194 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



LOADING SUPERS ON WAGON. 



Unfortunately, although the wagon was built especially for 

 the purpose, some irons prevent a perfectly level floor on which 

 to put the supers, so strips of thin board or lath are laid so the 

 supers will be level. The size of the wagon-box is such as to 

 take on one side three supers running crosswise, and on the 

 other side two supers running fore and aft. Great care is taken 

 to build up the piles true, and when all are on they are fast- 

 ened together by laths with nails driven partly in, so the nails 

 can easily be drawn upon reaching home. Each pile has a lath 

 vertically ; across the top, laths are braced in both directions, so 

 that the whole load is practically one solid pile (Fig. 64). As 

 the load comes mainly on the hind axle, 40 supers are as many 

 as we like to haul at one load. We seldom take so large a load. 



As I have said, putting the load on the wagon at the close 

 of the season is something of a ticklish job, and is mostly done 

 under cover of smoke, my assistant playing the smoker wherever 

 it will do the most good. The character of the tent-escape comes 

 into fine play here, for it can so quickly and surely be thrown 

 into the right place that the robber-bees have little chance at the 

 piles, so the smoking is mostly done at the wagon. A robber- 

 cloth (Fig. 75) is even a little better than the tent escape. 



When the load is all on, the wagon is drawn away to a 

 distance safe for the horses. This may be 8 or 10 rods, or it 

 may be more than twice that distance. Fortunately, at each 

 out-apiary the ground lies in such a way that after the first few 

 rods the gi'ound is descending, making it easy to draw the load 

 the longer distance. Then the horses are hitched on as speedily 

 as possible. 



HONEY-EOOM. 



Generally, Philo will be ready to take off the load when we 

 get home, unless we get home too near bed-time and Philo has 

 gone home, in wjiich ease I am not always a good enough fighter 

 to keep the women from helping to carry the supers into the 

 honey-room. This is an addition built on to my dwelling-house. 

 It is 2(1x1") feet, and the floor-timbers are blocked up with 

 stones so that it will sustain a great weight without breaking. 



