The Choice of a Hiv: 33 



upon the under side, to prevent warping, with ha!f-iacii strips nailed 

 along the two sid'js and back end, upon its upper surface to support the 

 liive, is the cqua! cf any bottom-hoard. 



It may not be amiss to sa>- that hives may be used with no bottom- 

 board except the earth. The hive sits upon a rim made of rough 

 cheap lumber, an entrance being furnished by making the front end- 

 piece of the rim an inch narrower, and the rim tilled with earth or 

 sawdust to within an inch of the top. At first thought this seems like 

 a very rough, primitive affair, as though using similv the earth for a 

 bottom-board would not answer, but it is difficult to say zvhy. 



A "Dirt-Cheap" Bottom-Board. 



A cover after the same style, simply a plain board cleated at the 

 ends to prevent warping, is a model of simplicity and desirability. 

 If it is difficult to obtain boards wide enough for covers, they may be 

 pieced, even made of narrow strips, then the upper surface covered 

 with a piece of muslin while the paint is fresh, and another coat of 

 paint applied over the muslin. If kept properly painted, such covers 

 will not leak. 



Much has been written about staples and projections on frames 

 to make them self-spacing; but the objections greatly overshadow the 

 advantages, which are that all the frames are kept exactly the same dis- 

 tance apart; in closing up the hive, or, rather, in arranging the frames 



