212 



GLEANIIsGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 



is just as expensive. What we want is frames af- 

 ways fixed, always ready for moving at a brisk 

 drive, and yet sufficiently movable to be readily 

 manipulated in the hive." 



Second: The hive as well as every frame is re- 

 versible. You can turn the hive over, and manage 

 your bees from below, if you like it, and this I 

 value in the highest degree. After the honey sea- 

 son is over, toward the fall, the bees have sealed 

 down beautifully the top packing for the winter. 

 Not to disturb their winter arrangements in the 

 fall as well as in the spring, the hive is to be simply 

 turned up. You lift out whatever frame you de- 

 sire, and put in one or two division-boards, or ex- 

 change this or that frame with such a one as has 

 plenty of honey, and so on. Hereafter you turn 

 your hive again, placing it on the bottom-board, 

 and your bees have their arrangement just as they 

 think it necessary for good wintering. Now comes 

 the spring. I remember you said once in Glean- 

 ings, it would be of great value, at times, to get a 

 glimpse at the bottom of the hive. I think you 

 have hit the nail on the head. If you turn the hive 

 over, whatever is to be accomplished in that way, 

 let the top-bars stand with one end towai-dyou; 

 then you will see at a glance how many combs are 

 occupied by the bees; how strong the colony is; 

 and the weight of the hive tells you how it is with 

 the stores. There will be no draft going through 

 the hive from the entrance, as in the case of re- 

 moving the top packing, and taking away all the 

 heat of the hive. You need not be afraid of injur- 

 ing a colony by taking a glimpse at the bottom of 

 the hive, even when the weather is not warm; you 

 need not even fear early spring management. Less 

 than one minute is sufficient to ascertain how it 

 stands with a colony, if you turn a hive over. 



As soon as the weather becomes favorable, say in 

 swarming time, you may manage your bees from 

 the top of the hive, except the swarms you have 

 hived. At such times I fasten the top packing, 

 as the swarms need the warmth, especially on cool 

 days and nights, and turn the hive over; give five, 

 six, or more frames, with strips or sheets of founda- 

 tion, adjust the division-board, put in the swarm, 

 and bring the hive to its right position on the bot- 

 tom-board. Two or three days afterward I turn my 

 hive bottom up, give a little smoke, and I see then 

 what my swarm has done. If it has built crooked 

 combs or drone combs, then I take a knife that has 

 a sharp hook, one inch long, and a long handle, and 

 cut away the drone comb or fix the crooked combs. 

 In most of the cases that will do it; and if not, there 

 is not any trouble in lifting out those frames with 

 drone or crooked combs, so as to fix them in my 

 hands. In nine cases out of ten it will not be nec- 

 essary to do this. One who does not like turning 

 a hive over does not know the advantages of it. I 

 would rather give up bee-keeping than not be able 

 to turn my hives over to handle them. I am sure, 

 if some one has the inverting system put to the 

 proof, he will soon like it: and if not, he may man- 

 age his hives from above only. 



Friend Koot, I am sure you will not misunderstand 

 my article. I have told you how and under what 

 conditions the Langstroth hive has made friends in 

 Germany. C. J. H. Gravenhorst. 



Wilsnack, Germany, Feb. 17. 



Many thanks, dear friend G., for your 

 very kind letter. Yes, I remember well 

 when I sailed my hat when so much honey 



had come, and I remember the time, too, 

 when the hat went up into a tree and we 

 had quite a little time in getting it down 

 again. I am very glad indeed to know 

 you are using a frame so near the universal 

 Langstroth used in our country ; and your 

 arrangement for reversible frames and re- 

 vet sible hives is certainly exceedingly in- 

 genious. Of all the models that have been 

 sent us, I do not now think of one that ac- 

 complishes the result more perfectly than 

 does yours. There is one difficulty that sug- 

 gests itself, which you have doubtless ob- 

 viated in some way. This difficulty comes 

 from Ernest. lie thinks if those nails 

 move loosely enough to be handled by the 

 fingers, in drawing hives to out-apiaries the 

 nails would slip when we do not want them 

 to, and let the frames down. Thumb- 

 screws with a very coarse thread would 

 stay at any point ; but they would be more 

 expensive than nails, and slower to manipu- 

 late. Yes, I have often thought of the ad- 

 vantages of turning the hive over to remove 

 the frames ; but I feel pretty certain that 

 our American people would consider it too 

 much bother and too much machinery. Lest 

 some of our readers may not get hold of 

 your idea, I will explain that you use the 

 Langstroth frame, without any projections 

 for the frame to hang on. I^ext, the end- 

 bars to every frame have a Y-shaped notch 

 cut in each end. The nails going through 

 the end-board to the hive, reach through in- 

 to these notches. In order to remove the 

 frame, the upper nails must be pulled back 

 suflicient to allow the frame to lift up. Per- 

 haps some of our friends may think best to 

 test a hive or two made in this way. 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



H. R. BOARDMAN. 



In our last issue, page 152, 1 gave you a 

 new portrait of James Ileddon. I take 

 great pleasure now in presenting to our 

 readers another half- tone portrait, which is 

 also to appear in our A B C, of a no less 

 prominent and no less distinguished bee- 

 keeper — Mr. 11. K. Boardman, lately presi- 

 dent of the Ohio State Bee-keepers' Associ- 

 ation. Just before the said association was 

 called to order, and while we were lament- 

 ing that our president, on account of illness, 

 probably would not be in attendance. Dr. 

 Miller said, " Mr. Boardman has always im- 

 pressed me as being a solid man." Several 

 nodded a hearty assent. Dr. Mason among 

 the number. Later, when Mr. Boardman 

 had finished reading his essay, we were more 

 impressed than ever with the truthfulness 

 of Dr. Miller's opinion of him. It has been 

 my pleasure, as you will remember, to make 

 oiir friend a visit. I stopped with him some- 

 thing over a day. I remember that the im- 

 pression left with me was, that he was a 

 very careful observer, slow in arriving at 

 conclusions, and that, when he did come to 

 one, he was pretty sure to be right. 



Some years ago we gave a portrait engrav- 

 ing of "the man who always winters his 

 bees," and that was the subject of this 

 sketch. At that time, when everybody was 



