343
 (Qu 4) April 25th 1871. Have today brought the plan suggested for 
[illegible] to be [illegible]
Make a platform about 2 feet high, [illegible]
To four corner posts. Let hive A and nuclei B, C, D, E all 
Well stocked with choicest drones. Set A hive
Openings at X, Y, to have drones flying from different 
Directions. 1 to 10 are good [illegible] with queens of [illegible]
Age, wings clipped. + + + are boards about two inches
High nailed to platform, to prevent queens from getting
Off platform or getting to [illegible] nuclei, platform painted white, to make
The queen more plainly seen by drones, or a light cream color if white too
Dazzling, edge of platform has the same + + boards to keep in queens. 
To prevent Queens from getting over boards, they may be chocked,
Strips of [illegible] tact down with [illegible] strips, or [illegible] wool, [illegible] 
With non flying Queens to have Queen gates 5/32, to be opened at about 2: 00 PM 
If suitable day. Queens and honey come out to [crossed out: be fed] mate, and drones see them
Platform must be so constructed that water will not lodge on it. Set [illegible]
Some rods from main apiary. [illegible] Qu 3. I sold all my bees in and had 
Nothing to do with bees until the spring of 1865, when I found that the mere smell of the 
Poison affected me very seriously. Any contact with persons handling bees, even the reading 
Of letters or Postal can do from there produced a fresh attack. I did all that I could
To avoid all contact with the B person, but found it to be next to impolite too 
Guard myself affectively, this season I have had dreadful headaches over and over again 
And even the presence of freshly extracted honey in the home has brought them on. Last week after
Very serious consideration I resolved to [illegible] for a week the effect of handling bees as 
Freely as of old, using no behat and taking no pains to avoid being stung. I have done this now for over 5 days, and have had less and less suffering
All the time, although stung more or less every day. What a blessed relief it would be
To find that my system can in a short time accommodate itself to the poison 
As it once did. That I can Resume my experiments, and visit my friends who keep 
Large apiary's with my former impunity. June 30th. The patterns seem perfect
Worker come with Italian bees, when [illegible] is used in part or whole sheets, 
The weight of the bees being taken off [illegible] and resting mainly on the
Patterns there is no great [illegible] I could manage an apiary 
[illegible] I would have no drone, even for the second story, as in such a
Good season as this the bees will work in the upper story and lay drone
Eggs, good worker comb all [illegible], should be the rule



