ADAANCED BEE CULTURE. 187 



the wicking and keep the bulb constantly wet. There will be, of 

 course, evaporation from the wick surrounding the bulb. Evapora- 

 tion causes a loss of heat; hence, the drier the air the greater the 

 evaporation, the greater the loss of heat, and the lower will go the 

 mercury in the wet-bulb thermometer. The greater the difference 

 in the readings of the wet and the dry bulb thermometers, the drier 

 the air. In the open air there is sometimes a difference of 26 de- 

 grees; but this is unusual. When it is raining, the air is then satu- 

 rated. There is then no evaporation, and both thermometers show 

 the same degree of temperature. In the cellar in which I used the 

 wet-bulb thermometer the difference in the readings of the two 

 thermometers was usually about three or four degrees, with the 

 wet-bulb instrument standing at about 36 degrees; but this differ- 

 ence could be increased two or three degrees by warming the air 

 with an oil stove. If the mercury in the wet-bulb thermometer 

 stands at 36 or 40 degrees, and that in the dry-bulb as much as four 

 degrees higher, I think there need be no worry about moisture; but 

 if the difference is only two degrees or less, either the temperature 

 ought to be raised, or the air dried in some manner. 



Ventilation of cellars has been objected to on the ground that it 

 brought moisture into the cellar. This may be true, but not in freez- 

 ing weather. Frozen air, if the expression is allowable, has a very 

 low point of saturation. That is, it will hold very little moisture; 

 and when it is brought into the highei temperature of the cellar, and 

 becomes warmed, its capacity for absorption is greatly increased — 

 it is ready to receive water instead of giving it out. When the out- 

 side air comes into the cellar, and deposits moisture upon objects 

 therein, it is evident that the in-coming air is warm and moisture- 

 laden — warmer than the cellar and its contents. 



Mould in bee-repositories is usually looked upon as something 

 undesirable, and I will admit that its appearance is far from pleas- 

 ant, but we must not forget that, in a certain sense, it is a plant — 

 the child of warmth and moisture — and that the conditions necessary 

 for its development may not be injurious to the bees — may be more 

 beneficial than a condition under which mould does not develop, viz., 

 one of moisture and cold. A very damp cellar ought to be warm 

 enough for the development of mould. But the cellar need not be 

 damp. It can be made both warm and dry. These matters of tem- 

 perature and moisture are under our control. Either by fires, or by 

 going into the earth, preferably the latter, we can secure the proper 

 temperature; and by the use of lime to absorb the moisture, a dry 

 atmosphere can be secured. Certainly, it is not much trouble to 



