February 5. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
295 
keep these casts through any winter, unless their stores 
were far less slender than they usually are; in fact, how 
generally impossible without copious feeding —a too trouble¬ 
some business to be often resorted to. Hence, among other 
reasons, arose my anxiety to discover some method of 
diminishing the consumption of food in winter, so as to enable 
ordinary casts to survive the casualties of that season. As, 
however, I have now no inducement to keep casts (of which 
the very name should, henceforth, be banished from apiarian 
literature), my solicitude about my hives, on the score of 
their maintenance during winter, is, I repeat, much dimi¬ 
nished ; still, the wintering of bees, with a view to the dis¬ 
covery of the minimum quantity of honey necessary to main¬ 
tain a hive in good health and strength, remains a subject 
of interest, as tending to increase very considerably the 
bee-master’s ultimate profit from his bees. Now I am happy 
to be able to draw the attention of your readers to a novel 
kind of bee-house, of which the construction is such as to 
afford, by a veiy simple contrivance, the most effectual means 
of wintering hives at the least possible expense, and with the 
least possible trouble. I am indebted to your correspondent, 
R., for the suggestion, which will be found at page 219 of 
Miner’s work on bees—a work which, although “ dogmatic ” 
indeed (and, I may add, abounding in extravagant Ameri¬ 
canisms, and republican conceit, of both style and matter), 
is yet, certainly, a “ useful sort of book ” in its way. The 
American bee-house, illustrated in that book, and I presume, 
of the author’s invention, appeal’s to me to be the ne plus 
ultra of bee-houses; indeed, so delighted am I with it, that 
I have, within the last week, had one constructed on the 
same principle to stand in my garden. It is not only ad¬ 
mirable because of the facility it offers for the perfect 
wintering of hives, but it may be so placed as to enjoy the 
full benefit of the suuniest aspect (say S. or S.E.) without 
the hives being exposed to the actual rays of the sun 
during the heat of summer, at the same time that they may 
experience its direct warmth as often as is necessary or 
advantageous to assist in maturing the brood. To waste 
no more words, however, in its praise, let us proceed to 
examine the house itself as seen in the accompanying 
sketch. Mr. Miner describes it in the following words :— 
“ The cut (he says) represents a house 12 feet long, 6 feet 
high, and 5 feet wide. The ends and back are enclosed, 
except a space one foot wide (at the back) directly opposite 
the lower section of the hives. The space is provided with 
a shutter, hung on hinges, and during the months of March, 
April, and May (the breeding season), it should be closed. 
The remainder of the year it should be open, unless in cer¬ 
tain circumstances of very heavy winds existing, when it 
would be proper to close it again for brief periods. The 
shutter here alluded to is made from any board, measuring 
twelve feet long by one foot wide, and bracketed to prevent 
warping. During the heat of summer, a breeze will con¬ 
stantly be playing around the hives, when arranged on this 
plan, giving the bees health and activity, and during the 
winter they will stay at home (this breeze acting as a re¬ 
frigerator) where they belong. It may be perceived in the 
cut that a portion of the structure is closed below the roof 
in front. This portion of the front thus covered is about 
two feet wide. It is not intended to be permanently fast, 
but one foot of it, at least, in width should swing on hinges, 
and be susceptible of being raised and lowered at pleasure. 
In the spring of the year it may be raised, and the sun let 
in, as the heat of this orb, at that period, is beneficial in 
aiding the bees to raise the temperature of the interior of 
the hive sufficiently to develope the brood. A very good 
way to bring the hives within the reach of the sun during 
the spring months is so to construct the floor-board as to 
admit of its being brought forward, or moved back, at plea¬ 
sure. For instance, in March, April, and May, bring it 
forward parallel with the front of the house, when the sun 
will shine with full force upon the hives. When swarming is 
over (better to say when the swarming season approaches), and 
the heat becomes oppressive, let it be moved back so far as to 
be beyond the reach of the rays of the sun; and in the winter, 
the further back it is moved the better, for the reason that 
no inducement should be afforded to cause the bees to leave 
their homes, and at this season the front should be closed 
partially ; that is, the board that hangs on hinges should be 
let down. The rear being open in winter causes a cool 
current of air to pass around the hives,” which, of course, 
will check the bees from issuing forth, as they might other¬ 
wise do ; whence, remaining still and quiet for whole weeks 
together in shade and cold, the consumption of honey 
may be expected, with reason, to diminish greatly. He 
adds, “ the removal of the floor-boards from front to rear, 
and vice versd, will not involve the necessity of disturbing 
the hives. It can be effected by shoving along the whole 
together.” 
I think the dimensions of the above house involve an 
unnecessary waste of room. It appears to me that by a 
slight elevation (say of half-a-foot only), with not much 
more than half the length of structure, and a reduction of 
the width to three or four feet, the same number of hives 
could be accommodated in two tiers or ranges, one above 
the other, with the same advantage. There should 
be a space of two feet-and-a-half between each tier, and 
between the upper shelf and the roof, to allow for the 
comfortable working of supers or glasses. Also, it would 
make no difference whether hives of straw or wooden boxes 
were made use of; only in the latter case the thickness of 
the wood should not be less than an inch, and the boxes 
might be covered up with matting, or sackcloth, in very 
severe weather. It is evident, too, that either storified or 
collateral colonies might be used with all the modern im¬ 
provements of floor-boards, &c. In the spring and autumn 
the hives would be gradually pushed forwards or backwards, 
so that the bees might easily learn their way in and out 
without difficulty. To my mind, nothing can surpass this 
sort of bee-house, be it constructed of brick or wood. Here 
I can well imagine every advantage to accrue, of which your 
correspondent, R., makes mention, viz., “ the sunshine ( when 
injurious, for it is sometimes beneficial), is warded off, a 
moderate consumption of food takes place in 'winter, internal 
heat and, consequently, early breeding, is promoted, and by 
means of the overhanging eaves and swinging boards, “some¬ 
what of the effect of shady walls and shrubberies is pro¬ 
duced in summer.” From the opening observations of this 
paper it will be understood that I have great pleasure in 
trusting to what Mr. Miner says at page 222, viz., that the 
bees “ will not consume over one-half as much honey in 
this way as they would if exposed to the full force of the 
sun during the -winterbut, indeed, this bee-house appears 
to me to meet all the desiderata in bee-houses, without any 
of their inconveniences. The cost of such a structure ought 
not, I should think, to exceed T-t (which is the cost of my 
own, just erected), a sum moderate enough as a shelter for 
six stocks, and it might be made to accommodate eight 
colonies, if all storified, their entrances being distant a foot- 
and-a-half from each other. A Country Curate. 
MANAGEMENT OF GEESE. 
(Continued from page 217.) 
After enjoying a few sunny days, the goslings will soon 
become hardier, and may be sent to the common, or fields, 
as soon as the sun has been an hour risen; for they are pro¬ 
verbial as early risers, and will express their impatience to 
