16 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



FEX 



GUILTY ORNOT GUILTY? 



MIESSBS. A. I. ROOT & CO:— The last No. of 

 Gleanings wag duly received, ami after review- 

 ling the Vol. I think it about the best investment 



in the way of bees I have recently made, as it seems 

 like a complete casket of valuable information to 

 every Apiarian. 



In the next Vol. please do not alter the size of pages, 

 so that one Vol. will bind with another, nor cut the 

 leaves, but leave that for the binder to do. I like the 

 generous margin as it looks well and leaves a chance 

 for notes etc. 



The material for six hives came duly to hand. 

 Freight, $-2.70. As you invite friendly criticism we 

 Will trv our hand if it is a little "onpleasant," and as 

 Shakspeare hath it "I will nothing extenuate or set 

 down ought in malice."— In your circular (5th ed.) you 

 remark "and if no better lumber is used than barn 

 boards (with no loose knots)" and on page US of 

 Gleanings "There is nothing like system and pre- 

 cision etc." Now I must conclude that you did not 

 make the hives as they embrace none of these princi- 

 ples, so far from it in iact that it will be a tight squeeze 

 to get five out of the six, as two of the sides have 

 each a very large knot, one quite loose, 2% by 3J£ 

 inches, the other larger and very rotten, and which 

 if dug out would require a piece of putty the size of 

 your little finger to fill it. One of the tops is cracked 

 so that I will not use it, and if the material is bad the 

 workmanship is quite in keeping. I have owned pow- 

 er saws (alas ! those days are gone,) and have done 

 some sawing— making clock cases etc. but if I ever 

 did such work as that, God forgive me as I would not 

 forgive myself. The rabbets are not deep enough for 

 the sides into over 1-16 inch, and are thinner at the bot- 

 tom than the top, and none of the top boards lit like 

 ••clock work" exceot at the ends — at the side they 

 lack from )i to 3-16 of touching the side of the cap, and 

 one of the end-pieces is too short, while another is to 

 narrow. In fact altogether they are the poorest lot of 

 hives of any pretensions I have ever seen. Just say 

 nothing until you have seen some more of the same 

 man's work, then judge for yourself how far I may be 

 correct here. 



Now for the other side, I like the idea first rate, and 

 have put them together with screws. If I make others 

 I shall put them together on a miter so that no end 

 wood can be seen. I shall use those I have, but in- 

 stead of using them two stories, will take a side from 

 each of two hives and put the two hives together so 

 as to form one horizontally, fastening them together 

 with the same screws and a piece of board just wide 

 enough to fill the rabbets. Now move the combs into 

 the center with a division board each side, and place 

 an empty frame or comb inside of outside comb, when 

 the frame is filled put It outside with an empty one 

 inside, and so on till your hive is filled, if your stock 

 is an ambitious one and will do it as some have done. 



If I should require some bees in spring or summer 

 could you send me one hive containing four small 

 stocks of Italians, say two frames each, queens first 

 rate and combs ditto f Hives of the simplicity persua- 

 sion. If so at what price ? 



Hoping our relations through next year may be as 

 pleasant and profitable as the one just closing, and 

 wishing every success, 



I am vours truly, 

 Win. H. Kirk, 



Dec. 23rd, 1873. Waterbury, Conn. 



The double Simplicity Hives have reached me in 

 good order and quick time, and at an expense I be- 

 lieve of only $1.50, I have them setting in the Post Of- 

 fice and have explained their mysteries to hundreds 

 of people. All admire their Simplicity and evident 

 usefulness, I shall manufacture them in the spring- 

 will have buzz saw in operation shortly. 

 Respectfully, 

 W. C. Gkier, Lamar, Mo. 



Dear Novice: [all but the Novice] I did not Intimate 

 that your hive was rough, expecting it to meet the 

 public eye ; neither for much of a criticism, it was 

 good enough— but being a cabinet maker it is easy for 

 me to make work rather smooth. Go on In exposing 

 rascality sharply, but at the same time with a kind 

 heart. Yours for Milk and Honey, 



Stephen Young, Mechanicsville, Iowa. 



Now 'twould be quite a "comfortable" way 

 of getting along to pretend there was "an 

 man" who made those six hives, hut on the 



whole we think we will plead "guilty" and 

 frankly acknowledge we made them ourselves, 

 and are alone responsible. We may add in ex- 

 tenuation and by way of apology that the hives 

 sent Mr. K. were the very last of a lot of about 

 200, and that as 'twas at a season of the year 

 when they were little called for, we had not 

 even lumber on hand for more, still we sup- 

 posed we sent him material for six serviceable 

 hives. In regard to the knots We would say 

 that we always expect every hive to be well 

 painted before being used, and this will fasten 

 loose knots as we have had proof in our own 

 apiary, the Averill Chemical paint we have 

 mentioned being peculiarly adapted for this 

 purpose. If our friend will pardon the sug- 

 gestion, we will suggest that a knot-hole seems 

 to strike the fancy of the bees as being partic- 

 ularly nice for an entrance, the rough rotten 

 edges affording them a secure and natural foot- 

 hold. We have one such hive and 'tis amusing 

 to see them swing out and in "their knot-hole" 

 as if 'twas endeared to them by some such ties 

 as the "old oaken bucket" etc. is to us. We 

 have thought of mentioning the matter before, 

 but feared some one would be having them 

 all patented. 



Novice once remarked in answer to P. G's. 

 remonstances that we would always save the 

 knotty pieces for home use, but it must be that 

 we by mistake included friend K. in our "home 

 circle" which honor he doubtless would res- 

 pectfully decline. In regard to tops we use 

 "checked" or slightly split ones for bottom 

 boards as they answer quite as well, and we 

 supposed the six hives would be used two story 

 so that at least three perfect tops could be found. 

 We cannot imagine how an end-piece could be 

 short unless an old one got mixed in from some 

 hives made in our first experiments, for what- 

 ever other faults there may be, we certainly 

 can saw the length of all boards alike and do 

 do it. In regard to the width 'tis more difficult, 

 for unless we can get wood perfectly s&isoned, 

 and any wood-worker knows how difficult this 

 is, the boards will shrink unequally, but so far 

 as the body of the hive is concerned this makes 

 little difference, nor can we see that the cover 

 is materially injured should it shrink so much 

 as to lack }g inch on each side ; we are using 

 many such and have never yet known a drop 

 of water to get inside, which is more than we 

 can say for any other kind of hive we ever used. 

 We have never claimed our work to be first 

 class (see Feb. No. page 13. Vol. 1st.) but we 

 can appreciate good work we assure you, and 

 the Connecticut mechanics who make clock 

 cases would be just the chaps to make hives as 

 they should be, and now Mr. K. cannot you in- 

 duce some one near you to take the job? Tis 

 true that just as much honey might be secured 

 by using hives made as we furnish them, but 

 we slvould like hives ourselves made as nice as 

 a "work-box." 



As an evidence of the differences of opinion 

 we give an extract from friend Grier's letter in 

 regard to hives out of the same lot and sent 

 about the same time only we put them to- 

 gether; perhaps we have- a peculiar skill in 

 making good hives from poor materials. Be- 

 fore closing the subject we would say we have 

 asked friend K. to send in his bill for allow- 

 ances, and we hereby extend the same invita- 



