1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



857 



them in use, and whj'? Because it is quite 

 an extra cost in time and money to use them; 

 and, besides, after two or three 3'ears' use 

 they are a positive nuisance, for, no mtitter 

 how accurately the staples have been driven 

 in, they are continually ijfetting- driven fur- 

 ther up; and the result is, that the edges 

 of tlie top-bars pass each other, Jind then 

 we have worse than no self-spacing frame. 

 Then the bees commence and put propolis 

 all over the staples, so that the.v are soon 

 nothing but a ball of wax. The friimes are 

 much harder to get out and hold to with the 

 cut-oft" top-bar frames; and, in fact, they 

 are a nuisance generall3\ If I were going 

 to buy bees, and found thein on that kind of 

 frame, I would knock oft' half the price on 

 account of the frames. During the year it 

 htis been my privilege to see and talk to 

 quite a number of the leading Texas bee- 

 keepers, and they one and all condemned 

 the cut-off top-bar frames. Even Mr. Root's 

 two agents, Robert Rogers and Udo Toep- 

 perwein, severely condemn them, and, in 

 fact, I have seen but one man in Texas ( and 

 he was from Iowa, and has since gone 

 home) who said he really wanted them. I 

 do not want any of these cut-off top-bar 

 frames in mine, and you couldn't hire me 

 to use them. It is my honest and sincere 

 belief that, if a vote were taken from all 

 who have tried them, the verdict would be 

 about ten to one against them. 



Mark my prediction — that, while the 

 frame finally adopted may be very far from 

 the one I use and have herewith described, 

 yet it will not be a frame with cut-oft" top- 

 bars. 



Hutto, Texas. 



[Perhaps I shall have to say to Mr. Hyde 

 as I did to Mr. Pettit on this same subject 

 — that he has not taken into consideration 

 other localities with different conditions. 

 His sphere of observation seems to be con- 

 fined to Central and Southern Texas; and 

 what he says may be true in his localities. 

 As to Mr. Toepperwein, if he at first ob- 

 jected to the short top-bars, he has since 

 changed his mind, or at all events he did 

 not give me the impression Mr. H. does, and 

 he is quite familiar with the conditions in 

 Texas. It is rather unwise for even the 

 veterans to make a prophecj' as to what 

 will and will not prevail at some future 

 time. Even so eminently practical a bee- 

 keeper as Mr. Heddon once said, referring 

 to the use of slat honey-boards, that when 

 we could throw a brick up in the air, and 

 have it stay up, then possibly that device, 

 the honey-board, would be a thing of the 

 past. For nearly ten years now the slat 

 honey-board has not been oft'ered for sale by 

 any of the supply-manufacturers in the 

 United States. Many other eminent bee- 

 keepers have made predictions that turned 

 out a good deal in the same way. Mr. 

 Hyde, although an excellent bee-keeper, is 

 only just of age, if I am correct, and yet he 

 saj's, "Mark my prediction." He should 

 remember that — 



Tlierc's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip. 



And, iigaiu, that — 



The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men 

 Gang aft a-gley. 



Having seen, as I have, the different con- 

 ditions that prevail in different portions of 

 the United States, I do not feel that I am 

 competent to contriidict the statement of any 

 one man for his locality, because I am well 

 aware that, if I were in his environment, I 

 might think just as he does; but speaking 

 for localities in general, I may say that 

 only in Texas, and that in only a compara- 

 tively limited area, have there been any 

 objections to the shortened top-bar or the Y 

 edge to the Hoffman frames. Knowing that 

 preference, we have made a small propor- 

 tion of the frames for that locality with 

 long top-bars. In fact, we are prepared to 

 make for any locality what the bee-keepers 

 in it seem to ask and call for. 



The end-bars of our Hoffman frames are 

 made -1% thick ; and we can make them just 

 as well, without anj' additional expense, ^s 

 if any one prefers them so. 



With regard to having one edge square, 

 and the other with a "V, I am well aware 

 that some in Texas do not like them so; but 

 there are others who do. If the edges are 

 "V'd properly, and left blunt, not sharp, I 

 do not think there will be very much break- 

 ing of the end-bars as spoken of. On the 

 other hand, if both edges are square, spac- 

 ing will be destroyed; for in most localities 

 in the United States it will be much more 

 difficult to separate the frame. An inter- 

 esting fact in this connection is that one 

 who strenuously advocated square edges 

 had a sample thousand of such frames 

 made; and, after tr3'ing them on a larger 

 scale, decided that the square edge was a 

 mistake. He is now ordering the frames 

 regular — one edge "V'd. 



As to having the top-bar shortened, some 

 few have objected to that; but the " howl " 

 would be much greater if we went back to 

 the long top-bar thtm if we left it as it is. 



As to the staples driving in, as explained 

 — that is something I can not understand. I 

 shall have to make another visit to see these 

 things. — Ed.] 



CALIFORNIA HONEY. 



Effect of Local News Items ; Where Prices are 



Made; Low Prices Caused by Crowding One 



Market ; Power of Work Necessary to 



Organize Bee=men. 



K. BKNNETT. 



For three 3'ears past, California has pro- 

 duced no surplus honey for Eastern ship- 

 ment. The home demand could not be sup- 

 plied with the small amount produced. 

 Central California and Arizona had found 

 read3' market here at fancy prices. Local 

 product last 3^ear brought 7'-2 and even 8 

 cents a poimd for extracted. Comb honey 

 sold at 15 to 20 cents a pound. 



Throughout the United States the prices 



