1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE crLTURE. 



327 



order early, and allow the shipper to decide when 

 to ship. 



In conclusion I would say, let us climb up higher 

 and ac(iuaint ourselves more thoroug'hly]with the 

 laws of nature, and take advanced lessons in the 

 college of the universe; and what we do not know 

 now we may know later on. Therefore let us reach 

 out for the truth, and hold fast to it. Yes, buy it 

 with our own exertions; then we shall know its 

 worth; and while here in council let us learn from 

 each other such lessons as will aid and assist us in 

 solving some of the mysteries of bee culture. 



Bristol, Vt., Mar. 11. A. E. Manum. 



HORIZONTAL VS. PERPENDICULAR 

 W^IRING. 



FRIEND HILTON INDORSES ERNEST. 



When I read the foot-notes to friend Foster's ar- 

 ticle, I said, " Good for Ernest." With all due rev- 

 erence and esteem for our friend and benefactor 

 A. I. Root, I do like to see a boy step out of his 

 father's well-beaten path. This, Ernest has done 

 in declaring for horizontal wiring. Of course, 

 he thinks he is right. Here I admire him again. 

 The plan as represented in friend Foster's frame 

 has always seemed to me like " excessive wiring;" 

 and ten years ago I adopted the horizontal plan, 

 and have always wired in that way. I think three 

 wires are better than two, but I have hundreds of 

 frames wired with only two wires; and if numbers 

 add to testimony, 1 can give you the names of at 

 least 3') within a radius of 25 miles of here who wire 

 in the same way. 



I certainly think it has advantages over the per- 

 pendicular wires. 1 think we all agree that foun- 

 dation should be well fastened at the top; but in 

 cases where it was not well fastened at the top, and 

 with perpendicular wiring, it has slipped down the 

 wires in hiving full swarms on full frames of foun- 

 dation. This has never occurred with me with hor- 

 izontal wiring, even with two wires; and as for 

 combs '"bowing out," I do not know what you 

 mean; but this I do know: I have 1000 frames wired 

 with two horizontal wires filled with foundation, 

 and drawn into combs; and if any one will show 

 me 1000 better combs on perpendicular wires, I will 

 make him a present of mine. Yet I would recom- 

 mend three wires equal distances apart. I believe 

 that 25 per cent of the combs I have on perpendicu- 

 lar wires, and the tin bar in the center, are imper- 

 fect. Either they are beveled off to the tin or they 

 are not attached. Those who are in favor of " pop- 

 holes " through the combs would be delighted with 

 them. I don't want them. I think if I could not 

 hold my frames together without, I should prefer a 

 piece of wood just like the end-bar to the tin bar. 

 HOW TO wire. 



Almost every one has his own way of piercing or 

 drilling the holes through the frames; but after 

 this is done and the frame is put together, lay it 

 fiat on the bench and drive a ?s wire nail near the 

 upper left-hand hole, and one near the lower right- 

 hand hole. Have your one-pound spool of No. .SO 

 tinned wire secured in some way so that it will not 

 snarl, yet unwind readily. Now thread the wire 

 through the two left-hand holes back through the 

 center holes, and up through the two left-hand 

 holes, just enough to wind around the partly dri%'- 

 en wire nail. Now drive the nail down, thus secur- 



ing one end of the wire. Now place the upper end 

 of the frame against a large nail driven into the 

 bench; with the left hand, hold the frame securely 

 against the nail; and with the right hand draw the 

 wires until you spring the end-bars a little; and if 

 you know how to play on a three string dulcimer, 

 it is in tune. It seems reasonable to me that this 

 arrangement throws the weight on the end-bars, 

 and prevents the top bars from gagging. 



I shall read with interest the replies to your ques- 

 tion, asking for facts from those who have used 

 wires horizontally. The above are tacts, as observed 

 by me. Geo. E. Hilton. 



Fremont, Mich., Mar. 22. 



And I say, friend H., " Good for Hilton." 

 Yes, I heartily a^ree witli you in your 

 thought, that every boy, sooner or later, 

 should have convictions and opinions of his 

 own. A boy who is a complete echo of his 

 father, in every respect, would not be worth 

 very much ; and when your testimony comes 

 in to back up Ernest, I am almost ready to 

 abandon my position, and own up. But, 

 how about the following letter from another 

 friend? Bead that. 



HORIZONTAL WIRING PREFERRED. 



TIN BARS not ALWAYS OB.JECTIONABLE, ETC. 



I WISH to indorse what Ernest said in regard to 

 horizontal wires, on page 199. If he will refer to 

 Gleanings, 1888, page 685, he will find my wiring- 

 device described, which, if used, will do away with 

 the use of pliers to draw the wires taut. When 

 drawn taut, the wires cut into the wood so that none 

 of them are exactly horizontal. Dr. Mason's objec- 

 tion does not hold good with my manner of wiring, 

 which is described in Gleanings, page 33, 1888. 

 Perhaps with a heavy top-bar the diagonal wires 

 and the tin bar are not needed; but with the com- 

 mon frame I should rather use them. I have ex- 

 perienced no difficulty by the bees not covering the 

 tin bar. Not only do they cover it with full-length 

 cells, but they raise brood above them. To make 

 sure about this I have just been to the honey-room 

 to examine the combs. 



I have frames wired in several different ways in 

 use, and I get the best combs with my manner of 

 wiring— three horizontal wires, and the diagonal 

 wires and tin bar. The latter are put in after the 

 foundation is put in. I wish no perpendicular 

 wires. When burr-combs are scraped off I often 

 break the wires which show above the top-bar. 

 Perhaps, as A. I. Root says, they could be let down 

 into the wood; but I am afraid that it would not 

 always work just right. 



I see that the bee-keepers intend to do away with 

 burr-combs. I sincerely hope that they may. I 

 have used the slatted honey-board extensively, and 

 I can not see that the break joint does away with 

 the burr-combs any more than those made of slats 

 of odd width, although the first season that I used 

 them I thought they would. By the way, I believe 

 one season's success with a hive-fixture does not 

 fully establish its usefulness. 



It seems to me that any spacing attachment to 

 the frames, whether of wood or metal, is objec- 

 tionable, on account of extracting. I believe that 

 staples driven into the brood-nest end are about the 

 simplest spacer we can get; but, do we want frames 

 at fixed distances when not hauling thciny I sup- 



