A YEAR AMONG THE REES. 
108 
VENTILATION OF THE CELLAR. 
The ventilation of the cellar I consider a very important 
affair. No matter how well ventilated a hive may be, if the 
cellar in which it is placed contains nothing but foul air, how 
can there be good air in the hive ? With good, pure air in a 
cellar, and an open entrance in each hive of 15)4 by )4 inch, 
I do not feel much anxiety about ventilation. I am not sure 
but I should want a Are in a cellar for the sake of ventilation 
even if not needed for heat. 
For the purpose of ventilation alone, the warmer the 
weather the more the fire in the cellar is needed. In zero 
weather, the air in the cellar, even where no fire is kept, is 
so much warmer and consequently lighter than the out-door 
air, that outer air, by its greater weight, forces itself into 
every crack and crevice of the cellar walls, displacing the 
lighter air of the cellar ; and as fast as this fresh air becomes 
warmed, it is in its turn displaced by the outer cold air, and 
so a continuous change of air is kept up. Now suppose the 
air in the cellar stands at 40°, and the out-door air the same : 
there is nothing to change the air in the cellar. If the air 
in the cellar be now heated to 45° its increased lightness 
causes an influx of colder air from the outside, and the ven- 
tilation goes on as before. Of course there must be some 
limit to this, for when the temperature of the cellar goes 
above 60°, the bees show signs of uneasiness ; although Mr. 
Ira Barber claims to have the temperature of his cellar some- 
times as high as 90° without bad results. 
The most difficult time to keep the bees quiet in the cellar, 
is when a warm spell comes in the fall soon after taking 
them in, or early in the spring. At such times I open up 
the cellar at dark. If very warm, all doors and windows are 
opened wide and by morning generally all are quiet. I leave 
all open as long as possible in the morning ; sometimes till 
noon ; when the bees begiu to fly out all must be darkened. 
