1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



57 



a small entrance on one or both sides of the 

 hive, which may be opened in the bnsy season, to 

 let the bees enter right at the mouth of the rear 

 honey boxes. I say rear honey boxes, because 

 there are honey boxes on top also. But instead 

 of using a honey board, we simply tack a narrow 

 thin strip across on the under side of the vipper 

 honey boxes. 



Now this is about all there is of it, without 

 going into tedious detail, which I do not propose 

 to do — even for "a dollai-." It may not be so 

 everywhere, but I do know that a double-cased 

 hive is needed in this latitude and climate. Our 

 changeable weather here, and I believe every- 

 where else, prevents bees in thin hives from 

 attempting to breed, when they ought to be in- 

 creasing fast, and are increasing in ' ' double- 

 cased" hives. It is only little less than nonsense 

 to talk about housing bees in winter, particularly 

 if one has many of them. I believe I have as 

 good a dovible-walled winter bee house, made for 

 the purjtose, as could be made, and after three 

 trials I shall henceforward winter my bees on 

 their summer stands. I have left a few colonies 

 out every winter, and even in their hives they 

 always have come through in better condition 

 than those with extra care in the over-ground 

 cellar. If I am fully settled in any one thing, it 

 is against winter housing. What we want is a 

 good, handy "wintering" hive — one in which 

 bees may breed nearly all winter, and come 

 through strong early in the spring, so as to gather 

 the early honey, which is much the best, and 

 which we mostly lose. The posterior honey box 

 room in this hive, when filled with some good 

 non-conducting absorbent, makes an excellent 

 protection against the severe northwest winds 

 of winter and early spring. [Some of our east- 

 ern bee-keeping friends will no doubt be surprised 

 that, in this county, September is generally our 

 best honey month. I have had bees woi-k till 

 the 20th of October. All considered, this, I 

 think, is one of the best countries for bees that 

 I have ever seen.] 



My friend ilawley Prindle, the principal in- 

 ventor, joins me in asking a general criticism of 

 our hive, which some of our friends call "The 

 Hive." 



J. W. Greene. 



Cliillicothe, Mo., July 14, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Movable Comb Hives. 



As I have seen no definite answer to questions 

 about movable comb hives before Mr. Lang- 

 stroth's patent, I will try to answer them in as 

 few words as possible. 



Francis Huber, of Geneva, over seventy-five 

 years ago, used a frame hive, with four sides 

 resting on the bottom board ; each comb could 

 be examined on both sides, and returned to its 

 place without injury. 



The Germans used movable combs, suspended 

 by a bar at the top. Each comb was removed 

 by cutting the edges from the sides of the hive. 



Mr. Langstroth combined the top suspension 



of the Germans with the four-sided frame of 

 Huber, added a shallow chamber of his own in- 

 vention, and made a more ijractical hive than 

 any previously used, in 1853. 



The triangular comb-guide has since been in- 

 troduced by others. 



The immoval)lo bottom board, portico, moth- 

 traps, &c., of Mr. Langstroth' s first hive, are not 

 now generally used. 



Why it is necessary to make an exact imita- 

 tion to be called a Huber hive, and is not neces- 

 sary to jnake an exact imitation to be called a 

 Langstroth hive, is a mystery not yet explained. 



H. D. Miner. 



Washington Harbor, Wis., July 8, 1871. 



K^ The frames of the original Huber hive, as it 

 came from his hands, were iu reality what are now 

 called vertical sections ; but were hinged togetlier at 

 one side so tliat though they could be opened lilce the 

 leaves of a boolc. they could not be lifted out and re- 

 turned. A modificalion of it for that purpose was 

 subsequently attempted by Morlot, Simon, Semlltsch, 

 Hofenfels, and others ; noue of whom, however, siie- 

 ceeded in producing any valuable result. So far as 

 practical Ijee-culture is concerucd, that which is now 

 conceived to have been a movable frame, was and re- 

 mained a fixture. 



The modern Greeks, centuries ago, used close- 

 fitting slats or bars for the tops of their hives, to 

 which the combs were attached, and which could be 

 separately lifted out, when all happened to work 

 right. But wheu that did not so happen, the entire 

 top with its attachments could only be torn out by 

 force, and might also be forced back again. It was 

 half a step in advance, but there it stopped. 



It was only when Dzierzon took the thing in hand 

 and constructed a hive in which bars could be con- 

 veniently used for the support of combs, and these 

 could be taken out, replaced, or interchanged, that 

 bee-keepers were enabled to avail themselves of the 

 advantages which such an arrangement presented. 

 Dzierzon does not claim the invention or even the in- 

 troduction of bars, but simply that he has made them 

 available in practical bee culture. But he does claim 

 the invention of a hive by means of which those bars 

 are made available and useful. The merit of this in- 

 vention is universally conceded to him. If he had 

 patented it, the case might be diflferent. He has never 

 introduced frames iu his apiary ; and where the piling 

 sijstem prevails, as it does in Germany, and will proba- 

 bly to a large extent wherever land and lumber are 

 dear, bars are likely to be preferred and retained, at 

 least till they learn to make frames iu a simpler and 

 cheaper manner than now. 



Wlien Mr. Langstroth took up the subject, he well 

 knew what Huber had done, and saw wherein he had 

 failed — failing, possibly, only because he aimed at 

 nothing more than constructing an observing hive, 

 suitable for his purposes. Mr. L.'s object was other 

 and higher. He aimed at making frames movable, 

 interchangeable, and practically serviceable in bee- 

 culture. Dzierzon had effected this for the bar, by 

 devising and constructing a hive, enabling him to 

 employ slats or bars in a manner in which they had 

 not been employed before. But of his operations in 

 Germany, Mr. Langstroth was entirely ignorant, and 

 remained so till long after his own devices were per- 

 fected, and a patent applied for. Nor could Mr. L. 

 have derived any benefit from the Dzierzon hive, fur- 

 ther than as giving him, perhaps, incidental encour- 

 agement to persevere in working out his own concep- 

 tions. The fundamental ideas of the two men were 

 essentially different. Dzierzon desired to and did 



