356 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



of honey each, that I might ascertain whether they would survive 

 with so small a supply of food. I placed therein, also, a late 

 after-swarm, which had built only a few short combs, and con- 

 tained not more than four or five pounds of honey. All the 

 others had ample stores. I closed the entrance and ventilating- 

 passage of one strong colony, and placed some pieces of empty comb 

 in the rear of the hive, to test whether, if moisture were generated 

 from want of ventilation, mould would form on those combs. 



"From the 18th to the 23rd of November, the weather was 

 very mild, and the ventilating-tubes were, therefore, all left open 

 day and night. On the 24th, the clamp was covered with snow, 

 and I closed three of the ventilating-tubes. On the 26th, a thaw 

 commenced, and the weather continued to be very moderate to 

 the end of the month, the thermometer standing at 33 in the 

 open air. Two of the tubes were kept open. From the 1st to 

 the 3rd of December, ten inches of snow fell, with the thermo- 

 meter ranging from 20 to 22 f and I kept only one tube open. 

 On the 6th, the weather moderated ; from the 7th to the 12th, the 

 thermometer stood at from 54 to 66, and I again opened all the 

 tubes, and kept them open till the end of the month, and to the 

 5th of January. On the 6th, the weather became cold and freez- 

 ing, and I now added the outer mantle, or coating of leaves and 

 pine shatters, closing all the tubes. The cold spell continued till 

 the 17th of January. From the 18th till the end of the month, 

 we had continuous fair, mild weather, and I opened all the venti- 

 lating-tubes. In February, the weather was particularly mild 

 and fair, and, from the 18th to the 21st, the thermometer ranged 

 from 76 to 78. The bees belonging to some of my neighbors, 

 and which were wintered in the open air, were now flying briskly 

 every day, and most of the colonies in my chamber became so 

 restless that I was constrained to remove them out of their 

 Winter quarters. 1 did so with the less reluctance, as w*e had all 

 the indications of an early Spring. The fair weather continuing, 

 I deemed it wrong to keep my colonies longer confined in the 

 clamp, and accordingly opened it on the 27th of February, to 

 release them. 



" Though the clamp had been exposed to the direct rays of the 



