128 THE BLESSED BEES. 



This also served to protect them sufficiently against 

 frost in all ordinary weather. Some bundles of 

 straw were prepared for piling outside against ex- 

 treme cold weather. The windows were on hinges, 

 so as to open readily. In warm winter weather 

 they could be thrown open at night to ventilate 

 the cellar, and to cool it down to about thirty-eight 

 degrees. A ventilating flue was put in at each side 

 also, in case they should be needed in extreme cold 

 weather. These flues were simply square wood 

 pipes put at the top of the cellar walls just under 

 the upper floor, going through the walls, and turn- 

 ing up at a right angle. They could be opened and 

 shut instantly. The inner doorway to the cellar 

 was from the kitchen. By keeping this doorway 

 open in extreme cold weather, there would be some 

 circulation of air between cellar and kitchen, and in 

 this way the cellar be somewhat warmed by heat 

 from the kitchen stove. 



The 1 8th of November the weather became cold. 

 The thermometer sunk to twenty-five. It was clear 

 and dry. Making a hand-barrow large enough to 

 carry two hives at a time, Will and I carried them 

 in, and ranged them in order on the shelves. Every 

 hive was numbered, and its stand in the orchard 

 had the same number, so that in carrying them out 

 no confusion need be made by placing hives on 

 wrong stands. It is not the intention of this record 



