THE APIAET. 151 



winter, that bees can stand cold, but that they cannot stand dampness 

 Arrange so that the moisture, generated by the bees, can gently escape 

 upwards, through some absorbing material, -without giving a cold draft 

 of air. This condition is attained in several ways of packing, when 

 holes are made in each end of the upper chamber, to allow ventilation.^ 

 It is attained by placing chaff cushions at the sides and over the brood 

 nest; by patting over the hive an extra box, packing between the two 

 with absorbing material, or by placing above the quilt two or three 

 thickness of cotton batting, or a bag of chaff, saw dust, or something 

 of the kind. We would recommend that the absorbing material used 

 be always in a bag, to prevent littering up the hive, unless pads of cot- 

 ton batting are used. Perhaps, nothing is better than this. The honey 

 board above confines the moisture so much to the hive as to endanger 

 it in cold climates. A good cushion for both sides and top of a hive, is 

 made as follows : Take a bag, a little wider than the depth of the hive, 

 from front to rear, fill it with chaff or cut straw, so as to be two inches 

 thick all over. Tack a few stitches here and there, as in a mattress, 

 to hold the chaff in place. This may be of proper length simply to fit 

 tightly in the upper box, or longer, so as to reach the bottom on each 

 side of the frames over division boards. The latter is preferable in 

 rather cold climates, or where wide hives are used. Contract the en 

 trance and turn up the alighting board, to keep the sunshine from the 

 entrance, so that it may not tempt them from the hive, when it is too 

 cool for them to fly freely. The entrance should never be over a quart- 

 er of an inch deep, so as to check mice. This can be supplementel 

 with auger holes above, which for winter can be stopped with corks. 

 Thus arranging for winter is less trouble than moving into cellars, and 

 the hives are always in place . Turn down the board from the front a 



