HOW TO AFOID THE BRIMSTONE-PIT. loj 



advice, under the title of a "Bee-Preserver." He after- 

 wards collected other information and valuable notes upon 

 apiculture, which, together with the two before-named 

 letters, he incorporated into a volume called "My Bee 

 Book." 



Mr. Cotton's plan was to stupefy the bees with the 

 fumes produced by burning puff balls, or puff fungus, a 

 plant not uncommonly seen in fields in the autumn, 

 gathered half-ripe and carefully dried ; then to shake out 

 the bees, cut out the combs, and replace the bees in the 

 hive, and in the evening, having fumigated another full 

 hive, to introduce into it the bees out of the combless hive. 



This method, though it has doubtless proved service- 

 able to many cottagers, is not so easy as the simple driving 

 system, which I will now describe. 



HOW TO DRIVE BEES. 



Choose a fine warm day between 10 a.m. and I p.m., 

 when the bees are actively engaged working in the fields. 

 First prepare two empty straw hives, one of them as nearly 

 resembling in shape and size the stock to be operated upon 

 as possible — a long roller towel with the seam removed so 

 as to be used in one length — a long piece of strong cord, a 

 small roll of linen rags, and a bucket. Inexperienced per- 

 sons are recommended to wear a bee dress. Stand the 

 bucket firmly on the ground, two or three yards from the 

 condemned hive, and having lighted the roll of linen rags 

 with a match, so as to cause it to smoulder and produce a 

 good quantity of smoke, then gently blow the smoke into 

 the entrance of the hive ; just a few whiffs are sufficient. 

 Having done this, frequently the cottage hive, especially if 

 it has stood on the bench unmolested for a couple of years, 

 will be found to be firmly fastened with propolis to the 



