1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



199 



The frames being- thus made all alike, they may be 

 turned end for end, without afiPeetlng the spacing. 



When the frames are all pressed together against 

 one side of the hive, there is sufficient play at the 

 other side to allow the tirst frame to be easily re- 

 moved. 



f can not see but that we have in this frame all 

 the advantages of the closed-end frame, without 

 some of its disadvantages. Any frame is easily 

 loosened by simply moving the top-bar a little side- 

 wise. We should never use wire staples, nor any 

 projecting metal of any kind on frames that are to 

 be extracted from, as the keen-edged honey-knife 

 is sure to strike them, which means half an hour's 

 grinding. 



I am having 5U00 more of these frames made for 

 this season's use, but the top-bars are li'c inches 

 wide, instead of 73- 



Although these top-bars will prevent brace- 

 combs between and over them, I do not know but 

 that we still need perforated zinc to keep the queen 

 in the brood-chamber; still, experience will decide 

 this. Oliver Foster. 



Mt. A'ernou, Iowa, Feb. 6. 



There are some good things in your frame, 

 friend Foster, and perhaps it can not be im- 

 proved upon ; but it is open to some objec- 

 tions. The first is. it would be rather ex- 

 pensive, because of the tirst cost of the 

 frame, and because of the extra labor of 

 wiring. 1 am afraid, too, those pieces rab- 

 beted out would get lost, to say nothing of 

 the " more pieces." But perhaps you have 

 reduced the item of wiring to a minimum 

 by the magnetic nailing, etc., you speak of. 

 In regard to the wiring, I am not so sure 

 the six perpendicular, tlie two diagonal, and 

 the perpendicular tin bar, are necessary. 

 Dadaut, in the Revised Langstroth, calls it 

 ''excessive wiring;" and until convinced 

 otherwise, I shall agree with him. I am 

 well aware, that many older and wiser 

 heads than mine will disagree. I have been 

 experimenting some on wiring frames, and 

 I tind I can draw the horizontal wire, with 

 pliers, more taut than I can the perpendicu- 

 lar. The frame I used had the end-bars 

 pierced— three holes equally spaced. After 

 the wire had been threaded through the six 

 holes, with the pliers I grasped the end of 

 the wire, and drew it until the three hori- 

 ■ zontals responded like a fiddle-string. In 

 the perpendicular plan there are twelve 

 holes to thread with wire, instead of six. 

 Draw the end of the wire in a similar man- 

 ner, and the bottom - bar will bow up ; 

 but even then you can not make all the 

 wires tight. The more holes, the more fric- 

 tion to overcome in drawing tight. Why 

 not use a tin bar? Well, 1 don't like them. 

 Our bees scarcely ever cover them with 

 comb. They will bevel it on a line parallel to 

 the bar, and there stop. When Drs. Mason 

 and Miller were here we talked the matter 

 over. The big doctor (i. e., the Ohio man) 

 said, "I shouldn't like the horizontal 

 wires.'' But come to think of it since, he 

 wires his combs in the Given press. If the 

 wire follows tiie base of the cells, the hori- 

 zontal wires would not hold the combs siilli- 

 ciently straight, and hence the doctor would 

 not like them. Dadant iS: Son use the roller 

 foundation, wired on to three horizontal 



wires, and that, too, on a larger frame, and 

 they like it. Now, it will be evident that 

 there will be considerable time saved in wir- 

 ing the frames horizontally. Such frames, 

 too, would cost less. While they may not 

 hold the combs as securely, yet it seems to 

 me it will enough so for the average bee- 

 keeper. It should be remembered, that a 

 good many do not wire at all. 



Now, 1 may be all wrong. All right ; I will 

 give up ; but I want, first, facts from those 

 who liave tried wires horizontally. If they 

 are a failure, let it be so reported. If the 

 combs do not bow out, let us hear that too. 



About fixed distances : There are one or 

 two things about it I like. The possibility 

 of loosening the frames by simply i)inching 

 the top-bars is good. But it seems to me 

 that in other respects it would be rather in- 

 convenient in handling. Perhaps after try- 

 ing it I should like it. Our foreman says it 

 is not easy to make, and, of course, it must 

 cost considerably more than the regular 

 frames. 



Here is a device that is cheap, has no 

 naughty projections to catch uncapping- 

 knives, and, more than all, it can be adapt- 

 ed to frames in use by notching the rabbets. 



NORTON'S FRAME-SPACER. 



I take the liberty of sending you a section of a 

 brood-frame, also of an end-piece of a brood-cham- 

 ber, to show how I keep my frames in their proper 

 places. The frame-rests and points I make of gal- 

 vanized sheet iron. I have used them for the last 

 two seasons with great satisfaction. I also find, for 

 winter spacing, it is very little trouble to remove 

 the points and replace, them in the spring with the 



help of pliers. With a sheet-iron saw or circle, on 

 a foot (or other power) mandrel, the slots, or notch- 

 es, could be quickly cut in the frame rests. I have 

 used only a file, but I think 1 can fix both frames 

 and rests for a hive in less time than it takes to ad- 

 just the frames, after hiving a swarm and moving it 

 to its place. P. L. Norton. 



Lanesboro, Pa., Feb. 4. 



Your device, like Phelps' staples, has the 

 elements of cheapness without their objec- 

 tion ; i. e., the naughty ])rojections for the 

 uncapping-knife. Ordinary glazier's points, 

 such as can be obtained at any hardware 

 store, will be just the thing. It will not be 

 so easy to notch out the rabbets, though it 

 can be done with a three-cornered file. 

 Wooden rabbets could be notched easily 



