" NOVICE'S " GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE, 



gives us most pleasure of anything about the 

 " masheen." 



Boards must be cut square in two and to do 

 this they must have one edge cut nearer 

 straight than we buy them. We quarreled 

 a long while with our mechanics about it 

 and now do it our way with great satisfaction. 



About six inches in front of the saw cut 

 out a strip of the table lengthwise, three or 

 fi .ur inches wide, and fit a piece ot hard wood 

 id slide easily but closely in the groove, its top 

 being level with the top of the table. Screw 

 a similar piece across this at right angles, 

 resting on the bench and reaching up to the 

 saw, and of about two feet in length. This 

 piece must be so nicely adjusted that a 

 board held hard against it will be cut 

 exactly square off. 



To cut pieces of frames on a square mitre 

 we must have another stiip fastened at an 

 angle of forty-five degrees to the first piece, 

 and to keep both of these firm, their ends 

 furthest from the saw can be screwed to- 

 gether, making a complete figure 4, the up- 

 right part of the figure being the one that 

 slides in the top of the table, the horizontal 

 bar cuts stuff square off, and the slanting one 

 is to cut pieces beveling or so their ends go 

 together like a picture frame. 



"Stops" are made on both pieces at the 

 proper places to cut off work. For instance, 

 the square bar has a stop to cut the length of 

 side of the hive, end of the hive, and cover 

 of the hive. Slanting bar has stops for top 

 for bottom of frame and end of frame. Now 

 it is a very nice point to set these "stops" 

 just right, and when they are set we don't 

 want to move them, fcut they would inter- 

 fere with each other if stationary so we have 

 them made of a strip of brass with one end 

 turned square so that it will spring out and 

 make a secure stop for the end of the board, 

 yet may be pressed in a mortise out of the 

 way when we wish to use the stops beyond it. 

 So you see we can make a hive complete as 

 fast as we cju handle the stuff, all exactly 

 right, and " nary a square or rule " do we 

 have to bother with. 



But, observe, cut off your pine boards 

 (dressed on both sides accurately to seven- 

 eighths) first into lengths for one end and out- 

 side and a littlemore. Now straighten one edge 

 by setting it down firmly on some small points 

 projecting out of the sliding strip so that your 

 -aw will just trim one edge. 



When this t ri m med edge is placed against 

 the Bquare strip you can cut the piece in two so 

 that you have one square end on each. 

 Place the square end against the proper stop, 

 and your piece has three sides true. We 

 bring it to the proper width and have the 

 edge of the proper bevel to make the joint 

 (between the cover and hive or upper and 

 lower story) shed rain, at one operation by 

 elevating the finished edge on a wedge 

 shaped platform supported on those same 

 points in the sliding strip as it is moved 

 against the saw. The pieces that come off 

 make the frame that holds the cover from 

 warping. 



Bo you see a piece of board thirteen inches 

 wide, and ahout six and a quarter feet long 



makes our dollar hive complete except cover, 

 which is 20^x16. 



The rabbeting in the end pieces should be 

 done just before the strips for cover are 

 sawed off. 



In answer to many inquiries we would 

 state that after careful experiments last season 

 we preferred the space between end of frames 

 to be not less than three-eigths and not more 

 than one-half inch. A distance of one-fourth 

 inch can be used but much greater care is re- 

 quired in handling combs to prevent squeez- 

 ing our young friends that " want to know " 

 what we are trying to do with them. 



To those who claim that bits of comb will 

 be built in one-half inch space we reply 

 that it's your business to see that they have 

 better employment. 



Keep the honey out of their way and give 

 them one frame to build comb in, during the 

 comb-building season. You will never get 

 too many nice combs for they will sell even 

 now, especially if we adopt some fixed di- 

 mensions for our frames so they will fit our 

 neighbors' hives as well. 



Again, keep the honey out of their way as 

 faithfully as you milk your cows daily, and 

 we had far rather remove all the honey from 

 a hive than milk a cow. Cows require milk- 

 ing about six times as often and don't 

 give honey either, and — " bless our stars," if 

 we run on this way it will take a weekly paper 

 instead of a monthly even, to enable us to tell 

 you how simple a matter it is to save the 

 floods of honey that bountiful nature pours 

 down at our very doors, and everybody 

 seems to be afraid to even give the " little 

 chaps " a place to put it conveniently, " 'cause 

 they'll sting." Now we are afraid our friends 

 will have to run their buzz saws by foot power 

 until next month ; it is cheaper and is healthy 

 exercise and gives one an elastic feeling about 

 the walking apparatus afterward, and so we'll 

 tell about the windmill next month 



HOW TO MAKE A HONEY EXTRACTOR 

 AT AN EXPENSE, OP, NOT EXCEEDING 

 S3.00, AND PBATICAIiiY SUPERIOR 

 TO ANY NOW OFFERED FOR SAliE 

 SO FAK AS WE KNOW. 



[S our machine, kind friends, is to be 

 made all of metal, and, like the dol- 

 lar hive, is to be useful only and not or- 

 namental, it is important that the rooting 

 tin plate, of which it is to be made, be 

 purchased at a small margin above what 

 it costs by the box. About ten sheets 

 14x20 will be required, and your tinsmith 

 should not charge you more than loe. 

 each, as they cost at present only $14.50 

 per box of 112 sheets. 



The only difficulty of the work is the 

 revolving frame inside the can, and to 

 make it clear we employ the following 

 illustration, which is supposed to repre- 

 sent the frame as viewed bom above 

 before the arm supporting the gearing is 

 placed on one side < if the top of the can. 



