1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULXrKE. 



331 



•TL^ 



n 



H-^ r" 



nearly all the frames in the hive in the 

 honey season, to get room to properly re- 

 move the central one ; then after they are 

 all put back, each one must be spaced over 

 again. 1 have just one fault to And with it ; 

 and that is, its expense. In thinking the 

 matter over, I find we can retain all the ad- 

 vantages you name for it, and yet cheapen 

 it by nearly a half. If the end bars have 

 projections there is no need that the top-bar 

 have siraihir jutting points. The top-bar 

 in the Hoffman, as illustrated above, costs 

 nearly as much as the rest of the frame. 

 Make the top-bar I inch 

 wide and g inch thick, and 

 the end-bars with a recess 

 as at A. This should be ^ 

 inch wide by t inch deep. 

 The top-bar then passes 

 through A, and a wire nail, 

 as C, driven through holds 

 it secure. B B is recessed 

 out, and this makes the 

 narrow part A inch wide. 

 The broad part is 1ft inches 

 wide, scant. We now have 

 a frame with a top- bar and 

 bottom-bar of |-inch stuff, and only the end- 

 bars of wider lumber. But, how about burr- 

 combs? We can use a thick bar if we 

 choose, just as easily as not ; or, what seems 

 to me would be better, a double top -bar, as 

 was illustrated on page 201. The Hoffman 

 frame, made as I have said, with double- 

 bar, ought not to cost more than $2.00 per 

 100; or, without the extra bar, $1.75 in 

 the flat. I omitted to say, that this frame 

 should be used on tin rabbets, to be used to 

 the best advantage. Now, while this frame 

 may seem to be the thing, don't go and order 

 a whole lot of them without first trying 

 eight or ten hives of them at first, if you 

 like them. It is possible there may be some 

 serious objection to them, so let's go slow. 

 But, hold I Here is another friend who is 

 very enthusiastic over them : E. R. 



THE HOFFMAN FRAME. 



I use a hive that resembles your new Dovetailed 

 hive in principles and some features, same dimen- 

 sions, 8 Langstroth ^frames. From experience I 

 know that the new hive would suit me better than 

 any I have seen, and 1 have at least seen and ex- 

 amined closely every hive that has been before the 

 public, with the exception of Mr. Heddon's new 

 hive, composed of shallow cases. There seems to 

 be but one feature lacking in the Dovetailed hive; 

 and that is, a frame suited to the business for 

 which this hive was designed; viz., convenience In 

 handling and shipping, and adaptability to out- 

 apiaries where the hives have to be moved from 

 place to place frequently. As I said before, I have 

 handled many hives of bees during the past 12 

 years, in all kinds of hives, and with all conceiva- 

 ble kinds of frames and fixtures. Of all I have seen, 

 none ever suited me quite as well as the Hoffman- 

 Langstroth frame, introduced to the public by Mr. 

 .1. H. Nellis, in Der-Kecpir's Ercluniue. Vol. I., No. 3, 

 Mar., 1879. 



This frame I have had in use from that date to 

 the present time, and am more than pleased with it, 

 and think it embraces more desirable ])oint8 than 

 anything else I have ever seen. I find in the use 



f this frame ver}- little trouble from brace-combs. 



a point which I see is under discussion— never any 

 thing of that description unless the space above 

 brood-combs was more than % inch space. The top- 

 bar of the frame is about 's inch thick. 



Now, friend Root, I have no ax to grind; but 1 

 would suggest that you try a few frames; and if 

 they don't suit, why, let them go along with other 

 discarded traps. I never have found any thing so 

 convenient for handling a full colony of bees as 

 this frame, in looking for queens and handling 

 combs. The most that can be said against this 

 frame is the expense. For moving bees from place 

 to place, and have them bear rough handling, they 

 are simply perfect. I use them with plain wood 

 rabbets. Adin Stone. 



Vienna, N. Y., Feb. 8. 



Is there any one else among our readers 

 who has tried these frames? 



rURNITURE NAILS AS DISTANCE- 

 KEEPERS. 



FURTHER SnOGESTIONS FROM N. T. PHELPS. 



You have put your thumb on communications in 

 regard to thick top-bars, and I expect in the next 

 issue of Gleanings to see that you have put your 

 other thumb on distance-keepers. There are, how- 

 ever, many suggestions that might still be made in 

 regard to distance-keepers that will be of use to 

 some portion of your readers. If thick top-bars 

 and accurate spacing are to be used to prevent 

 brace-combs, some sort of distance-keeper is nec- 

 essary. It will take several kinds to please all, just 

 the same as it does with every thing else. Some 

 will like your castings best; some, staples in the 

 top-bar; others, staples in the rabbet, and so on. 

 Now, I could not tolerate staples in the rabbets, be- 

 cause 1 fre(iuently, in spacing frames, shove or slide 

 half a dozen or more along on the rabbets, to the 

 position they are to occupy. In looking over combs 

 I replace them in the side of the hive toward me; 

 and when the furthermost one is looked at I shove 

 all back into their place at one push. Every one 

 has his mode of management, and so will see some 

 objection to any keeper. Those working for comb 

 honey will find some distance-keeper especially 

 convenient, and careful extracted-honey produc- 

 ers will not be very much afraid of a little metal on 

 the extreme corners of their frames. There are 

 some who do so much more business than the rest 

 of us, and do it with such a rush, that any kind of 

 projection, especially a metal one, will be objec- 

 tionable on their extracting-frames. 



In order that all may choose a distance-keeper to 

 suit themselves, the writer would like to suggest a 

 cheap article that can be used, a sample of which 1 

 forward with this article. Thry can be bought for 

 at least $1.75 per 1000 at retail, making them cost 

 about seven-tenths of a cent per frame. This, I 

 should think, would be cheap enough to satisfy 

 nearly all; and if they are placed at the extreme 

 end of the top-bar, it looks as though it would 

 make a pretty good "careless man's" distance- 

 keepir. With the thick top-bar, and the keeper 

 placed at the extreme end of the bar, please ob- 

 .servc the di.'^tance from it to any honey to be un- 

 capped. 



These are well adapted to the thick top-bars that 

 are plump one inch wide, and are to be spaced ex- 

 actly five-sixteenths of an inch apart. I'hey will be 



