352 WIXTERIXC. 



they are dry. I never lost a good colony that was dry, and 

 had plenty of honey. ' ' 



The absorbents generally nsed are chaff in cushions, straw, 

 forest leaves (maple leaves preferred), com cobs, woolen 

 rags, or wool waste, etc. Mr. Cheshire used cork-dust, which 

 he claimed gave fourteen times as much protection as a dead- 

 air space. The oil-cloth, which makes an air-tight covermg, 

 must be first removed, and if no straw-mat is used, the cushion 

 of absorbents may be placed right over the frames. We use 

 the straw-mat, and fill the upper half-story with di-y leaves, 

 these being the cheapest and best absorbent at our command. 



In the coldest pai-ts of our country, if upward absorbents 

 are neglected, no amount of protection that can be given to 

 hives, in the open air, will prevent them from becoming damp 

 and mouldy, even if frost is excluded, unless a large amount 

 of lower ventilation is given. Then they need as much air as 

 ui Summer. Often, the more they are protected, the greater 

 the risk from dampness. A very thin hive impainted, so that 

 it may readily absorb the heat of the sun, will diy inside much 

 sooner than one painted \\hite, and in every way most thor- 

 oughly protected against the cold. The first, like a garret, will 

 suffer from dampness for a short time only; while the other, 

 like a cellar, may be so long in drying, as to injure, if not 

 destroy, the bees. 



Some apiarists have objected to this paragraph, because 

 they have never had the experience mentioned in the two 

 Winters above named. Such Winters are rare, but we must 

 be prepared for a recurrence of similar conditions, as we too 

 often liave Winters similar to those of Siberia. 



GSy. If the colonies are wintered in the open air, the en- 

 trance to their hives must be large enough to ullotv tlie bees to 

 flij at will. Many, it is true, will be lost, but a large part 

 of these are diseased; and, even if they wore not, it is better 

 to lose some healthy bees than to incur the risk of losing, or 

 greatly injuring, a whole colony l)y the excitement created by 



