er, and serve it up with bacon.

BEE HIVES. Common bee hives made of straw are generally preferred,
because they are not likely to be overheated by the rays of the sun;
they will also keep out the cold better than wood, and are cheaper than
any other material. As cleanliness however is of great consequence in
the culture of these delicate and industrious insects, the bottom or
floor of the hive should be covered with gypsum or plaster of Paris, of
which they are very fond; and the outside of their habitation should be
overspread with a cement made of two-thirds of cow-dung, and one-third
of ashes. This coating will exclude noxious insects, which would
otherwise perforate and lodge in the straw; it will also secure the bees
from cold and wet, while it exhales an odour which to them is very
grateful. The inner part of the hive should be furnished with two thin
pieces of oak, or peeled branches of lime tree, placed across each other
at right angles, which will greatly facilitate the construction of the
combs, and support them when filled with honey. A good bee-hive ought to
be so planned as to be capable of enlargement or contraction, according
to the number of the swarm; to admit of being opened without disturbing
the bees, either for the purpose of cleaning it, of freeing it from
noxious insects, or for the admission of a stock of provision for the
winter. It should also admit of the produce being removed without injury
to the bees, and be internally clean, smooth, and free from flaws. A
hive of this description may easily be made of three or four open square
boxes, fastened to each other with buttons or wooden pegs, and the
joints closed with cement. The whole may be covered with a moveable
roof, projecting over the boxes to carry off the rain, and kept firm on
the top by a stone being laid upon it. If the swarm be not very
numerous, two or three boxes will be sufficient. They should be made of
wood an inch thick, that the bees and wax may be less affected by the
changes of the atmosphere. This hive is so easily constructed, that it
is only necessary to join four boards together in the simplest manner;
and a little cement will cover all defects. Within the upper part of the
boxes, two bars should be fixed across from one corner to another, to
support the combs. At the lower end of each box in front, there must be
an aperture, or door, about an inch and an half wide, and as high as is
necessary for the bees to pass with