11)06 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1365 



taut thej' they be most thoronghlij braced liy 

 2x4's edgewise against the boarding, with 

 iron ))olts passing clear through to hold the 

 two panels securely in position (see illustra- 

 tions). These iron bolts can 1)6 easily pulled 

 out in 24 hours when the forms are removed. 

 The panel-work is then raised up nearly its 

 width on top of the concrete already harden- 

 ed, the liolts are reinserted in the same holes, 

 the work In-ought to line and plumb, when 

 another pour is made: but in building a l^ee- 

 cellar in a clay foundation it would not be 

 nectessary to have more than one set of pan- 

 els. The clay wall would answer for the 

 backing. 



I have talked with our contractor and 

 builder, Mr. A. K. Loomis, of Medina, and 

 he says the easiest way for the bee-keeper to 

 build" a bee-cellar or a cistern is to construct 

 a square frame made up of four panels, each 

 panel ))eing about three or four feet wide, 

 and long enough to reach across the cellar 

 less the thickness of the two walls. When 

 put together in place and suitably braced it 

 looks like a huge shallow box without top or 

 bottom, set in the center of the cellar dug 

 out. or in a position that will leave an eight- 

 inch wall or filling between the framework 

 and the cellar. The cement is mixed in the 

 cellar according to the instructions to be 

 given further on, and is then poured by scoop- 

 shovelfuls into the space between the frame- 

 work and the cellar. When filled to the 



height of the frame the work is stopped for 

 24 hours, at the expiration of which time the 

 frame is raised antl moved up to nearly the 

 height of its width, and braced a^ain, when 

 another pour is made as ))efore. iii this way 

 the work is carried on until the proper 

 height is reached. 



If it is desired to cover the top of the cel- 

 lar with a concrete roof, make a platform of 

 the panels, putting them overhead in the 

 form of a ceiling, supporting them thorough- 

 ly with bracework underneath so they will 

 not settle by the weight of the concrete. 

 Procure some old railway irons or some old 

 cast-away iron pipes, anil lay them cross- 

 wise of the top of the cellar at equal dis- 

 tances. Pour the concrete on top, imbedding 

 the old scrap iron in the center of the con- 

 crete. Level it off nicely, and at the end of 

 a couple of weeks pull out the wooden ceil- 

 ing from underneath, when the concrete roof 

 with its reinforcements of scrap iron will 

 hold all the earth you iran pile on the top of 

 it. But for the purjjose of making it water- 

 proof, paint the top with asphalt or tar, then 

 pile the earth on top at least four or five feet 

 deep. Indeed, it could be rounded up, as 

 this thickness of earth on top would make a 

 cellar absolutely uniform in temperature, 

 and perfectly dry within, providing there is 

 a good drain-tile at the l)ottom. It is always 

 best to have bee-cellars, if possible, built on 

 a side-hill for the purpose of drainage, and 



KND VIEW ul- rili: FOR\l>', SHOWING THK B(JLTS ANI> CROSS-STICKS AT 



THE PANELS AP.iKT. 



THE TOl' TO HOLD 



