1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



:;i;;; 



Ia'ecep' Development 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



DOVETAILED HIVES IN THE FLAT 



fllE feature of dovetail ing on the new 

 hives enables us to send them out in 

 the flat for less money than we should 

 otherwise be able to do. The expense 

 of crating is almost nothing compared 

 with crating ordinary hives. To crate 20 

 sides or 20 ends (enough for 10 bodies), all we 

 use is four strips of wood I inch square, and 

 in length equal to the height of the pile of 

 sides or ends, as the case may be. The 

 dovetailing is just I inch wide. Into the 

 outside groove, at each of the four corners, 

 we drive one of these strips A single nail 

 driven through the end of each one of these 

 strips into the top board and bottom board 

 secures the strip. Four of these strips hold 

 the pile of sides or ends perfectly rigid 

 without other crating. The accompanying 

 engraving will make the idea plain. 



TWENTY DOVETAILED SIDES CIIATED TO- 

 GETHER. 



The two light strips of wood in the per- 

 pendicular groove in each corner show how r 

 the cleats are secured. Whatever little ad- 

 ditional expense there may be attached to 

 dovetailing, it is entirely made up by the 

 cheapness of the crating of the Fides and 

 ends. Even the super sides or super ends 

 can be slid in among the hive sides or ends, 

 and make one complete and whole package. 

 Our foreman says that we have now made 

 something like 1200 hives ; of this number 

 sent out, not one report has been received of 

 this sort of package breaking. Just think 

 of it ! Four strips of wood and eight nails 

 make the entire crating for 20 sides. 



The small amount of crating not only re- 

 duces the expense of putting up these hives 

 for shipment (a saving to the purchaser), but 

 it reduces the weight, and, of course, the 

 freight charges. When these hives are to 

 be sent by express, the reduction in charges 

 will be considerable. Can any one now say 

 that the dovetailing is a useless expense ? 



HOW TO NAIL TOGETHER THE ONE-STORY 

 CHAFF HIVE. 



A good share of our customers who buy 

 the chaff hive have trouble in getting it to- 

 gether right; and for their benefit I append 

 these directions. First put together the out- 

 side shell. Nail the four pieces of siding to one 

 pair of corner posts, beginning at the top, 

 and making each one to reach clear up into 

 the corner. After having nailed together 

 the other side in like manner, then nail in 

 the siding for the ends, the latter abutting 



against the four sides as shown in the en- 

 graving. Be sure to observe this point, or 

 the dimensions of the outside shell will be 

 wrong. The inside box, or brood-chamber 



ONE-STORY CHAFF HIVE, AND HOW TO PUT 

 IT TOGETHER. 



proper, is then to be nailed together. As 

 the side pieces are rabbeted, no mistake can 

 be made by getting them together wrongly. 

 One of the bottom-boards to the inside box 

 projects far enough to make a doorstep, as it 

 were. On each side of this lay one of the f 

 in. square short strips. Upon these lay one 

 of the 2x9 boards, and a similar board is to 

 be placed on the under side of the doorstep 

 to strengthen it, Then nail the whole to- 

 gether and you have an entrance or passage- 

 way much like that shown in the engraving 

 above. See B in diagram below. 



Now, instead of setting this shell down 

 inside of the other, first nail on top of each 

 side of the inside box the two side rim pieces, 

 shown in the cut above, Set the inner box 

 down into the outer shell and adjust to po- 

 sition. Having made the inside entrance 

 match with the outside, nail the two side 

 rims to the four corner posts, after which 

 insert the two end rims, and nail to the inside 

 and the outer shells. After having done 

 this, slide four little pieces of tin, beveled 

 slightly, into a groove which you will find in 

 the miter between the end and side rims. 

 Having made sure that the entrance rnatch- 



CROSS-SECTION OF CHAFF HIVE. 



es with the side board shown in front, nail 

 fast. The little three-cornered piece lying 

 in front is to be nailed just below the slot- 



