298 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIE^W 



thick top-bar frames sold have the pro- 

 jection quite as thin and narrow as 

 the Hoffman, and that is a mistake, as 

 the projection should, for strength, be 

 full-width of the top-bar clear to the 

 ends, and, for our own use, we have 

 them so made, 11 -lb inch wide from 

 end to end. The projection on our 

 frames is 5-16 thick, 1 1-16 wide, and 

 1 1-16 long, and is of course, no weaker 

 than the same size projection on the 

 plain frame. No doubt it was a great 

 mistake to make the standard thickness 

 of top-bar projection only 5-16 inch, 

 rather than Yi, inch (or more) as it was 

 years ago, but if it is one inch to 1 1-16 

 inchs wide, it does very well and saves 

 the terrible bother of two thicknesses 

 of top-bar projections, with its bee- 

 space mix-ups, you must admit that 

 the Hoffman frame can be so made that 

 it will have "handles." 



I have used both kinds of frames for 

 years and expect to make mostly Hoff- 

 man frames for our own use, if I do not 

 adopt the Alpaugh spacer, as illus- 

 trated in January 18th American Bee 

 Journal. The Alpaugh device cer- 

 tainly has some fine points, combining 

 many advantages of both spacers and 

 non-spacers and eliminating some of 

 the faults of both. I've a mind to 

 try it. 



ALLEVIATING THE TORMENTS IN AN 

 EXTRACTING TENT. 



Your account of extracting in a tent, 

 p. 231-232 is about right; but as I've 

 extracted tons and tons in such a place 

 of torment, I'll tell how to make it at 

 least a little nearer comfortable. 



Your idea of a platform in the tent, 

 for extractor strainer, etc., is our ar- 

 rangement also, but we eliminate some 

 of the faults of the average tent by first 

 setting up a rim of 1 x 13 inch boards, 

 just the size of the bottom of the tent. 



The tent is then set up and the 

 lower edge of the tent ia held to the 

 upper edge of the boards by means of 

 a few lath and shingle nails. This 

 makes the room a foot higher inside. 



gives more roovi, more air, and by 

 throwing a little dirt along the bottom 

 of this foot-high wooden wall, no bees 

 can crowd under and into the tent.. 



To improve the ventilation we cut a 

 hole, about 2x3 feet, in the end of the 

 tent opposite the entrance, and over 

 this opening is attacked a window 

 screen fitted with bee-escapes. 



The swarming fever among your col- 

 onies was certainly easily cured. Not 

 so here, this season. 



IDAHO HONEY SO THICK AND "GUMMY.' 



IT won't go THROUGH 



CHEESE CLOTH. 



Wish 3'ou could test that cheese-cloth 

 strainer (p. 268) "in this locality." 

 When I came to Idaho, I cut the bottom 

 out of a galvanized tub, and soldered 

 in its place a circular piece of heavy 

 wire screen with '+ inch mesh. This 

 tub just fitted into the top of an old ex- 

 tractor can. Into the tub I put a piece 

 of wet cheese-cloth, and filled the tub 

 with honey. 



Next morning half of it had run 

 through. There is a principle that can 

 be utilized with fine wire-cloth, or per- 

 haps with cheese cloth, that I think 

 will work even with thick gummy 

 honey, and if, after testing, it proves 

 satisfactory, I will send a description, 

 with full credit to the inventor. 



Meridan, Idaho, Oct. 7, 1906. 



|I remember reading the article by 

 Mr. Dadant. It was well written, and 

 fair arguments used, but, for some 

 reason, it did not convince me that he 

 was correct in his views. I /^wozf there 

 is a difference between the so-called 

 black brood and our old fashioned foul 

 brood, and I know that some of the 

 things said by Europeans about foul 

 brood do not apply to our American 

 variety. Before I became acquainted 

 with the black brood, and knew it was 

 that di.sease to which the Europeans 

 had reference, their assertions and 

 articles were decidedly a puzzle to me 

 — now they are clear. 



