VENTILATION OF THE BEE-HI\'E. 



179 



in seasoning. When a log lies until it is perfectly seasoned, it 

 often checks as in fig. 2. You will observe that the wood 

 shortens in the direction of the circles, and but very little, if 

 any, along the lines that run from the bark to the center. To 

 allow this shrinkage in one direction, the log splits or checks 

 in the direction shown. Now to go back to our boards, you will 

 see that B shrinks more than A, because A has the heart of the 

 tree in its center; that C will shrink, in seasoning, much more 

 on the bark side, than on the heart side; that this cannot fail 

 to bring the board out of a level; and that the heart side will 

 always be convex. You have all seen bee-hives, probably, with 

 the corners separated and gaping open, while the middle of the 

 board was tight up in place. The reason was that the mechanic 



Fig. 86. 



had put the boards on, wrong side out. If the heart side had- 

 been outward, the corners of the hive would have curled in- 

 wardly, and if the middle had been nailed securely, the whole 

 hive would have been likely to have close, tight joints, even if 

 exposed to the sun, wind, and rain." 



363. Double-walled hives, chaflf hives, and Winter cov- 

 ers, will be described in the chapter on "Wmtering" (619). 

 The upper stories, half stories, wide frames, sections, etc., 

 for comb, or extracted honey, will be discussed in the chap- 

 ter on honey producing (Y16). 



Ventilation op the Beb-Hive. 



363. If a populous colony is examined on a warm day, 

 a number of bees may be seen standing upon the alighting- 

 board, with their heads turned towards the entrance of the 

 hive, their abdomens slightly elevated, and their wings in 



