will require no attention during the summer except to be screened from the hot sun by placing 

 cloth or cardboard between the hive and window. If possible the hive should not be placed 

 directly over a radiator or steam pipes as it will become too warm in the winter. A box 

 carrying empty sections should be placed above the hive, between it and the cover, which 

 will give the bees a chance to store honey during the season. Advise with the bee keeper in 

 regard to this and also the handling of bees. Read the references given below. Unless a 

 second colony is desired let the bees swarm at will. 



The temperature at which wax melts may be obtained by floating small bits upon water 

 and heating slowly. Wax is beautifully adapted to its use except for this low melting 

 temperature. Everything pertaining to the comb is well worthy of study; shape of cells, 

 termination at the bottom, horizontal position, relation to one another, arrangement in double 

 tiers, ability to hold liquids (try with water). Have children cut from cardboard regular 

 figures of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 sides. Upon the blackboard outline these figures with 

 chalk and endeavor to oover a portion of the board so as to have no spaces between. This 

 can be done with only the triangle, square and hexagon. Which did the bee select and why ? 



The work with the ant in the spring is quite as interesting as with the bee, when the 

 young are being cared for. A simple school nest is described in Lubbock's Ants, Wasps and 

 Bees. This consists of a heavy base-board in which is cut a moat around the outer margin, 

 supplied with water to keep the ants from escaping. A firm post supports an upper platform, 

 considerably smaller than the base, which holds the nest proper. This consists of two panes 

 of glass separated by thin strips of cork or wood and held together with thick white lead, a 

 small space being left for an entrance. Between the glass fine dirt is sifted and moistened 

 and a cardboard cover is provided to exclude the light. The nest is started by digging into 

 a hill of large ants and transferring to a pail as many ants and as little dirt as possible and 

 dumping this upon the base board of the school nest. Larvae and cocoons should be procured 

 and, if possible, one of the large sized queen ants. At first the ants will rush into the water 

 in which they are helpless and from which they must be rescued. As the dirt dries up the 

 ants will discover the moist dirt in the nest and will take possession. When the dirt below 

 is deserted the entrance may be temporarily closed with paper or cotton, the nest lifted off and 

 the base thoroughly cleaned. Keep the moat supplied with water, restore the nest and all is 

 ready for study. The ants will need to be fed upon syrup, dead insects, moist bread, etc., 

 and may be kept indefinitely. As the dirt dries up a little water should be added as the ants 

 prefer moist ground. At the close of the school year the ants may be allowed to leave and a 

 new nest started again in the fall. 



The work upon the nasturtium should be taken up early in the fall and carried along with 

 the bee work. The temptation here will be strong to tell, but use all possible restraint. To 

 illustrate the method of gas manufacture fill the bowl of a clay pipe with powdered cannel 

 coal, seal with plaster pans and strongly heat. If a rubber tube is attached to the stem and a 

 glass tube, drawn to a point, is inserted, the gas may be burned and passed through water 

 and washed. A tinsmith can make a miniature gas tank to illustrate those used by the gas 

 companies, or one may be improvised from baking-powder catis. Lime water for testing car- 

 bon-dioxide gas is prepared by placing a little lime in water and pouring off the clear solution. 

 The gas itself is obtained by putting hydrochloric acid, obtainable at the drug-store, upon 

 marble dust or fragments. B)' means of a cork and tube it may be conducted to other jars. 

 The effect of heat upon water may be simply shown by taking a flask or bottle, corking it 

 tightly with a cork through which has been passed a glass tube, say a foot in length. Fill 

 the flask with water until it rises into the tube a short distance; mark the height and warm 

 the water, observing the effect. Allow to cool and note the effect. When empty the same 

 apparatus may be used to show the expansion of air as it is warmed. Place the end of the 

 tube in water, warm first with the hands and then with burner or lamp and note the 

 escape of the air. As it cools note the ascent of water in the tube, representing the amount 

 of air driven out by expansion. The expansion of solids is strikingly shown by the ring and 

 ball experiment of the physical laboratory. Simple apparatus may be made by which a strip 

 of metal presses against the short arm of a lever. It has its application in the breaking of 

 glass by sudden cooling or heating, removal of stoppers, tops of fruit cans, laying of car 

 rails, etc. The barometer used should be of the simplest possible type and the children 

 should understand that it registers the varying pressure of the air. 



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