46 THE BLESSED BEES. 



feet of board, 30 posts, and 600 feet of two by four 

 scantling. This material was all bought at the 

 nearest mill, at a cost of $33 45 for the whole. 



A laborer was secured at a dollar and a quarter a 

 day to dig the holes and set the posts. This he 

 did in two days and a half. The rest of the work I 

 did myself, and soon had the pleasure of seeing the 

 bee-yard nicely inclosed. Then the fence was 

 thoroughly whitewashed, both for looks and econ- 

 omy. When this was done the whole cost of the 

 fence for material, labor, and white-wash amounted 

 to $39 98. The fence was finished April 12th. The 

 next day was warm and bright. About ten o'clock 

 with Will's help, the bees were taken from the cel- 

 lar and set on their summer stands. The little fel- 

 lows, after their long winter in darkness, had a gala 

 day indeed. They played in the warm sun for 

 hours with all the abandon of happy children. 



They seemed in perfect condition. At evening as 

 I went from hive to hive, I found that but few dead 

 bees had been brought out, as the bees had done 

 their spring cleaning and tidied up their houses on 

 this, their first day of sunlight. My first experience 

 in wintering in the cellar had been a success. I found 

 on a subsequent examination that those which had 

 been kept in the cellar were much stronger in bees 

 than those I had purchased, which had been win- 

 tered in the open air. 



