THE AMERICajn bee JOURNAL. 



729 



people and upon tlie different agri- 

 cultural productions. Our bee-keepers' 

 associations niightaddto their useful- 

 ness if the members were to resolve 

 themselves into such societies, report- 

 ing the conditions of the climate and 

 its effect on the bees, to the bee jour- 

 nals, for publication. 



The American continent is now 

 pretty well dotted over with observa- 

 tory stations from which reports 

 might be obtained. To collect and 

 tabulate the results as regards tem- 

 perature and humidity, would involve 

 a good deal of labor, but it would be 

 a valuable addition to the knowledge 

 at present, available to those making 

 a specialty of bee-culture. 



But it may be asked what good, if 

 we did know all about the hiunidity, 

 since it is a matter beyond our con- 

 trol and since we are ouliged to take 

 the climate as we find it. As far as 

 out-door wintering is concerned, this 

 is partly true. All we can do is to 

 give the best possible ventilation, 

 while we, iit the same time, confine the 

 heat. A damp atmosphere will absorb 

 some moisture, provided it be fre- 

 quently changed. 



The reports of Dr. Tinker, .Jerome 

 Wiltz, and Thaddeus Smith go to 

 show that the liives luiving the best 

 ventilation came through best inlSSO- 

 1. But in good cellars having a con- 

 stant upcast of air, connected witli a 

 chimney, and a steady supply of fresh 

 air through a six-inch glazed pipe, 

 running underground, say 1200 ft., and 

 buried below the reach of frost, ex- 

 perience has shown that bees winter 

 well. 



The temperature is generally nearly 

 right, or can be controlled, but the 

 most important element in the success 

 of such wintering repositories seems 

 to have been overlooked, and that is 

 that the air in such cellars is much 

 drier than the external atmosphere, 

 even though water be standing on the 

 cellar bottom. 



Speaking of pulmonary evaporation, 

 Dr. Carpenter says : "Wholly to sup- 

 press it, the air must not only be of 

 extreme humidity, but must also have 

 a temperature not inferior to that of 

 the animal, since, if the air be colder 

 it will be warmed by contact with the 

 body, and thus be capable of holding 

 an additional quantity of aqueous 

 vapor in solution." 



On the same principle the cold air, 

 in its passage through the pipe, will 

 be warmed, and thus become a better 

 absorbent of moisture when it reaches 

 the cellar. For instance, if the tem- 

 perature of the external air be 1.5-, in 

 its passage through the pipe, it will be 

 warmed to, say 42^. It should then 

 be just twice as dry as the external 

 atmosphere, because for every addi- 

 tion of 27^ to the atmosphere its 

 capacity for moisture is doubled. Last 

 winter a six-inch wooden pipe running 

 140 feet under ground, brought the air 

 to my cellar at an average of about 

 40°. On the 24th of January last, at 

 7 a. ra., the temperature outside was 

 36° below zero. A thermometer in 

 the mouth of ttie pipe in the cellar 

 stood at 3.5 above zero ; that is, the 

 air in passing through 140 feet of pipe 

 acquired 71^ of heat. The humidity 



must have been many times less, but 

 1 had no means of testin'g it. The 

 success of this method depends a great 

 deal on having the air carried up from 

 the cellar with suHicient rapidity and 

 constancy, and for this purpose the 

 ordinary "wood-burning stove is hardly 

 sufficient. It will pay well to take 

 pains to have the exhaust pipe w'ork- 

 nig steadily and vigorously. 



Thus, for wintering our bees, we can 

 create an artificial climate, or about 

 the right temperature and humidity, 

 and we can have tliem surrounded by 

 air just as pure as it is out-doors. 



If, in such a cellar, the hives have 

 thick quilts of wool over the cluster- 

 ing space, and the combs raised two 

 or three inches above the bottom board 

 and this space open on at least one 

 side, so as to give full play to the prin- 

 ciple of the mutual diffusion of gases, 

 there will certainly be no wet or moldy 

 comb ; and if the food is good I think 

 there will be no abdominal distension 

 or dysentery, even if the combs do 

 contain pollen ; and experience affords 

 grounds for saving that in the spring 

 the bees will iiot dwindle any more 

 than bees wintered most successfully 

 on their summer stands. 



In making reports as to how bees 

 have wintered, it is desirable that, 

 where accuracy is possible, all the con- 

 ditions should be accurately given, 

 and as the time to begin taking notes 

 is drawing near, I would suggest the 

 propriety of using awetbulbliygrome- 

 ter for determining the humidity. The 

 expense is only trifling, probably less 

 than ten dollars. Any one who under- 

 stands long division can make the 

 calculations. 



Lindsay, Ont., Oct. 17, 1882. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1882. 



TiTne and Place of MeeHng. 



Nov. 29-30, Western Michigan, at Grand, Raptds. 

 Wm. M. S. Dodse, Sec. 

 I»8,3. 

 Jan. 16.— Eastern N. Y., at Albany. N. Y. 



E. Quakenbush. Sec.. Barnerville, N. V. 



11, Nebraska State, at Wahno. Neb. 



Geo. M. Hawley, Sec. 



16-18, Northeastern, at Syracuse, N. Y. 



G. W, House, Kayetteville, N. Y. 



19, 20.— Mahoning Valley, at Berlin Centre, O. 

 1,. Carson, Pres. 



Feb. 3.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O. 



April 5.— Utah, at Salt Lake Cltr. 



E. Stevenson, See. 



Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chicago, 111. 



Thomas G. Newman, Sec. 



|y In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetintjs.— ED. 



^" The Western Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will meet at 

 Supervisors' Hall, in the city of Grand 

 Rapids, on Wednesday and I'tiursday, 

 Nov. 2sUh and 30th, 1882. The co-op- 

 eration of all bee-keepers of this 

 section is desired. 



Wm. M. S. Dodge, Sec. 



Haldimand, Ontario, Couveiition. 



A meeting of the Haldimand Bee- 

 Keepers' Association was held at 

 Cayuga, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, 

 Oct. 27. at 1 o'clock p. m., the Presi- 

 dent, E. DeCew, Esq., in the chair. 

 The President explained the object of 

 the meeting, viz : The adoption of a 

 constitution for the association, and 

 election of additional officers. 



The constitution was adopted, fixing 

 an annual fee of 50c. for membership. 



Present— E. DeCew, President ; E. 

 C. Campbell, Secretary ; Robt. Buck- 

 ley, Robt. Anguish, David Anguish, 

 Ambrose Gloyd, James Gloyd, Wm. 

 Harrison, Fred. Mehlenbacheler, An- 

 drew Vanderburgh, B. Byers, Wm. 

 Jack, etc. 



The construction of the best kind 

 of hives was discussed by Messrs. De- 

 Cew, Vanderburgh, Gloyd, Byers and 

 Buckley, but no result arrived at. 



The wintering of bees was discussed 

 by Messrs. DeCew, Gloyd, Vander- 

 burgh, and Buckley, the main essen- 

 tials being plenty of young bees and 

 stores, and proper protection in winter. 



The question of swarming was dis- 

 cussed ; the general opinion being in 

 favor of dividing. 



The following additional officers 

 were elected for the following town- 

 shins : Walpole, Wm. Harrison; 

 Seneca, Lawrence Welch ; Dunn, 

 Abraham Albright ; South Cayuga, 

 Andrew Vasbinder; Rainham, James 

 Gloyd ; North Cayuga, Robt. Cover- 

 dale; Dunville, Dr. McCallum; Seneca, 

 James T. Nelles. 



On motion it was Resolved, that the 

 next meeting will be held at Nelles' 

 Corners on the last Friday in March, 

 at 11 o'clock a. m. 



A committee, consisting of the 

 President, Secretary, and Mr. Wm. 

 Jack, was appointed to prepare a list 

 of subjects for discussion at the next 

 meeting. E. DkCew, President. 



E. C. Campbell, Secretary. 



[le annual rdeeting of the Ma- 

 honing 'Valley Bee-keepers' Associa- 

 tion will be held at Berlin Center, 

 Mahoning Co., O., in the town hall on 

 Friday and Saturday the lOtli and 20tb 

 of January, 1S83. All bee-keepers are 

 invited to attend and send essays, pa- 

 pers, implements, or any thing of in- 

 terest to the fraternity. A full at- 

 tendance is requested of all who are 

 interested. In fact, the meetings will 

 be so interesting that you cannot 

 afford to miss them. We expect a. 

 lecturer from abroad on the evening 

 of the 19th. 



Leonidas Cakson, Pres. 



^ The Nebraska State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, will hold its annual 

 session in Wahoo, Saunders county. 

 Neb., commencing Thursday, Jan. 

 11th, 1883. Arrangements have been 

 made with the railroads to secure 1}^ 

 fare for the round trip. The Saunders 

 county Bee-Keepers' Association will 

 furnish entertainment free to all 

 visiting apiarists. Bee-keepers from 

 neighboring States will be weleomed. 

 T. L. VonDorn. Pres. 



Geo. M. IIawley, Sec. 



