ESSEX SOCIETY. 91 



assists the bees in securing their comb. Do not put any sticks 

 across this room ; they will be in the way, if you should at 

 any time wish to take out old comb, to let the bees replace it 

 with new, and they are of no use whatever. The back and 

 front boards of this central hive are one and one half inches 

 thick, and have in them openings, six inches by four, and 

 glazed, looking into the lower room, to give the keeper a 

 chance to see what is going on. These are to have covers 

 closely fitted in. The back board reaches only to within 

 a quarter of an inch of the npper side of the partition board, 

 which is between the lower and upper rooms, this upper side 

 being, of course, the floor of the chamber. This falling short 

 leaves a rabbet against which the back door of the chamber, 

 which is one and one half inches thick, and is nmde of the full 

 size of the chamber, may rest. The sides of the central hive 

 are of seven-eighths stuff, twelve inches wide, and twenty 

 inches high. In these sides are cut slits, or passage-ways for 

 the bees, through which they pass from the central to the side 

 boxes, to ba described directly. These slits are cut, one out 

 of the bottom of the side-piece, and one at nine and one half 

 inches from the bottom, and one just half way between these 

 two. They are seven inches long and five-eighths inch high. 

 By this arrangement, it will be seen that the top of the upper 

 slit of the three, is just even Avith the top of the central hive. 

 Out of the inner back edge of those parts of tlrese side-pieces, 

 which make the sides of the chamber, rabbets are also cut for 

 the purpose of supporting the back door above spoken of. A 

 door may also be cut, if you choose, out of the upper part of 

 the front side of the central hive, to enable you to examine 

 and take out the front glasses, without disturbing those in the 

 rear. If this be cut, rabbets must be left to support the door. 



3d and 4th. The collateral or side-boxes are each ten and 

 one-eighth inches high, six and a half wide, and eleven inches 

 from front to rear, made of seven-eighths stuff. The side that 

 is next the central hive, projects one-half inch to the front, 

 and the same to the rear, coming flush with the front and rear 

 of the central hive, and so giving space for the reception of 

 screws by which to secure it to the central hive. Gleets on 



