358 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



Functions ! whatever tliat may he, it is too esthet- 

 ic. You might as well try to patent a purpose or a 

 principle wliich is as free as God's pure air and sun- 

 shine that he designs for all. Patents must detine 

 co/istntctio/Ks or fixtures so clearlj' tliat one skilled 

 in the art can muke tliem. The venerable Lang- 

 stroth may liave been robbed of his just rights; but 

 you, Mr. Heddon, are secure; it is impossible to rob 

 you of what never belonged to you, either before or 

 since the Patent Office rejected your claims, and 

 you have accepted what you could get, like the rest 

 of us. 



There is no patent court of equity that was estab- 

 lished in 1870, or any other time, different fi'om oth- 

 er courts for patent-cases. Equity courts originated 

 during the reign of Richard II., and come to us 

 from our earliest history, your assertion to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding. If I am trespa.ssing on your 

 legal rights, I will gladly surrender; but as we can 

 not think alike in this case, I will agree to abide by 

 the decision of tliree reputable judges, each of us 

 to choose one, they to select the third. Until you 

 do this 1 declare publicly, as I well know, that my 

 patent does not infringe any claim of yours, neither 

 legally nor morally. 



Mr. Heddon's reference to a bundle-carrier im- 

 pales himself exactly. The otlier fellows had been 

 there nearly a score of j-ears ahead of him, which 

 he knew then and now, as tlie records of the Patent 

 Office in his own case clearly show that he mutely 

 submitted at the time. 



The limitations of Mr. Heddon's claims absolutely 

 prevent him from interfering with others using 

 what was denied liim. He certainly can not claim 

 more than his title calls for, any more than a squat- 

 ter on a quarter-section could claim the State. As 

 for management, his circulars show that he has re- 

 vised it materially since he set out, and I prefer a 

 very different one for myself. 



Washington, D. C. F. Danzenbaker. 



In order that the reader may more clearly 

 understand just what Mr. Heddon's patent, 

 dated Sept. 29, 1885, does or does not cover, we 

 reproduce his five claims. They read: 



1. In a bee-hive, a ease consisting of a frame one of the sides 

 of which is provided with thumli-screws extending through 

 said side, and the oi^posite side of which is provided at the 

 corners with narrow cleats facing said thumb-screws, sub- 

 stantially as and for the purpose set forth. 



2. Tlie combination of the bee-hive, the bottom stand having 

 end pieces of less height than the side pieces, and the detach- 

 able bottom-board, the ends of which are provided with down- 

 wardly extending cleats resting upon the end pieces of the 

 bottom stand, and the upper side and i ear idges ut which are 

 provided with cleats adapted to srippoit the lower ca>e of the 

 liive and atford admission-space for the bees, substantiallj' as 

 and for the purpose set forth. 



3. In a honey-board for bee-hives, the combination, with a 

 frame, of a number of slats secured to the bottom sides there- 

 of at a bee-space distance apart, said frame being even with 

 the bottoms of said slat-; and projecting a bee-space above 

 them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 



i. In a bee-hive of the de.scribed class, the combination, with 

 the brood-chamber of a hive tlietopsot the frames of wliich 

 are n bee-.'-pace below the top edges of the hive and a case for 

 surplus honey the bottoms of the frames ol which are even 

 witli the bottom of the case in which they a re secured, said 

 frames for .-surplus honey hanging parallel with and directly 

 above the frames of the brood-chamber, of a honey-board 

 consisting of slats secured to a frame, said frame beiiig even 

 with the bottoms of said slats and projecting a bee-space 

 above them, said slats being so arranged that the spaces be- 

 tween them will be between the tops of the frames in the 

 brood chamber below and the bottoms of the frames in the 

 case above, and the slats themselves will be parallel wiih the 

 frames, and between the spaces between the said frame, sub- 

 stantially as and for the purpose set forth. 



5 In a bee hive, a brood-chamber consi.^ting of a series of 

 reversible and Interchangeable casc^, each of said cases being 

 provided with thumb-screws exti mliiig Ihrcnigli one side and 

 with cleat" at the corneisof the ..tlur Mib- and facing said 

 thumb-screws, and of a number of reversible frames rigidly 

 secured theiein between said thumb-screws and cleats, and a 

 stand and cover, stibi-tantially as and for the purpose set 

 forth. 



In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have 

 hereunto fixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. 



[I have since obtained copies of patents No. 

 33,668, 196,060, 20,'5,890, tliat are said by the at- 

 torney of Mr. Danzenbaker to antedate Mr. 

 Heddon's claims of the divisible-brood-chamber 

 hive. We can scarcely afford to give room to 

 the whole of the patents in question, but we 

 make extracts touching upon the points at 

 issue, so far as they concern the novelty of a 

 horizontally divided brood-chamber. Patent 

 196.060, bearing date Oct. 8, 1877, by J. C. Train, 

 makes the following claims:] 



1. In a sectional bee-hive, the combination, with each of the 

 sections thereof, of two or more fixed partitions, G, and a 

 corresponding number of comb-supports, H, removably se- 

 cured to the (ixed partitions, substantially as described. 



2. In a sectional beehive, the ininliination, with the lower 

 section having grooves or mllrti^e- foinied in its lower side 

 edge, of a hinged bottom, substantially as set forth. 



3. In a sectional beehive, the sections formed with two 

 upper edges provided with tenons and two with rabbets, the 

 inner edges e of which are cut away to afford bearings for 

 the corab supports G and H. while the lower edges are 

 formed with two mortised edges and two rabbeted edges, in 

 combination with such supports, substantially as set forth. 



[Two paragraphs in the descriptive matter 

 also read as follows:] 



My invention relates to an improvement in bee-hives, the 

 object being to provide a bee hive of such construction that 

 it may readily be adjusted in size to meet the wants of either 

 large or small colonies of bees, and the several sections re- 

 movably secured together in a water-tiglit manner, to ex- 

 clude moisture and dampness from the interior of the hive; 

 also, to provide space in the lower portion of the hire 

 wherein the moths may collect and be removed therefrom 

 without disturbing the bees. 



It is evident that any number of sections may be employ- 

 ed, and a complete hive secured to the apiarian at all times, 

 as, in case the honey is to be removed from the upper sec- 

 tion only, the upper section may be removed entire, if de- 

 sired, and, thr" cover or top J being replaced, as all the 

 sections are made to accurately lit each other, a complete 

 and water-tight hive is thus secured. 



[Patent 36,668, dated Nov. 5, 1861. by H. R. 

 Terry, contains these paragraphs in descriptive 

 matter:] 



My improvement consists in constructing the hive in hori- 

 zontal sections, fitted to a suitable base and provided with 

 a top, which forms a roof or cover, each section being sep- 

 arated from the others by series of slats, and connected 

 together when in use by hooks or other equivalent fasten- 

 ings, which admit of the ready detachment and removal of 



any one of them The sections are 



three or four inches in depth, which permits the formation 

 of combs, which are suspended from the upper series of 

 slats. Each section is provided with a glass light F, cover- 

 ed with a slide, to admit of the inspection of the bees while 

 at work. These sections being readily removable, any one 

 of them may, when tilled with new honey, be changed for 

 an eiiiiity section thus taking the place of honey-boxes, and 

 any number may be added to increase the capacity of the hive 

 and adapt it tc) the size of the swarm. By this means the 

 troublesome method of transferring the bees from a smaller 

 to a larger hive, and vice versa, is entirely dispensed with and 

 much time and labor saved. 



[Patent 303,890, under date of May 21, 1878, 

 shows a series of shallow cases containing reg- 

 ular frames over the brood-nest. The only 

 claim under this patent is for a brood-chamber 

 having concave or arched sides. 



Patent No. 2592, dated April 29, 1842, shows a 

 series of shallow chambers fastened together 

 with bolts. They were simply shallow boxes, I 

 judge, without Ijrood-frames or any thing of 

 the sort. There is no printed descriptive matter. 



Patent No. 2929. dated Jan. 27, 1843, by J. 

 Harris, contains a similar series of horizontally 

 divided hive-sections, one piled upon another. 

 These, like the one just preceding, contained 

 no brood -frames, as a matter of course. 



If any one is interested in following these up 

 further, he can secure them by applying to the 

 Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C, 

 giving the number and dates as above given. 

 It will be necessary to inclose 15 cts. for each 

 patent called for. Stamps are not accepted. 



Possibly our readers would like to have me 

 enter an opinion (inasmuch as I have studied 

 the patent question to some extent) as to 

 whether the patents above cited would cover 

 the divisible-brood-chamber idea specified in 

 Mr. Heddon"s patent. Such a statement as I 

 should feel like making, I am sure, would please 

 neither party; and I therefore prefer, for this 

 and other reasons, to take no sides at all, as I 

 take it that our readers are intelligent enough 

 to decide the merits of the case after comparing 

 the claims of Mr. Heddon's patent with those 

 above cited, and reading his article. 



As Mr. Heddon seems to be pretty well ac- 

 quainted with the patents above given, the 

 references that he makes to them, and his reply 

 thereto, will probably cover what he desires to 

 say concerning them in the article that now 

 follows:] 



