To return to my subject; my bees had The cost of such a clamp is slight. 810 for 
been confined 120 days, and though the upright, ridge pole, and roof boards covered 
weather was below the freezing point and all, but the building and digging, which was 
snow deep, 1 dared not leave them longer, done odd spells by my hired man and self. 
So the 30th of March 1 opened the entrance By renewing the earth in the spring it will 
to the clamp : the earth was frozen 10 inches, last many years. 
3 inches unfrozen, straw damp, roof boards The small consumption of honey, low, equa- 
dry outside, inside some moisture had settled ble temperature, fine condition of bees in the 
upon the roof and a slight, mold also. A bee spring is ample, compensation for the outlay, 
on the wing met me at the entrance with a and is as satisfying as it would be to a good 
joyful hum that gladdened my heart—did farmer to know that his stock is well housed 
not find them torpid—they were t hickly from the biting blasts of winter, 
clustered on the top of tho frames and edges There is no trouble in propagating bees, 
two edges are then overlapped, and a couple 
of nails driven through and clenched inside 
complete the shade (fig. L) The apex of the 
cone is then cut off, which leaves a small 
round hole in the center of the. cap. When 
a Carnation is in flower a small hole is drilled 
in the stick, to which the plant is tied a t the 
required bight, a nail (brad) passed through, 
and the cap slid down the stick until stopped 
by the nail ; a small wedge is inserted in the 
hole between the stick and cover, and the 
whole is firm (see fig. 8). 
WINTEBING BEES IN A CLAMP 
Mu. Charles D. Hibbard, Auburn, N. Y., 
contributes the following article to the Amer¬ 
ican Bee Journal, which we regard worth 
reading by every reader of the J'cua i. New- 
Yorker who keeps bees. We do notabridge 
it at all but give it whole as we find it : 
Being desirous of putting my bees in some 
kind of a repository, burying them in a clamp 
was suggested to me by reading the plan of 
Paster Schultz, In Langslroth on the honey 
bee, and Klanke in the October number of 
the Bee Journal. 
Thu first days of November T marked oil a 
space on dry ground 24x3$ feet, and threw 
out the earth to the depth of two feet. 
Through entire length of the center of this 
pit 1 dug a trench 2 feet deep and 3 in width, 
for an air chamber. At either end of this pit 
2-inch ventilating tubes 3 inches in diameter 
were placed, running to the surface outside 
the clamp when covered, at an angle of 45°; 
across this trench, from side to side, scantling 
were placed $ feet in length and 2 feet apart, 
over which to place the hives, the trench 
serving the purpose of an air chamber be¬ 
neath them. Set a post at either end of this 
trench $ feet long and $x 10 inches, over which 
1 placed a ridge pole 24 feet long *lxf> inches, 
and equal distance from the ends, placed 
under its supports to keep the roof from 
yielding to pressure. Put on rafters from 
the bank to ridge pole $ feet long 3x0 inches 
wide every four feet, and covered with roof 
boards ns you would do iu shingling a barn. 
Any old boards planed the way of the rafters 
would direct the moisture from the inside 
should it reach them. Left a hole in the side 
large enough to put in my hives. Put in a. 
utbu 4x4 near one end for upward ventila¬ 
tion, and another 2x2 inches iu the center of 
the side to put a thermometer in which I 
attached to a rod that I might note the inside 
temperature daily. Another thermometer 
was placed 12 inches from my bedroom win- 
duw, on the north side of my honse, for 
outside observations. Put on C inches straw 
and 12 inches of dirt, and all was ready. 
On 1 he 20th of Nov. the thermometer being 
at 32 and cloudy, 1 weighed each Langstroth 
hive after removing the covers and marked 
the weight ou the portico of the hire. 42 
swarms were thus placed side by side, form¬ 
ing just one course over the surface of the 
pit. 10* i swarms could be placed in a claipp 
of this size, hut mine was made permanent 
and for future use. All bottom ventilation 
was stopped, and the honey boards placed 
crosswise the hive next to the bank of the 
pit; thus they were half uncovered ; and 
with much trepidation at iny boldness in 
hazarding so much on an experiment, I bid 
them a good night’s rest, and left them to 
darkness and quiet, sealed up the entrance 
uniform with the rest of the clamp and it 
was done. 
liow will it end f was my anxious ques¬ 
tioning during the long and extremely cold 
winter that followed. My thermometer was 
compared daily at 8 A. M. iu the record that 
follows. One of the. three iuch ventilators 
was open all the time, the others wore closed 
in extreme cold weather. I am certain that 
more ventilation would be beneficial, by put¬ 
ting 1 an upright oue 4x4 iu the center for 
reasons that follow : 
Weather Report of 1873-’73. 
1872, Nov. (II days.) inside I lie clamp, 39°. 
“ “ outside, max. 42”, min. 18”. 
Average for month outside, 28”, 
Doc. inside the damp, 39”. 
“ outside, max. 12”, min. 4“ below. 
Average outside, is u . 
1873, Jan. inside tho clamp, 39°. 
** outside, max. 34 ', min. 8” below. 
Average outside. 20°. 
Fob. inside I lie clamp, 89°. 
“ outside, max. 13 . min. 0“ below. 
Average outside, 18“. 
Mur. (30 days,) inside the clamp, 39". 
“ “ outside, max.43", min.G” bel. 
Average outside, 22 . 
Thus you will see the temperature inside 
did not vary from 39“ during 120 days, while 
outside we had polar winds and arctic uold 
* f 
with very much snow and 16 inches of ice in 
our streams. Not a day from the 30th of 
Nov. to the 2nd of April that bees could fly 
without cliilling in this latitude, Many bees 
were dead the 1st of Jam, and all for want of 
a cleansing flight had soiled their combs 
badly, and were in a comatose stat e. 
Comparisons to be just must be made in 
the same localities. One neighbor lost 45 out 
of 76 hives, another 00 out of 70, another 7 ■ 
out of y, another 31. all he had, While at this 
date, July 11th, they have barely reached 
the swarming point. While from mine 1 
have at same date taken out 700 pounds box 
honey and made 18 swarms, and still they 
are working with a will. 
BEGONIA CHELSONI 
This is a Begonia obtained by “ Hybridiza¬ 
tion, or rather by crossing well known spe¬ 
cies with those unnamed. The one herewith 
illustrated was raised by Messrs. Yeitch of 
England, and is regarded one of tlie best. It 
is of Stoat, upright growth, and flowers free¬ 
ly from April or May until November. The 
fiowers are of good size and substance, and 
of a glowing red or vermilion color, which 
contrasts well with the bright green, ele¬ 
gantly-cut foliage and pale-greenish stems. 
It is easily propagated either by means of 
cuttings or division, and it grows freely in a 
fresh, open compost ol fibrous loam, peat 
and coarse white sand. It thrives best in a 
stove or intermediate house, and when in ac¬ 
tive growth requires a plentiful supply of 
moisture. 
Mignonette in France. —Some idea of the 
estimation iu which Mignonette is held by 
tho French may be formed from the fact 
that one nurseryman hi the Hue Montgalet 
sells about 40,000 pots of this plant every 
year. 
OCEANA CO., MICH 
This county is sit uated on one of the larg¬ 
est bays on the eastern coast of Lake Michi¬ 
gan, and is supposed to be one of the best 
fruit counties in the State. Back about five 
miles from the lake, peach trees were not 
hurt at. all by the terrible winter which in¬ 
jured so many peach trees in this State. The 
apple crop will exceed that of any year here¬ 
tofore. Plums and pear trees are loaded 
down. This county is one of the best among 
the seventy in this State for farming. Wheat 
has all been harvested, aud a great deal of it 
threshed. 
The yield was far better than expected, on 
account of the weather being so dry. Pota¬ 
to bugs put in t heir appearance in due season 
and stripped the vines of t heir green foliage 
pretty freely, until that fearful Pariu yrcen 
l aid them where t hey will cease t heir peram¬ 
bulating evermore. We have some of the 
i; iost beautiful forests in this county, 1 think, 
y OU ever saw, consisting of pine, hemlock, 
<i alar, birch, and hard wood of almost every 
d escription. The weather bus been ex- 
e yceedingly dry in this locality for the past 
n lonth. Farmers are somewhat afraid that 
title corn crop will fall short of the average 
y ield. Brick are as scarce as ^lien's teeth in 
t! vis part of the world, consequently we have 
but oue brick building in the county. Shin- 
gleand lumber mills are numerous. There 
are about a dozen villages in the county; 
there are but two, l'entwater and Hart, that 
are of much consequence. The former con¬ 
tains about 1,500 and the latter about 600 in¬ 
habitants. Pent, water lies on the sandy 
beach, Hart eight miles South.— J. F. 
Hart, Mich,, August 12. 
breed in darkened confinement. Found 1 
queenless hive dead, and 3 three-comb under 
that l had used for quoeu rearing, and ven¬ 
tilated the same as full hives, they could not 
keep up the requisite heat. Another hive 
had but a pint of bees but a fine Italian 
queen. 1 gave brood from time to time, and 
at this date, July 11th, they have made 75 
pounds box honey. Thus I brought through 
38 out of 12 hives. 
Very happy at my success I went to work 
with a will. Weighed each hive and placed 
them upon their summer stands. The differ¬ 
ence in weight was 276 pounds, making an 
average of to t he hive for 120 days ; tho 
highest consumption per hive was 11 pounds, 
the lowest 4' L , pounds. The w eather for two 
weeks following was very bad. Two heavy 
snow storms, and one heavy northeast rain 
Storm, so they did not have a fly until April 
3rd, 131 days from the 20th of Nov. Now 
why did they, during this long confinement, 
not die. as did those kept on summer stands ? 
My answer is, they were in a low, equable 
temperature, 7 C above the freezing point. 
Their consumption of honey was small, they 
did uot become gorged with their feces as did 
those on summer stands compelled to feed 
largely to sustain existence, and again they 
were iu Egyptian darknws, and therefore 
quiet. Novice has propounded what may lie 
considered an axiom when lie says, ‘‘unless 
bees can be kept where water does not freeze, 
they had better be in the sun as much as 
possible.” 
Rome modifications of the clamp are sug¬ 
gested by my experience. Put the roof 
boards 2 inches apart and lay ou 12 inches of 
straw aud 6 inches of earth. Put a 4x4 vent 
in center. I had none at that point. This 
would avoid condensation of moisture ou the 
inside of clamp. I 
CHEAP SHADE FOB FL0WEBS 
It is made of any old pieces of oilcloth, such 
as is put down in halls, &c., which may be 
knocking about a house, and are generally 
looked upon as rubbish, aud either thrown 
LAND IN EAST TENNESSEE 
V / \ J * Teel Mr. N. S. of Michigan, (Rural of 
/ \ J ||T August Oth), til at lie can get land in East 
/ \ / Tennessee ou 1 ime, und pay for it from the 
J f\ crops raised on the land ; or if he will buy 
.'I s near the railroad he can cash all his surplus 
p ^ crops, which is preferable; or if ho buys in 
|ji ' the mountain valleys, or ou some Of Uie river 
™ AU' bottoms, he can feed his produce to stock, 
j \ say hogs, cattle, horses or mules—any of the 
/ o \ four named, or all, can be raised in L ist Ten- 
J nessee, und are readily bought up by stock 
JJJ v w, dealers every year, (and the cash paid in 
j 0 \| Y;, jggg|fc 1 hand.) to be driven to the Southern markets. 
|||5Sp||Br Hogs are now selling readily at 5c. per lb., 
fa 11 Ip iflIjiBf gross, and they are sure cash every year. 
O f|M Ml : ; im The best valley lands of East Teuucssee pro- 
7 / 7 / ° Willi ' liijjljmm _ duce from 40 to 60 bushels of corn per acre. 
r*. mmfM The French broad river bottoms produce 
wl/li f t _ _ /i iJitgffi Jg from 40 to SO bushels per acre; hilly lands 
_ 0 ■ _ from 3 to 40 bushels per acre ; prices Vary 
Fig. 2. Fig. 3. according to 1’ex‘tiUty. There is ol Wavs land 
away or consigned to the lumber-room. A f "p^c^fehandTandmofe'Tham'ri’ia^t 
circular piece of any diameter required is cut great portion of the laud that is sold is sold 
out, as in fig. 1 ; from this a triangular piece for debts, and the cash has to come at once, 
is cut out, as shown by the dotted lines ; the | Flat Gap, Jeff Co., Tenn. J. T. Rankin. 
