1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



ends united, so as to make the sides of a box for any 

 purpose. The invention of such a machine, of 

 course, supposes knovvledg-e of the blanks it was de- 

 signed to manufacture; and the transfer of the 

 use of a box made from such a blank, from the or- 

 dinary purposes to the simple and special purpose 

 of a box or frame for a honey-section, is merely a 

 new use of an old and well-known article, which in- 

 volves no invention. 



It results from these views, that the equity of the 

 case is with the defendant, and that the complain- 

 ant's bill must be dismissed with costs; and it is so 

 ordered. 



r„ „„ T Stanley Matthews, 



[SIGNED] Associate Justice. 



The friends of Gleanings who remem- 

 ber what I wrote about a year ago in regard 

 to this matter will unite in thanks to God 

 for having brought out the issue as above. I 

 The expenses of the suit have been a little 

 over one tliousand dollars; and although 

 many generous friends have asked me when 

 I got through to permit them to i)ay a share 

 of the expenses, I have decided that I pre- 

 fer to stand it alone, and I thank (lod for 

 having placed it in my power to do such a 

 service for the cause of bee culture. Many 

 thanks to the kind friends who so willingly 

 came forward with their offers of assistance. 

 The thought of their kind words, and. iu 

 many cases, their prayers too, will always 

 be a bright spot in my memory ; and they 

 have done much to cheer and encourage me 

 when I felt troubled about entering into a 

 lawsuit. I thank God, that contests of this 

 kind bid fair to be less fre(iuent than they 

 have been, for our whole country is stirred 

 up with indignation at the frauds that have 

 been perpetrated under tlie guise of having 

 a patent on something already iu cDunndii 

 use, and fully described iu our inTiodicals. 

 Of course, there may be an appeal, as iuti- 

 mated; but so long as I feel assured that 

 our cause is a just one, we shall be ready to 

 resist injustice still fuither, with the best 

 talent the nation affords, and ample means. 



REVERSIBLE FRAMES. 



Ht)W OFTEN AND WHEN DO FliAMES NEED KE- 

 VERSING. 



TK-j S stated iu a former article, early this season I 

 of|s made up several thousand reversible frames ; 

 jM^ but owing to the unprecedentedly poor sca- 

 ■*^-^ son for successful apiculture, I have not suc- 

 ceeded in getting- quite half of them into use. 

 We have been and are still experimenting with 

 them ; and hope by the end of the season to become 

 practically and definitely satisfied regarding the 

 advantages of reversible combs, versus extra cost 

 and numipulation. Up to the present date, of course 

 we have learned something and formed some con- 

 elusions, which 'seem of some value, ami which I 

 herewith offer to your readers. 



1 am getting to be a believer in the practiealtility 

 of reversing surplus combs, though in the l)egiu- 

 ningldid not believe such pi-actice advisable. I 

 now think that reversing the sections teijds to 

 hasten their conipletion>ery materially ; aijd also 

 results in getting them more firn)ly attached to tiie 

 section all aT'OUjid /greatly impj'oving their appear- 

 ance and shipping (jualities), and 1 consider the ac- 

 complishment of these two points immense pay for 

 reversing them, which we do by the case, keeping 

 .all bce-spages as aecu.rato as though np reversing 



had taken place. I wish to offer a few hints in re- 

 gard to 



THE PROPER TIME TO REVERSE 



both brood and surplus combs. Kegarding the re- 

 version of brood-combs, for the purpose of getting 

 the frame filled out snug all around, of course they 

 may be reversed at any time after they are well 

 drawn out, and attached firmly to the top-bar, and 

 partially down the sides. (All our combs are drawn 

 from full sheets of foundation, firmly secured to 

 the top-bar, and wires woven through the frame.) 



But there are other impoi-tant objects in the use of 

 reversible frames. As has been mentioned in this 

 journal before, and by others, one important object 

 is to get the brood-chambers solid full of brood 

 (admitting smaller hives for the same size colonies), 

 and the honey above in the surplus combs. Now, 

 if reversing for this purpose is done during the 

 time when the honey-flow is so excessive that the 

 bees are inclined to elog the brood-combs with hon- 

 ey, regardless of giving the queen room for brood- 

 ing, the reversing of that hive will only increase the 

 difficulty, as at such t'mes they will not carry the 

 I reversed honey U]) above, but leave it where you 

 \ reversed it in the bottom of the frames, embracing 

 i the further opportunity of filling with honey the 

 I new upper jiortion of the frames. For that purpose 

 I we should reverse the frames either about a week 

 I beforeor just after the period of excessive honcy- 

 ! flow, when the bees give the brood-chamber pref- 

 erence for brooding purposes, 

 i Exactly the reverse of this period is the proper 

 j time to revei-se the surplus combs. At a time when 

 1 there is any tendency among the bees to carry 

 j down their surplus, reversing will increase that 

 tendency. 



The surplus combs should be reversed at a time 

 when the honey-flow is abundant, or when the 

 queen is claiming full possession of the brood- 

 chamber. With us, this gives us three periods in 

 j which we may reverse the surplus combs. First, 

 earlier in the season, when the honej'-flow is mod- 

 erate, and breeding is in excess in the brood-cham- 

 ber. 



Second, when the honey-flow is abundant from 

 the flowers. 

 I Third, after this period, when the queen is again 

 taking full possession of the brood-combs, provided 

 at that time j'ou also reverse them, and they are 

 tolerably well filled with honey, which is always the 

 ! case in this location immediately after the cessation 



of e.xcessive honey-flow. 

 j I would consider it unsafe to reverse the surplus 

 combs just at this time, unless a tendency toward 

 an influx of honey into them were artificially pro- 

 duced by the simultaneous reversion of the brood- 

 combs at that period when they contained much 

 honey in their upper portion, and when the (luecn 

 is demanding that room for brooding purposes. 



I give it as my opinion at this time, that a practic- 

 al, off-hand arrangement for (juickly and easily re- 

 versing both brood and surplus combs will prove 

 another qdviineed sto]) in our chosen science. 



James Heddon. 

 Dowugiae. Midi., Aug. 12, ISS4. 



Thank you. I'lieiid IL.for your valuable 

 liints in tliis matter of reversible frames. I, 

 too, like the idea of reversing, l)ut we do not 

 like the reversible frame tve are using; in 

 fact, 1 ha\'e never seen any tidug yet that 

 does suit me. A great numbei- of devices 

 have been sent in, but they are all too com- 



