1368 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



.559 



tion could be only guessed at. Note here, friend 

 Koot, that the drawing-s, speeiflcatlons, and claims 

 oC my patent (with model) were on record in oui- 

 Patent Office nearly four months before the Baron's 

 hive was spoken of by the German eilitor. At a 

 later date, Berlepsch was so out of conceit of it 

 that he asked the editor to send it to his lumber- 

 garret. 



It is very true, as Mr. K. says, that 1 do not claim 

 to be the first person to invent a movable-frarac 

 bee-hive, but the first person to invent one which 

 was of any practical use, or any improvement upon 

 the leaf hive of Ruber. The American Bee Journal 

 for 1872, pp. 159 to 17.'), and 193 to 197, and p. 18, .Inly, 

 1873, will give to any who wish to investigate these 

 old matters all that Berlepsch, King-, and myself snw 

 fit to put on record about them. 



Dayton, Ohio, July 9, 1888. L. L. Lanostijotii. 



Friend L., I am very sorry indeed if friend 

 Robinson's statements were incorrect, as 

 you give it. The principal thing tliat at- 

 tracted my attention in his communication 

 was the printed sheets from the Cultivator, 

 and the record it furnished of the state of 

 bee culture at that old date. Perhaps friend 

 R. may be able to explain wliat appears, as 

 you state it, to be eiTors ; but I trust it will 

 not be thought necessary to occupy very 

 much space with such matters, and that 

 what is said may be characterized by a spirit 

 of charity and courtesy. 



ANOTHER BEE-CELLAR. 



A WINTElt REPOSITORY FOR BEES. A FRUIT CEI-- 



LAR, SHOP, AND HONEY-STORAGE ROOM 



COMBINED. 



RT^ IFFERENT ideas have been submitted to the 

 '^ '^1 readers of Gleanings on house-apiaries, and 

 ^1^ cellars for wintering bees. The description 

 ""^ of the one presented by Prof. Cook, on pag'e 

 531, Gleanings, 1887, would no doubt be a 

 very complete affair; but the cost connected with a 

 building' of that description woulil be, in my opiaion, 

 too g'reat for the generality of bee-men, especially 

 when we take into consideration the low price of 

 the product of the apiary. 



The general inquiry of the present apiarist, like 

 all other industrial pursuits, is for every invest- 

 ment to be in proportion with the income of the 

 pursuits. The description of a winter repository 

 for bees, as described by Mr. Doolittle, and used by 

 him, is certainly a cheap plan, and I believe a suc- 

 cessful one. The best evidence that it is, is that it 

 has proved so to him. But being- only winter 

 quarters for bees, it does not give a house-apiary; 

 and where the two are wanted, it is economy to 

 build them together. 



I will here submit a plan of mj' own, which will 

 likely meet the general want in that line; it affords 

 a fruit-cellar for winter apples, potatoes, etc., 

 which no one but those who have such a cellar for 

 winter storage knows the almost untold value of, 

 dispensing with the storing of such decaying mat- 

 ter in the cellar of the dwelling— the last place it 

 should be stored, if health is a consideration. 



The building is two stories hig-h, 19'/^ x 25 feet, 

 outside measure. The cellar should be dug in a 

 bank, if possible, and a portion of the side walls 

 that are exposed should be banked up on the out- 

 side, in order to afford an even temperature, and 



keep out frost. The walls are built 18 in. thick, 

 leaving inside measure of the cellar IB^j x 23 feet. 

 It is divided in two parts lengthwise. The part in- 

 tended for the bee-cellar is 7 x 22 feet, with three 

 doors opening out. The doors are spaced, each 3 ft. 

 apart. The height of the cellar is 7 ft. in the clear. 

 The lloor is cemented with Portland cement, if pos- 

 sible, and, if properly put on, it becomes as hard as 

 Hint. It is ceiled overhead with boards. The joists 

 should be at least 8 to 10 in. deep, and filled in the 

 depth of joists with earth or fine charcoal, if it can 

 lie had. The idea of this is to assist in keeping a 

 regular temperature. It will also deaden the Hoor 

 between the upper stoiy, and so prevent disturb- 

 ance to the bees by any noise or jarring above. 

 There can also be a sub-earth drain, using a three 

 to four inch earthen pipe. A wooden box-pipe will 

 iinswer nearly as well, and a box-pipe ventilator ex- 

 tinding up along the outer side. The partition be- 

 tween the bee and fruit cellars should be studded 

 with eight-inch studding, and filled in with mor- 

 tared brick, and then plastered, or well lathed and 

 plastered, and (hen filled in with dry earth or fine 

 charconl, the walls being nlso veil plastered. 



DIAGRAM OF FIRST FLOOR — lOJ^ X 35 FT., OUTSIDE. 



If tlie lloiiiiif tlu' liet'-cellar is cemented, first make a layer of 

 co.ir.-ie Kiavel. (> iiulirs thick, then spread on the cement, prop- 

 eily mixed with sand. The floor of the fruit-cellar need not be 

 cemented unless iireferred. 



I think we have a repository here that will keep 

 bees in a dormant state the winter through, with- 

 out the expense of a cistern to reduce the tempera- 

 ture. Friend Doolittle's experience with his mode 

 of wintering bees in a cellar, according to my 

 views, corroborates my plan. 



The other cellar, calculated for fruit, etc., is al- 

 most 9 ft. wide by 35 ft. in length, plastered on all 

 sides, and arranged with 2 sets of shelves all around, 

 3 feet wide, with slat bottoms made from lath one 

 inch square, and placed ^i in. ajiart. These are 

 boarded up to the height desired. This will afi'ord 

 a middle passage, almost 3 feet wide, with a door 

 opening out. In this door it is necessary to have 

 an opening about 18 in. square, over which should 

 be tacked a wire screen. This is to let in air, which 

 is very necessary at times, for the successful keep- 

 ing of fruit, etc. Over this opening is a small door, 

 to close up when necessary. 



There is a ditch dug about 15 in. deep, the width 

 of the wall, sloping toward the front, and a drain 

 from this out, if necessary. This ditch is filled full of 

 finely broken stone. On this the wall is built. The 

 upper story is eight feet high, 19'/2 x 25 ft., divided 

 in two rooms crosswise, making one room 13 x 19'/4. 

 This can be used for a shop and extracting-room. 



