On the Threshold of the Hive 
of honey, without being forced to destroy 
his best colonies and in one instant 
annihilate the work of an entire year. 
This hive, still very imperfect, received 
masterly improvement at the hands of 
Langstroth, who invented the movable 
frame properly so called, which has been 
adopted in America with extraordinary suc- 
cess. Root, Quinby, Dadant, Cheshire, 
De Layens, Cowan, Heddon, Howard, 
etc., added still further and precious im- 
provement. Then it occurred to Mehring 
that if bees were supplied with combs 
that had an artificial waxen foundation, 
they would be spared the labour of 
fashioning the wax and constructing the 
cells, which costs them much honey and 
the best part of their time ; he found that 
the bees accepted these combs most 
readily, and adapted them to their 
requirements. 
Major de Hruschka invented the Honey- 
15 
