THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



131 



credit is due fiiend Lalve for the 

 energy and perseverance he has 

 displayed in building up the apiary 

 of which he is the manager, and 

 also for the results of his labors as 

 shown in this report. Not only 

 are his labors rewarded by success 

 in this instance, but the business 

 world which is looking with in- 

 terest at the progress of apiculture 

 will take note of this as well as 

 every apiarian exhibition of like 

 character and our agricultural 

 societies, recognizing the necessity 

 of assisting to establish apiculture 

 in its proper position, will adojit 

 means to favor those who wish to 

 make apiarian exhibits at our 

 fairs. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Editor of the Apiculturist : 



Mr. J. H. Chase writes us giv- 

 ing a diagram and description of 

 his cellar and asking if it is a de- 

 sirable place in which to winter 

 bees. 



As there are many points in 

 connection with wintering bees in 

 a cellar of this character, which 

 will be of interest to a large class 

 of your readers, we will give our 

 views briefly in regard to it. 



The following diagram shows 

 the size and position of the cellar : 



W. 4-2 ft. 



The walls are built of cobble 

 stones and are 7 feet high and 18 

 inches thick. On the east and 

 north sides the eartli is al)0ut 18 

 inches from the top of the wall. 



the south side within about 4 feet 

 of the top and on the west side the ^ 

 wall is banked almost one-half way 

 across. 



The cellar has a clay bottom and 

 in the spring and sometimes in the 

 winter, when there is a thaw, the 

 water comes up through the bot- 

 tom forming quite a stream which 

 runs out through the drain. 



The opening in the drain is four 

 inches square and three feet long, 

 passing under the cellar-wall, the 

 outside being on a level with the 

 top of the ground. 



A slide regulates the opening in 

 the drain, and when the slide is 

 opened a stream of cold air will 

 blow across the cellar. The out- 

 side entrance to the cellar is closed 

 with two doors. 



The temperature ranges from 32° 

 to 35°, and vegetables do not freeze 

 in the cellar ; but in cold times the 

 frost comes through the west wall 

 and shows white, and about the 

 last of March it is very damp. 



After describing the cellar, the 

 writer asks, " Will it do for me 

 to try to winter bees in such a 

 cellar? " 



It will be seen that the cold, 

 damp condition of this cellar is not 

 favorable for wintering bees, and 

 the cellar is much too large. Many 

 persons have lost their bees by at- 

 tempting to winter them in a large 

 cellar, making the common mis- 

 take of placing the hives against 

 the damp walls. 



Bees may be successfully win- 

 tered in a cellar of this kind if 

 proper precautions are taken by se- 

 lecting for the purpose a portion of 

 the cellar under a room where a 

 continuous fire is kept during the 

 entire winter. A room 12' X 12' 

 will be sufficiently large for from 

 fifty to one hundred stocks of bees 

 when made in a cellar of this kind. 

 Remember tliat the larger the num- 

 ber of stocks in proportion to the 

 size of the room, the more thor- 

 ough will the ventilation be. Thor- 



