THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Some cheap and couveuient way of fasten- 

 ing a cover on a hive is a desideratum. 

 Possibly the old plan used by Mr. Koot — 

 having the cover hinged on — might answer. 



I don't think I want to make any provision 

 for inversion. I don't know of any special 

 need for it, except getting frames filled out 

 and that can Ije done by having foundation 

 come down to the bottom-bar. 



If I could winter bees in a chaff-hive as 

 successfully as they are wintered in other 

 localities — at Medina, for instance — I should 

 use chaff -hives, for the inconvenience entail- 

 ed by their use would be overbalanced Ijy 

 avoiding the necessity of bringing them 

 home every fall. 



Returning to bottom-boards: mine i)roject 

 in front to make the alighting-board, and, 

 as the grain of the bottom runs cross-wise, I 

 have been much annoyed by the alighting- 

 board splitting off. Unless there were some 

 provision against its splitting, I would not 

 have it project more than an inch or so. 



No bevel-joints for me. 



You say, Mr. Editor, "There is no excuse 

 for raising the cover." Do you mean that 

 you want nothing between the top-bars of 

 the brood-frames and the cover? I couldii't 

 endure it to be obliged to break apart the 

 brace-combs every time I wanted to open a 

 hive; so I must have at least a sheet of some 

 kind between the top-bars and the cover, 

 having a bee-space between the top-bars and 

 the cover. 



Thoroughly seasond stufif is important, 

 and I don't know of any yrood better than 

 pine. 



Maeengo. III., 



Dec. 24, 1888. 



Trials of Hive Inventors; Size for Hives; Verti- 

 cal Contraction Preferable; Hive Pro- 

 tection; Get Away Quilts; A Kick 

 at the Shake-Out Function. 



J. H. MAETIN. 



jjHE EDITOR of the Review has, in- 

 deed, a delicate task upon his hands, 

 in the discussion of hives, but, if the 

 writers will follow the liberal ideas lie 

 has outlined, there will be no animosity 

 raised, and there may be closer friendships 

 in the future. 



We do not hear so much as formerly about 

 the "coming hive." And, judging from the 

 experience of tliose who have lately brought 

 new hives before the public, there seems to 

 be written over the door of the hive depart- 

 ment of the Temple of Apiculture the follow- 

 ing weird inscription: 



BEWARE ! 

 Leave all Feace Behind Who Enter Here. 

 If the writer of this had the coming hive 

 completed, he would hesitate long before 

 hurling it into the arena of contention. A 

 new hive, whatever its merits, is sure to 

 awaken the animosity of other hive manu- 

 facturers. And, in our discussions, if manu- 

 facturers could discuss tlio question with the 



same impartiality that the users do, there 

 might be some hopes for an early adoption 

 of more uniformity and the discovery of the 

 coming hive. The users are, however, the tri- 

 bunal before which the fate of these various 

 improvements will, eventually, be decided: 

 and though the judgement may be delayed, 

 it is nevertheless sure to come. 



Without entering into minute details, let us 

 see what principles have been most thorough- 

 ly established. 



For the most ecomomical production of 

 comb, or even extracted honey, a brood 

 chamber of not far from 1000 cubic inches, 

 with provisions for enlargement or contrac- 

 tion, is an accepted, settled principle: as to 

 the methods of adjustment, the two principal, 

 lateral and vertical, have their strenuous 

 advocates. The writer prefers vei'tical be- 

 cause more simple and the work more rapid- 

 ly accomplished, and he finds the most enthu- 

 siastic advocates of lateral adjustment can 

 go no further than the removal of their clum- 

 sy, sticky dummies, and then, for surplus, 

 either comb or extracted, adopt vertical ad- 

 justment. The vertical principle does not 

 contract the surplus surface, and allows the 

 use of the queen-excluding honey-board with 

 better effect. 



After we get above the brood chamber 

 there is no principle more thoroughly estab- 

 lished than tiering up. The side storing 

 relic of the past hns a few advocates, but 

 they are mostly those who run a few colonies 

 for comb honey and have time for manifold 

 manipulation. Their occassional fusilades 

 do not affect the great army of large pro- 

 ducers who keep step to the simple tiering 

 up principle. 



Another principle begins to loom up, and 

 will in the near future occupy more of our 

 attention; it is migratory bee-keeping, or the 

 moving of bees a few miles to catch a par- 

 ticular honey flow. The hive in this case 

 will play an important part, and must admit 

 of rapid preparation for shipment. The 

 closed-end frame admits of this as no other 

 can. and it seems there is to be a vei itication 

 of Father Quinby's prediction that a closed- 

 end frame would be the frame of the future. 



In relation to the minor points of bee 

 hive cojistruction. I prefer rabbeted corners 

 as being adapted to more firm nailing. I 

 would not dispense with a loose bottom 

 board, for with it a rim can be put under the 

 brood chamber, which I regard as most essen- 

 tial for safe wintering in any style of hive. 

 In cellar wintering many object to the carry- 

 ing in of many colonies. The hive in weight 

 and construction should be adapted for this 

 purpose: and the work can be rapidly done. 

 iV person might reasonably growl over carry- 

 ing his bees in and out every day. Still, the 

 labor of carrying in ten colonies of bees eacli 

 day is no greater than caring for ten cows; 

 and the latter are ctired for with no thought 

 of complaint. 



The principle that the bees need protec- 

 tion either from cellar or packing, has also 

 been most thoroughly established. Chaff, 

 shavings, sawdust, etc. are largely used for 

 packing, but the times demand a packing 

 more conveniently applied, and which will 

 admit of the easy manipulation of the hive. 



