HIVES AND BOXES. 29 



in the middle of that tin must be a round hole, to correspond 

 "with the hole through the top of the box, in the centre of the 

 frame-work just mentioned, an inch in diameter, to admit the 

 perforated cylinder tin ventilator, nine inches long. This flat tin 

 must have a smooth piece of wood, well made to fit it closely, 

 and to cover the frame-work just mentioned, so as to earry the 

 wet off ; then placing this cover over the square perforated tin, 

 your box will be secure from the action of wind and rain. The 

 perforated cylinder serves both for a ventilator, and also for a se- 

 cure and convenient receptacle for a thermometer, at any time 

 when it is necessary to ascertain the temperature of the box into 

 which the cylinder is inserted. Within this frame-work, and so 

 that the perforated flat tin already described may completely 

 cover them, at each corner make a hole with a three-eighths cen- 

 tre bit, through the top of the box. These four small holes ma- 

 terially assist the ventilation, and are, in fact, an essential part 

 of it. 



" We next come to the long floor, on which the three square 

 bee-boxes which constitute a set, stand collaterally. This floor 

 is the strong top of a long, shallow box, made for the express 

 purpose of supporting the three bee boxes, and must of course 

 be superficially of such dimensions as those boxes, when placed 

 collaterally, require ; or, if the bee boxes project the eighth part 

 of an inch over the ends and back of this floor box, so much the 

 better ; because the rain or wet that may at any time fall upon 

 them will drain off completely. For ornament, as much as for 

 use, this floor is made to project about two inches in front ; but 

 this projection must be sloped, or made an inclined plane, so as 

 to carry off the wet from the front of the boxes. To the centre 

 of this projecting front, and on a plane with the edge of the part 

 cut away for the entrance of the bees into the pavilion, is attached 

 the alighting board, which consists of a piece of planed board, 

 six inches by three, having the two outward corners rounded off 

 a little. The passage from this alighting board into the pavilion 

 is cut, not out of the edge of the box, but out of the floor-board, 

 and should be not less than four inches in length, and about half 

 an inch in depth, or so as to make a clear half inch way under 

 the edge of the box for the bee passage. I recommend this as 

 preferable to a cut in the edge of the box ; because, being upon 

 an inclined plane, if at any time the wet should be driven into 

 the pavilion by a stormy wind, it would soon drain out, and tb» 



