hole 

 was about 10 feet deep, measuring straight up on 

 the west bank. This same hole was about 9 feet 

 wide, and, for a trial, it was boarded up at ttrst. a 

 roof put over, and 3 feet of earth put on top of the 

 roof. Herein 1 wintered my bees successfully, 

 thus proving the value of such a place for winter- 

 ing bees. When the boards became rotten I tore 

 all down and put in a good wall of stone and mor- 

 tar, on top of which I put a good strong roof, which 

 was covered with three feet of dry earth, and over 

 the whole was a larger roof, so as to keep the earth 

 and all under it dry. The first cave did not have 

 this last-named roof, consequently the dirt was 

 kept wet by the rains and snows of winter. I And 

 the latter much the best, as the dry earth seems to 

 help to keep a more even temperature than did the 

 former. The east end wall is ^4 feet from the west, 

 and here is the entrance door, so that the cave is in 

 reality only 24 feet long by 6^4 feet wide by 7 feet 

 deep, inside. Two feet out from the entrance door 



is another door, and still two feet further out is an- 

 other door, and in front of this last door is an ante- 

 room 4 feet square, which has a door to that; sol 

 have to open four doors every time I go into this 

 cave. As these doors all fit nicely, I have three 

 large dead-air spaces through which the cold air 

 must pass to get to the cave, and .vet the first-nam- 

 ed door is the coldest part of the cave, or cellar, as 

 is readily shown by the moisture collecting in drops 

 upon it. 



As I have said in a former article, after the bees 

 are put in here, all is shut tight, and left so till 

 spring after the bees are set out. After this the 

 doors are fastened open, and all ventilators opened, 

 till time of putting the bees in, so that the heat of 

 summer shall dry all out as much as possible. B.v 

 thus leaving open during the cool and frosty nights 

 of October, it so reduces the temperature of the 

 cave and ground around it that it stands at about 

 47° after the bees have got quiet. As winter pro- 

 gresses it gradually lowers till it reaches 44% vary- 

 ing only from 43 to 4.5°, no matter how high or low the 

 temperature goes outside; and, as I said on page 887, 

 it keeps the same, whether there is one colon.v or a 

 hundred in it. 



To the west of the cellar, one rod, is 30 feet of 

 fence, 4 feet high, which causes the snow to drift 

 over the roof and cellar from 3 to 8 feet deep, and 

 this snow has something to do with the matter; but 

 I have never known a lower degree than 41 to be 

 reached, with 20 degrees below zero outside and no 

 snow. 



THOSE UO.\ES FOR EXTRACTED HONEY. 



I was quite a little surprised at the logic, or, rath- 

 er, lack of logic, displayed in the editorial comments 



