•ON BEES AND HONElf. 165 



ffoni the lower to the upper room, and over which holes,* large 

 ,pint tumblers or boxes may be placed for the bees to build in. 

 What they may here deposit, you may take for reut, any time 

 when full. The upper room is nine, and the lower room is 

 iten and one eighth inches high. The inside and roof of this 

 lower room must not he planed too smoothhj . A little rough- 

 ness 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 o!d 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 upper side of the partition board 

 which is between the lower aud 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 ijiches thick, and is made of thcfu^l 

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

 of seven-eighths stufl^, 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 

 be described directly. These slits are cut, one out of the bot- 

 tom of the side-piece, 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 arrange- 

 ment, it will be seen that the top of the upper slit of the 

 three, is just even v/ith the top of the central hive. Out of 

 the inner back edge of those parts of these 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 



*Keep these holes open in winter, and tumblers over them to collect the 

 steamy moisture, which, ipising freoi the bodies of ibe bees^ often proyes des- 

 tructive to the stock. 



