THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



43 



this is left open full width at first. As 

 the season advances, if we find the tenn- 

 perature dropping we first close the inside 

 door. As the weather becomes still 

 colder we may have to partly close the 



posts. A chamber fioor is nailed to the 

 lower edges of the joists, 18 inches of 

 sawdust or planer shavings spread over 

 the f^oor, and a double-boarded roof, 

 with tarred felt between, put on over all. 



Interior View of Cellar 

 This cut was made from a flashlight photograph. 



ventilating opening. By this manage- 

 ment we have always held the tempera- 

 ture between 42 and 45 degrees. 



DETAILS OF CELLAR CONSTRUCTION. 



If the walls of a cellar were made 

 sufficiently sloping, I expect that they 

 would stand up without any support, 

 such as boards, brick or cement, but, if 

 the walls were sloped enough to make it 

 safe, it would greatly increase the size of 

 the top of the cellar, thus necessitating a 

 much larger roof, which might in- 

 crease the cost nearly enough to pay 

 for a support for the walls. We set a 

 row of cedar posts, three feet apart, 

 around the outside edge of the cellar. 

 Two by six joists are spiked to the upper 

 ends of the posts, the upper edges of the 

 joists being even with the tops of the 



The moisture from the bees rises up 

 through the ventilator into this chamber 

 under the roof, and passes out through 

 the cracks, or congeals against the 

 boards. If we should ever wish to put 

 cement walls into the cellar, we have 

 only to board up inside the posts, and fill 

 the space thus formed with cement. 



THE USE AND MISUSE OF TARRED FELT. 



The tarred felt cost about five cents 

 per colony. I have no use for tarred 

 felt as a winter protection. The reports 

 of success with this materisl have been 

 very few— the failures many. Failures 

 have also been reported when used alone 

 as spring-protection. The reason given 

 is that the black color absorbs the heat 

 of the sun's rays, warming up the hive 

 sufficiently to cause the bees to fly in 



