Publlsbed VV'eekJy, at Sl.OO per annum. 



Sample Copy sent on Application, 



36th Year. 



CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 18, 1896. 



No. 25. 



The New " Jardine " Bee-Escape. 



BY JAMES PEARSON. 



The time has now dawned upon US when "Improvement 

 is the order of the age." In all lines of work we find that 

 Progress is led onward and upward by the strong hand of 

 Invention. We can look back through the history of our 

 labors among the honey-bees, and remember how we used to 

 kill the poor little creatures in order to get their honey ; and 

 how we got along a little farther, so that with ourselves all 

 " done up in a rag," and a big smoker, we could manage to 

 get the honey, leaving the bees in terrible anger for several 

 days. Step by step we advanced along this line until an es- 

 cape like the Porter was invented. It was a grand thing, and 

 a large step toward the mark of the high calling which is in 

 Perfection. The super case was raised a little, and a board, 

 similar to a honey-board, put in between the super and the 

 brood-frames. In the center of this board was placed the 

 escape. This escape was made with an opening large enough 

 to allow a bee to crowd herself out, but could not return. Of 

 course, as nature had taught them to go down and out the 

 door, they would go down out of the super case, through this 

 little opening and thus enter the brood department, never 

 more to return. This worked very nicely. Other inventors re- 

 vised the opening, by using doors, etc., of various kinds, but 

 all used the one principle — of letting the bees out through 

 some sort of an opening which would prohibit them returning 

 in the super department. 



This method at first seemed perfect, but as time went on, 

 one thing seemed to be wanting — that was, greater escaping- 

 roora. Mr. James Jardine, of Nebraska, an old veteran at 

 the bee-business, conceived the idea that if the bees would go 

 out through an opening in one of these small escapes, they 

 would surely go out in less time through half a dozen holes. 

 Hence, he went to work and made the new "Jardine " escape, 

 .which is illustrated here. 



About three years ago he made the first one, and it worked 

 so well that he made several and scattered them around in 

 various parts of the United Slates for trial. Every trial 

 brought back a hearty endorsement, and many comments on 

 it, especially in regard to its rapidity. So he has " applied for 

 a patent" on it. 



He has made them of different materials, but has decided 

 to use thin basswood for bottom and top, while the partitions 

 are pressed tin, soldered in a perfect shape. Each door is 

 hung to the top with a very fine staple ; and is left high 

 enough from the bottom to admit a bee's head, and then she 

 goes through, while the door drops down like a flood-gate. 



The bottom and top is securely fastened together by six 

 wood-screws. The entrance at the topis alj^^-inch round 

 hole, affording ample room for a larger business. It will be 

 seen by the cut that there are six doors instead of one as is 

 found on the Porter and other old-style escapes. Any pupil 

 in primary arithmetic can see that so many bees can pass out 

 through six doors of the same size in much less time than 

 through one door. It is as plain as the nose on your face. 

 Each door is made with a flange, shutting on the outside of 

 the tin edges, or door-flams of the partitions, thus avoiding 

 any gumming or sticking. 



As will be noticed, we save a great deal of time, affording 

 the same escape-room and capacity with one of the " Jardine " 

 escapes as with six of the old-style escapes ; also much lumber 

 is saved, and time in making boards for the escapes to be 

 placed in. When using six Porter escapes you must have six 

 boards, while we require but one. This escape is put up to 



last a long time — a life time, if good care is taken of it — and 

 it is attractive in its natural appearance, as well as fine in its 

 mechanical appearance. 



Of course, a little more must be charged for it than for 

 the single-file escapes, but the price is nowhere near as high 

 in proportion to its capacity as the prices of the other makes ; 

 besides saving so many boards, and much valuable time. It 

 seems as if every "up-to-date" bito-keeper could not 

 afford to be without one. 



