SB'J 



(iLExVMNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



less, who would like to have further partic- 

 ulars in regard to this plau of removing 

 sections, we requested the two Millers, with 

 the assistance of the engravings below, to 

 describe the plan in full— the senior Miller 

 to tell how to construct the machine itself, 

 and the junior Miller to particularize just 

 how he was able to remove 960 sections per 

 hour at his best. The doctor describes the 

 machine as follows : 



llONh \FrbH KKMOVED 

 I KAME. 



FKOM WIDE 



The cuts show pretty well just what the machine 

 is, onlj- the engraving- makes the two back strips 

 look as it' thej' were part of the ends instead of sep- 

 arate pieces nailed on. The ends (B, Fig-. 2) are 11x4, 

 with a notch cut out of the upper front corner, two 

 inches square. The bottom is 30 by i\ inches, and 

 is nailed upon the end-pieces, project- 

 ing back 'a in., as 's-lnoh stutf is used 

 in making- the mauhlno. At the top 

 of the end-piece, B, is nailed on a 

 back strip 2 .x 20 in., and at the bottom 

 a strip 'b in. sq. by 20 in. long-. From 

 one of these pieces to the other is 

 stretched tightly a piece of .strong- cot 

 ton cloth, occupying- the whole width 

 of the machine, and this cloth servos 

 as a cushion for the sections to fall 

 ag-ainst wlien pushed out. If a framt 

 is now hung- in the machine (as at Fig 

 1), and we attempt to push out the 

 sections, the upper i)ait will be held 

 firmly in place, but the lower part ot 

 the frame will swing- back against tht 

 cloth. To prevent this, stops must bt 

 nailed on the inside of the end-pieces 

 for the lower end of the wide frame to 

 rest ag-ainst; but these stops must em 

 not be thick enoug-h to interfere with 

 the sections as they ai-e pushed out. 

 shaped pieces should hv. in front of these stops, 

 so that the frame may enter easily, but when 

 pushed back to place will have very little play side- 

 wise. Perhaps it is best to have the stop and 

 the wedge-shaped piece all in one piece. If we now 

 attempt to push out sections they will, as soon as 

 free from the frame, drop from the frame upon the 

 bottom of the machine, a distance a little more 

 than the thickness of the bottom-bar of the wide 

 frame. It is better that they should not have this 

 drop, so a strip is nailed upon the bottom about two 

 inches in width, and thick enoug-h so the sections 



will have the least possible drop as they are pushed 

 out of the frame. 



The machine is now complete, except that a 

 piece of board should be nailed under the front 

 part of the bottom, so that, when the machine is 

 fastened upon the table (by screws, nails, or clamps) 

 the top shall tip back two or three inches. It must 

 be made very firm, and it is a g-ood plan to have the 

 table pushed back against the wall, and a solid box 

 or boxes flU up the space between the machine and 

 the wall. 



The push-stick (C, Fig-. 2) appears rather heavy in 

 the engraving-. It should be made of some tough 

 hard wood, about 9 inches long and ?•£ of an inch 

 square. At one end, cut a shoulder clear around, I4 

 of an inch deep, leaving a tenon I4 inch square and 

 14 inch long- at the end of the stick. The stick ta- 

 pers to the other end, so that, for about 2 inches, it 

 shall not be more than }4 of an inch thick, the ex- 

 treme end being- a little less than that. 



Marengo, 111. C. C. Miller. 



The following is from the pen of V. C. 

 Miller, Jr., describing how to manipulate : 



Place a pile of supers so that, as you stand in 

 front of the maciiine, you can reach the frames 

 easily. Besides your stick, you will need a large 

 jack-knife and a common case-knife. Hang a frame 

 in the machine and you are ready to begin opera- 

 tions. Take the case knife (I use a stiff round- 

 pointed one) and run it down between the sections 

 and separator to loosen the tin, noticing if the comb 

 is built on the tin anywhere. If it is, be sure to cut 

 it loose, to save its tearing and making a bad 

 leak. 



Next run the jack-knife between the sections and 



1. THE METHOD OF PUSHING THE SECTIONS FROM THE 

 WIDE FRAMES, WITH THE PITSH-STICK. 



Wedge- 



bottom-bar, taking pains to get exactly in the mid- 

 dle of the frame and under the corners of the two 

 middle sections. The advantage of the jack-knife 

 is in its being wedge-shaped, and so loosening the 

 bottom-bar more completely than the case-knife. 

 Care should be taken never to pry under the middle 

 of the common section, as they will spring just a 

 little, making a crack in the comb, allowing- the 

 honey to leak, although so slowly that it will proba- 

 bly not be noticed till after the section is crated, 

 making a dauby package to put on the market. 



Loosen the top-bar in the same manner. Now 

 take the end of the push-stick with the shoulder, 



