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have a cool, dark cellar, (a dry one is best, hut a damp 
one is better than out of doors,) prepare a platform or 
shelf, some eight or ten inches in height from the bot- 
tom of the cellar, on which to sit your hives. Then, as 
you carry them in, close the entrance so. that the bees 
will not escape while you are carrying them in ; after 
placing them on the shelf remove the cap, and leave it off, 
also the straw mat, as this will not be wanted unless the 
cellar is cold enough to freeze ; then it may be placed 
over them, covering the top within an inch or two, until 
the air becomes more mild ; then it should be removed 
to give a chance for all dampness to escape. 
The hives may be placed side by side, until the shelf 
is filled, and should you desire more room they may be 
arranged over these, at a proper distance that will give 
you a good chance to see to those that are in the lower 
tier. Should the bees at any time appear agitated, 
which can be known by their making a loud buzzing 
noise, this is an indication that your bees are too warm ; 
and if you cannot reduce the temperature of the cellar, 
your bees ought to be carried out into the cool air, 
where they will immediately quiet down, they may be 
carried back and when they get still, arranged as before. 
Well ventilated cellars are much better than those 
without ventilation, either damp or dry. A very 
good way to ventilate a cellar, is to construct a small 
chimney of boards, giving a throat of two by four or 
five inches ; this may be placed against the end, or side 
of the house, and fastened. It should reach an eleva- 
tion a foot or so above the roof where it comes up' 
against it, and the lower end be connected with a suit- 
able box or tube placed in the cellar window, or an 
orifice made on purpose to receive it. This box or tube 
