FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 83 



nicely, but as propolis accumulates the difficulty of han- 

 dling increases, and the frames become more and more 

 crowded, until it is almost impossible to get out the 

 dummy, the easier thing being to pry out with a good 

 deal of force the first frame, either with or without the 

 dummy. Indeed, the difficulty of getting out the frames 

 is so great, that the sight of a set of Hoffman frames 

 when the cover is removed always produces something 

 like a shudder. 



Although I could not have anything in the line of 

 closed-ends, I wanted the advantage of the self-spacing, 

 and not finding anything on the market to suit me I was, 

 in a manner, compelled to adopt something of my own 

 "get-up." and so for several years I have used with much 

 satisfaction the Miller frame (Fig. 95). 



MILLER FRAME. 



The frame is of course of the regular Langstroth 

 size. lT^sx9^. Top-bar, bottom-bar, and end-bars are 

 uniform in width, 1^ inches throughout their whole di- 

 mensions. The top-bar is />§ inch thick, with the usual 

 saw-kerf to receive the foundation, and close beside this 

 is another kerf to receive the wedge that fastens in the 

 foundation. The length of the top-bar is IS^^g inches, 

 and y% X 9-16 is rabbeted out of each end to receive the 

 end-bar. The end-bar is 8 9-16xl^x^'8- The bottom- 

 bar consists of tw^o pieces, each IT^^x^x^^. This 

 allows )4, inch between the two parts to receive the foun- 

 dation, making the bottom-bar 1^ inches wide when 

 nailed. 



In Fig. 95 the frame is upside down, one-half of the 

 bottom-bar nailed on, the other half above, while below 

 is seen the long strip that serves as a wedge to fasten in 

 the foundation. 



Some of my latest frames, however, have the bot- 

 tom-bar in one piece, 1^ inches wide, and T'm not sure 

 but I prefer them. The only object in having the bot- 

 tom-bar in two pieces is the convenience of an exact fit 



