22 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



the ceiling to the cellar7 a foot anda half 

 deep, come clear up and meet the roof 

 and lap on it a foot or more down at the 

 eaves. The roof overhead, and the 

 boards of the gable ends are covered 

 with frost from the moisture that has 

 come up through the hatchway that 

 opens down into the cellar below. We'll 

 crawl along to that hatchway. What a 

 whiff of warm air comes up through it. 

 Listen. Not a sound comes up from 

 below. There's a pile of hives of combs 

 just below this opening, and, by dropping 

 down upon them we get into the cellar; 

 but, before going down, let's light this 

 candle. A candle is safer and better 

 than a lamp. The light is not so bright 



btowmg through' the "tops 'of talf pines.' 

 ■ First, let's look at the thermometer. , Di-y.. 

 bulb 45 degrees, wet bulb, 42. That's 

 good. There was only one degree differ- 

 ence when the bees were first put in the 

 cellar, but a barrel of lime put into eight 

 or ten pails and set around in different 

 parts of the cellar soon dried out the air. 

 No, there are no bottom boards on the 

 hive, nor any covers. The tops of the 

 frames are covered with two thicknesses 

 of old carpet. Let's turn up the corners 

 of some of these pieces of carpet. See 

 the little yellow fellows tucked away 

 there so snug, row after row between the 

 white combs. See how quiet they are, 

 how slim, how clean. If they stir at all 



The Bee Cellar in the Edge of the Woods— Flint, Mich. 



and does not seem to disturb the bees in 

 the least. They will not leave the cluster 

 and fly at it as they will at a bright 

 lamp light. Now we are down m the 

 cellar. Listen again. Yes, there is a 

 faint murmur; like a cataract miles and 

 miles away--like the soft winds at night 



it simply is to slowly raise a wing, or a 

 leg or the point of the abdomen. Let's 

 look under a hive. Is there any sight in 

 bee keeping more beautiful than that? 

 See that great, golden-brown cluster of 

 bees hanging down beneath the combs 

 until it actually touches the covering of 



