LOCATIONS AND BXJILDINGS 13 



west sides of every hive caught fire. Man is unable to 

 cope with a forest fire of this magnitude, and the sensible 

 thing is to avoid the risk. 



After selecting and clearing the site, a fence will be 

 required to keep the cattle from molesting the bees. If 

 sheep graze on the surrounding land, it is a good plan 

 to let them have free range of the apiary as they are 

 first-class grass mowers. Now about the fence. If white 

 ants are numerous, the 100 posts required had better 

 be split of Eed gum, or Box ; both these timbers are very 

 durable. About 2 coils of No. 8 wire will make the fence 

 horse and cattle proof: the sheep will do no harm. 



HONEY-HOUSE. 



After the fence is up, the honey-house ought to receive 

 attention. This should be placed at the lowest corner 

 of the yard, because it is easier to wheel the empty 

 barrow up hill. A barrow full of honey-combs ready for 

 extracting is of considerable weight, and it saves energy 

 to use a down grade. (Fig. 39 depicts a favourite plan 

 of the author's in laying out a small yard, the diagram 

 needs no further explanation except to remark a bias in 

 favour of hives in rows a wide distance apart). From 

 the remarks made on the subject of fires, the wisdom of 

 advocating a galvanised iron honey-house is apparent. 

 There is no material more suitable for the Australasian 

 climate; it presents no opportunity to catch alight from 

 bush fires, requires very little in the way of repairs, and 

 white ants cannot eat it. 



Figs. 7 and 8 give a plan and graphic section of a 

 honey-house suitable for a small apiary, safe from fire. 

 In case of extended operations and as the business grows, 

 the question of a suitable honey -house becomes one of 

 considerable import. 



Where extracting is carried on in a wholesale manner, 

 every step saved in the course of the day's work is a 

 desideratum. The plan of a concrete honey-house (Fig. 9) 

 for a large apiary is designed to enable a heavy crop of 

 honey to be handled in an economical manner. The 



