ii2 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



on each deck. About 200 colonies could 

 be moved at one load in this way, and 

 put only one tier on each deck. 



It was about May 21st, three years ago, 

 that we loaded about 80 colonies of bees 

 and started for the woods, or more par- 

 ticularly speaking-, for the wild raspberry 

 district of Northern Michigan. These 

 were the famous Clinton Co., bees that I 

 worked two years with only six visics 

 during the three years, and harvested 

 $1,200 worth of honey. 



We got them loaded, at Carson City. 

 our shiping point, about four o'clock p. m. 

 and went as far as Greenville, 25 miles, 

 where they were "kicked" off on a "Y" 

 of the P. M. railroad where we layed 

 0T3r the first night. 



Right here I learned a lesson, and that 

 was we could not load our car with the 

 idea it would go one particular end ahead. 

 When this car was pushed in on this "Y" 

 it was destined to go the other end ahead 



for some time at least. About seven 

 o'clock the next morning we started for 

 Remus, where 60 more colonies were to 

 be loaded on. We left Creenville "wrong 

 end front," as 1 predicted, and reached 

 Ren. us in good condition about 4 that 

 afternoon. As far as the railroad was 

 concerned we were at our journey's end, 

 for we had to re-hire the car here to con- 

 tinue the trip. 



The evening of the 23rd we were again 

 on the road north. The balance of our 

 trip was via. the P. M. R. R. and we 

 were "armed" with a lay-over for Big 

 Rapids, 20 miles north, where we had 

 50 more colonies to load, this took us 

 nearly a day. Sometime that night we 

 got to Baldwin, perhaps 50 miles, where 

 we lay until morning. The nezt day, or 

 the night of the 25th, about 4 p. m., we 

 arrived at our destination; the first loaded 

 bees being on the road five days. 



Remus, Mich., Jan. 8. 190Z. 



Covers, Hand-Holes, Bottom-Boards, 

 Frames and Wires. 



WALTER HARMER. 



Manistee, Mich., March 2nd, 1907. 

 ■p-EAR EDITOR and Friend— As you are 

 ■^-■' one of the best that I know of to 

 take suggestion and criticism in that, "I'll 

 help you, you help me, and all pull to- 

 gether" spirit, I will proceed in my rough 

 way (which you have before accepted) to 

 pull to pieces some of the mechanical 

 ideas represented in that beautifully made 

 picture in the February Review. 



1 will commence with the cover. 1 had 

 an idea that you had adooted a flat 

 reversible cover, but I see ; ours has a 

 groove cleat which folds over a'nd projects 

 on both sides, or top and bottom, of it, 

 which prohibits the sliding-on f- ' ?; al- 



so prevents ventilating the colony to a 

 nicety when needed at the top. 



Don't you find those finger-holes in- 

 sufficient when handling a heavy colony 

 or supers? Those short cleats sent out 

 with new hives are fine for nailing just 

 over, or one-eighth of an inch down over 

 the saw-wabble-cut: this gives a fine 

 grip; or a strip nailed all across the ends 

 of the hive, a good longfinishing nail at the 

 ends of it driven into the sides, and short 

 ones in the end board, makes a good grip, 

 too, with the finger-hole and it also helps 

 to hold the sides of the hive to the end 

 boards; and, if I were making side-boards, 

 or ordering them, 1 would have no finger 



