*"Uv^ 



18^ 



Or how to Realize tlie Most Money with the Smallest Expenditure of Capital 

 and Labor in the Care of Bees, Rationally Considered. 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 



Vol. I. 



MEDINA, O., MAR. 1, 1873. 



No. 



STARTING A3f APIARY. 



No. 3. 



'If N t making hives, wliatever shape or 



>-kj form you decide upon, be sure atvl 

 have the grain of all the boards run hori- 

 zontally. If this point were recognized 

 by our "patent hive" venders, much less 

 annoyance would be experienced from the 

 results of using imperfectly seasoned 

 lumber, as it is well known that shrinkage 

 takes place almost entirely at right angles 

 1o the grain; and where hives are made 

 as above, even if the lumber be unseason- 

 ed no bad results follow, except to decrease 

 the distance between the lower bar of the 

 frames and the bottom board, and accord- 

 ingly where our pine boards are unseason- 

 ed, we should allow from one-half to three- 

 fourths of an inch, presuming they may at 

 no time come nearer than three-eights of 

 an inch. 



Also: It will pay you to take time to 

 put every board on the hive in such a way 

 that the heart side of the board comes 

 outward. Every board is to be examined 

 with reference to that at the time you do 

 the rabbeting. Boards are always more 

 disposed to warp in such a way that the 

 side that grew towards the bark of the 

 tree will be hollowing, and in hives ex- 

 posed to the weather, if we can keep the 

 corners and edges of the boards 

 close up to their places our hive will keep 

 tight ; also the dampness of the bees in- 

 side contrasted with the hot sun outside, 

 is inducement enough for the boards to 

 curl up without having them put on 

 "wrong side out." 



For this latter idea we are indebted to a 

 mechanical friend whose skill and re- 

 searches in regard to the properties and 

 fitness of wood or metals for industrial 

 purposes, are destined soon to make him 

 better known to the world. The success 

 of many of "Novice's" plans and contri- 

 vances has been very much due to this 

 same Mr. Alvah Washburn, especially the 

 Windmill and attendant machinery. 



Since our last we have succeeded in 

 making the entire body of the dollar hive 

 of lumber 12 inches wide, which is quite 



an item, as we can thus get along without 

 waste and as it is a staple width can al- 

 ways be purchased at a low figure. Get 

 boards 12 feet long dressed oa both sides 

 to | of an inch accurately in thickness, 

 and cut each one into four pieces of equal 

 length. After you have straightened one 

 edge of each piece, removing as little as 

 possible in so doing, cut a side and end 

 from each ; lengths, 16 and 19£ inches 

 respectively. Rabbet all the ends of the 

 end pieces fxf-, and bear in mind what we 

 said about having the heart side outward. 

 We must make it a study to handle cadi 

 piece as few times as possible and to 

 facilitate this we have devised the little 

 arrangement illustrated by the following 

 figures: 



Fig: 



Fig. 1st is a top view of our wedge 

 shaped platform for sawing all the bevels, 

 and Fig. 2d, a view of either of the ends 

 B and E. The three pieces A, B and E, 

 are made of our |- pine boards. A is ."U 

 xl5 inches and B and E are 2| inches, 

 where A is nailed into them, and « inch 

 at the small end, and just 12 inches on 

 their longest or upper side. C is simply a 

 strip to hold them together. F is a spring 

 stop just If inches nearer the saw than A, 

 and is simply a strip \ inch thick screwed 

 fast, to two hickory springs fastened on 

 the inner sides of B and E in such a way 

 that it can be pressed down between them 

 level with their upper edges, but rises 

 again when allowed to. To use the ap- 

 paratus set the guage bar on your buzz 

 saw table so A will slide against it and 

 just allow C to clear the saw; now hold 

 the finished edge of either one of your 



