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THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



The very name of "cellar," suggests 

 darkness, dampness, mould, unhealthy 

 atmosphere and poor ventilation. Every- 

 body advocates a dry cellar, but little has 

 been written on "'How to get a damp cel- 

 lar dry,'" therefore, it is my intention to 

 give a few pointers. 



Some cellars can never be made dry, 

 as the bottom of the cellar is on a level 

 with the watermark, or even below it. 

 A dry cellar is one that is well drained, 

 and where no water drains into it, with 

 dry walls and dry ground surrounding 

 the wall. No new cellar with a stone 

 wall, made with mortar, can be very dry 



slacked lime, common salt, and charcoal 

 are bodies that are hygroscopic, that is, 

 take up moisture, and purify the air, but 

 they have to be replaced occasionally. 

 Whitewashing a cellar during the dry 

 season, I found very good. 



I do not like a cement floor. I had one, 

 it did not prove good, I removed the ce- 

 ment at four places ( cellar was 14 by 20), 

 dug in two feet square, three feet deep, 

 curbed it up like a well and covered the 

 holes with plank, and I think that this is 

 one of the best methods for draining 

 where no direct deep sewerage can be es- 

 tablished. 



.\N ORCHARD SCENE OI\ ONE OF -MR. G.A.NDV'S FARMS. 



the first year or two, as it takes that 

 length of time for it to dry. It may be- 

 come very good after awhile, but it cer- 

 tainly is not a very good place to winter 

 bees during the first year or two. The 

 dryness of a cellar depends greatly on 

 the nature and porousity of the ground, 

 as, for instance, clay will retain water and 

 dampness a great deal longer than sand. 

 Good drainage is a necessity to make a 

 dry cellar out of a damp one. Plenty of 

 air during the summer will go quite a 

 good ways toward drying it, especially if 

 here are drafts through the cellar. Un- 



A damp cellar can be dried by heat in the 

 fall of the year, by a stove or a charcoal 

 fire, as a high temperature especially fa- 

 vors evaporation. I have tried all these 

 procedures and know whereof I am speak- 

 ing. I used to have maximum and mini- 

 mum thermometers and self-registering 

 hygrometers to indicate the dampness and 

 temperature, and my once bad cellar, 

 that killed bees by the million, is now 

 very good and very dry. 



But I can not use this cellar this year, 

 as my bees, that is nij^ wife's and my son's 

 bees, 160 colonies, are 24 miles from here 



