32 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



as it would be very interesting just now 

 when derricks for bee-hives are up for con- 

 sideration. Some may be disposed to criti- 

 cise these arrangements for the pursuit of 

 bee-keeping; but they are much superior to 

 the log-gum hive of the South, and, what is 

 more to the point, make for better things. 

 Mr. Gravenhorst illustrates straw hives, 

 which are square, and with single frames 



SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING UNDER 

 DIFFICULTIES. 



THE MANNER OF REMOVING THE FRAMES 

 FROM GRAVENHORST'S HIVE. 



containing two combs, one above the other, 

 but still retaining the tixed-roof idea, and al- 

 lowing the frames to be removed only from 

 the bottom, as the idea that a movable roof 

 in a hive is bad seems to be part of a (German 

 bee-keeper, and has retanled the progress of 

 hive-making in continental Europe very 

 much. 



Progress has been made, however, as a re- 

 sult of Mr. Gravenhorst's work, and great 

 changes are slowly evolving all along the 

 line. In German-speaking Switzeiiand a 

 new bee-paper has appeared, edited by the 

 Rev. Mr. Streauli, with the openly avowed 

 purpose of converting the Germanic race 

 (80 millions) to the American style of Ijee- 

 keeping, and commenced with a translation 

 of Mr Swarthmore's latest epics on the sub- 

 ject of queen-rearing. It looks like carrying 

 coal to Newcastle. 



There is a bee paper published in Russia 

 advocating American methods of apiculture 

 which, together with the above and the Pa- 

 risian Gleanings, ought to make great changes 

 in the trend of bee-keeping thought in Eu- 

 rope, and these old-time inventions will pass 

 away. 



A Bee-keeper who, AVithout the Use of his 



Limbs, is Able to Hunt Bee-trees. Hive 



Swarms, and Do All the AVork 



About an Apiary. 



BY JESSE G. COCKRAM. 



In my fifth yeai', in June, 1876, 1 was strick- 

 en with paralysis in my feet and legs. I 

 have never walked since. When I was about 

 14 years of age I watched some bees getting 

 water at my father's spring, and traced them 

 into an ivy hill. I crawled over into the 

 woods, the ivy so thick in places I could hard- 

 ly get through it. I crawled on in search of 

 the bees for about half a day before I found 

 them. 



At last I saw the bees working in and out 

 of an oak limb. I surely was glad to find 

 them. I crawleil back to the house as soon 

 as I could, to tell my mother the glad news. 

 I had the tree cut, but it was an old stand. 

 The comli was almost black, and only a few 

 cells of honey in it. The bees had dwindled 

 down to but half a gallon. This colony nev- 

 er did me any good. I tell you I have had 

 the bee-fever bad. I craved to own some 

 bees or have them where I could see them 

 work. I enjoyed sitting and watching them 

 work, in and out of the old-fashioned gum. 

 I did not know then any thing about the 

 frame hive that I now use. 



I earned enough money so that, in 1894, I 

 bought four stands, in box hives, and I kept 

 my bees in round gums and box hives until 

 last year. Finally I concluded to buy some 

 modern hives to put my colonies in, anyway, 

 and try them. The new way of keeping bees 

 as far exceeds the old as the thrashing of 

 grain by machinery exceeds the old Hail. 



I have climl:)etl a few low trees, and hived 

 a few swarms; but I almost always have help. 

 Some people don't believe I can climb a tree 

 without the use of legs: but I've done this 

 many times. I am strong in my arms and 

 hands, back, etc. 



I have the A B C of Bee Culture, and have 

 read and studied it. I am also taking Glean- 

 ings. If any old-fashioned bee-keeper thinks 

 he can get along as well without bee books 

 and papers as he can with them, he is sadly 

 mistaken unless he would simply own the 

 bees and not he benefited by their teachings. 



I have given an outside view of my shop, 

 and myself in the condition that I crawl 

 about in, and work with my bees, etc., and 

 also an inside view of myself at the shoe 

 trade. 



Woolwine, Va. 



[The world over admires and commends 

 the man who, in spite of environment or 

 physical disabilities, overcomes them and 

 helps in the great work of making the world 

 richer and better. Most men, afflicted as is 

 our friend Cockram, would have given up 

 in despair. But he apparently knows no ob- 

 stacle too great for him to surmount — at least 

 not in bee-keeping. Climbing a bee-tree 



