164 ON BEES AND HONEY. 



a bottom board, a centre hive, and two collateral boxes. 

 These will be described separately. The stuff of which all 

 the parts are made, is to be of the best stock, well seasoned 

 and free from knots and from shakes. The thickness of the 

 stock mentioned, is, in all cases, what it is after being planed 

 down, and smoothed off and ready for use, and the other dimen- 

 sions are all inside measure. We may as well mention here, 

 that it is intended that these hives should be placed under some 

 convenient kind of house, (open to the South,) and shel- 

 tered from the sun and the storm, 



1st. The bottom board is made of one-and-a-half inch stuff, 

 and is bevelled at its front edge, so that the upper side, on 

 which the hive rests, is fourteen and one half inches wide, 

 and the bottom, is fifteen and one half inches wide. The ob- 

 ject of the bevel is, that the rain which may beat against the 

 front of the hive, may easily run off. The length of the bot- 

 tom board is thirty-one inches, inclusive of a stout cleet at 

 each end, to prevent warping. In the front centre of it, is the 

 door-way for the bees to enter and leave, six inches long, and 

 three eighths of an inch high. This commences at the lower 

 front bevel edge of the bottom board, and slanting upwards and in- 

 wards, opens out into the hive, just within the inside of the 

 front board of the hive. This innei' opening of the door-way 

 is made rather full and spreading, so as to give room for the 

 bees entering with their loads, to separate easily in the several 

 directions into which they may happen to take their supplies. 

 It is made small at the outside, so that the bees may the more 

 readily be able to defend themselves against their enemies. 



2d. The central and main hive is twelve inches by twelve 

 inches, in area, and is twenty inches high, reckoning from the 

 upper side of the bottom board on which it rests, to the un- 

 derside of the top cover, which top cover made of seven- 

 eighths stuff, is just so much larger than the central hive as 

 to allow a projection three quarters of an inch all round. This 

 top must be firmly nailed on, driving the nails a little slanting, to 

 got a better hold. The twenty inches height of this central 

 hive, is divided into two rooms, by a seven-eighths piece of 

 stuff, through which six holes, one inch bore, are made, to lead 



