Feb. 15, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



101 



Mr. Root — We have had some complaints with the Dan- 

 zenbaker cover in Colorado. Did you follow directions in 

 nailing- ? 



Mr. Tracy — Yes. 



Mr. Root — If so, you nailed the wrong way. The direc- 

 tions we sent out were found to be wrong. That is changed 

 now. I am afraid the time will come when a special kind 

 of hive will have to be made for this locality. 



H. Rauchfuss — I have always been in favor of a square- 

 edged hive, but have come to the conclusion it is not the 

 thing. For some seasons I have used a large number of 

 supers, with some hives made to cot respond, that were rab- 

 beted in a peculiar way, and I find by actual practice on a 

 large scale that this arrangement is superior to the square 

 edge. The sides only, of the supers and hives, are rabbeted. 

 The rabbet is made on the outside of the upper edge of the 

 super sides, and on the inside of the lower edge. Hence, 

 when a super is set on another, or on a hive rabbeted in like 

 manner on the outside, the two rabbets fit together — that 

 is, they fit together on the outside, thus making a close 

 joint, and they would fit together on the inside if the rab- 

 bets above and below were cut to the same depth ; but they 

 are not, the outside rabbet at the top of the sides of one 

 super being cut 'i inch deep, and the inside rabbet at the 

 bottom of the super above being cut -'+ inch deep, both rab- 

 bets extending in width half-way thru the thickness of the 

 board. Hence, when the sides of two supers come together, 

 there is a close joint outside, but inside there is a bee-space 

 of '4 inch. The ends of the supers are not rabbeted, but the 

 same result is achieved here, too, in a different way, by 

 making the ends only 4'4. inches deep, the sides, of course, 

 being the regulation AJ-i inches. A thin strip projecting 

 downwards about Ji inch, nailed along the lower portion of 

 the ends, makes the super tight outside here also. In this 

 way there is virtually a bee-space of % inch all around be- 

 tween the supers, or between a super and a hive, while at 

 the same time all joints are tight. The result is that in 

 actual practice, whenever a super is raised, however much 

 the bees crowd over the edge where the bee-space is, they do 

 not crowd over where the joints are tight, and the super 

 may be slapt straight down again without killing one ; 

 furthermore, the supers are never propolized to each other 

 or to the hive, and need no chisel to be pried apart ; hence, 

 supers may be inspected, lifted off and set on with the 

 greatest ease. These two things may seem strange, and I 

 do not know how to account for them exactly, but they are 

 so, nevertheless. These supers and hives originally came 

 from a Chicago supply firm which does not now exist. 

 Then I think the square edge is not the thing, because we 

 winter our bees outside, and the principal point is to keep 

 them dry. The old covers were not wide enough ; the new 

 covers are better, but the water will run in and moisten the 

 whole top of the hive, and the wind blows the rain and snow 

 clear across under the cover. I think it would be better to 

 have a rabbet outside, so the water could never get in, as in 

 those Chicago hives. 



Mr. Martin — Has any one any objection to the length of 

 the Danzenbaker cover? I find it too short. 



F. Rauchfuss — I have noticed that of late some covers 

 have been furnisht too short, so that it was necessary to 

 plane the cleats at the ends of the cover, especially when 

 burlap is used. As to the frames, the short Hoffman frames 

 won't fit old hives. There is also a slight difference in 

 hives of different years, as much as Ys of an inch. 



Mr. Root — Eight or nine years ago complaint was made 

 of burr-combs at the ends of the hives. So we shortened the 

 hive Js inch at each end. In regard to the covers, one of 

 our men once made a mistake of '4 inch, and those covers 

 came to Colorado. We adopt the plan now of having hives 

 nailed up to go with the hives we send out. If any one 

 wants a long top-bar he can get it. 



Mr. Sylvester — As to the covers, it is only necessary to 

 plane off the underpart of the cleat. I should choose the 

 new frame in preference to any of the others. When fix- 

 ing up hives for winter, I put two or three thicknesses of 

 newspaper over the frames, and water never comes thru, 

 even with unpainted covers. I would like to sell some Wis- 

 consin hives at half price. 



Pres. Aikin — I have concluded the best thing is to have 

 a thin inner cover, with any sort of a cover above and a 

 stone on top of that. 



Mr. Sylvester — The Wisconsin hive has an inner cover 

 to rest on the frames. It is a great nuisance. Burlap is a 

 nuisance, too — whenever it projects it draws the water. 



H. Rauchfuss — The Wisconsin inner cover is a nuisance 

 when put on the wrong way. When put on the frames the 



cleats should be down, so as to leave a . bee-space over the 

 frames. 



Mr. Porter— I have had much experience with the old 

 Langstroth-Simplicity hive, with the ends of the top-bars 

 in a notcht stick. That arrangement is a great mistake. 

 For a cover, the most practical for moving is just a plain 

 Hat one, one inch thick, as I found in moving half a car of 

 bees recently. The moisture of the bees warpt the thin 

 covers. Plain edges are much the best in tiering up hives 

 and supers inside the house. For wintering, there is no 

 objection to the dovetailed hive. The Winconsin cover 

 winters better. It would pay to make a substitute for win- 

 tering. 



Pres. Aikin — I favor the square edge with the inner 

 cover. If one does not have his hives in the shade, he is 

 almost obliged to use a shade-board. I have often removed 

 the covers from dovetailed hives and found the wax under- 

 neath white with heat — almost at the melting-point — and 

 the bees driven from the supers. 



A STANDARD SHIPPING-CASE FOR COLORADO. 



The subject, " Shall we have a standard shipping-case 

 for Colorado ?" was introduced by Mr. Cornelius, who spoke 

 briefly, saying he favored the double-tier case, and that last 

 season he received some cases with the ends too narrow. 



Mr. Porter — The intent of the question was to bring in 

 uniformity of shipping-cases in loading cars. A difference 

 of an eighth of an inch in thickness makes a great deal of 

 difference. Any one who will load a few cars of honey will 

 find this a real nuisance. Then as to the dripping-cleats, 

 many did not know what to do with them — whether to use 

 them inside or outside. 



Mr. Root — We have been making the ends lighter to 

 save freight. 



F. Rauchfuss — Three-fourths of the bee-keepers threw 

 the dripping-cleats aside, and many mistakes were made. 

 In this country the material of cases in the flat should be 

 weighted down when it is taken out of the crate, until it is 

 naited up. The double-tier case was adopted as the stan- 

 dard of this Association years ago. As to what other peo- 

 ple think of it, Peycke Bros., in a letter last spring, said, 

 " We would also advise to abolish the double-deck case. 

 Thruout this part of the country, and in fact wherever our 

 trade reaches, we find that it is objected to." But at our 

 spring meeting the representative of Pej-cke Bros, admitted 

 there was not much objection to the double-tier case. The 

 double-tier case is a trade-mark of Colorado honej'. It ex- 

 poses more honey to view than the single-tier. Of course, 

 it is more expensive, and the single-tier case ships better.. 



A Member — I think we ought to have a full eighth of 

 an inch between the cover and the sections. 



F. Rauchfuss— If you don't use the dripping-cleats you 

 have that space anyhow. 



Mr. Lyon — I think the sticks are a nuisance. There 

 would be less height in the car if the sticks were done away 

 with. 



The secretary then read a letter from S. T. Fish & Co., 

 date Nov. 16, 1899, as follows : 



Mr. R. C. Aikin : — We intended giving you a letter on 

 thesubject of packages for Colorado honey, buton reflection 

 think it best not to express a/l our views, but will be pleased 

 to answer any inquiries. 



Colorado should by all means adopt the single-tier Case. 

 We do not know of one advantage in favor of the double- 

 deck, and there are many items against its use. It exposes 

 to view too much honey. By this we mean it requires too 

 much honey to make a proper facing. If the top tier leaks, 

 it damages the bottom tier. It is not as convenient to han- 

 dle, and not as convenient for freight men in shipping. It 

 is more trouble in packing the honey, as you are compelled 

 to get more facing. One thing that should be imprest upon 

 the bee-keeper is that every man should have a rubber 

 stamp and put his name on his honey-case. 



Some cars contained cases in which the sections were 

 interwoven, and the honey was only fit for the extractor. 

 Some honey had moths in, or at least the web, and we can 

 not trace these things, because the bee-keeper's name is not 

 on the cases.. It is no benefit to put the residence on, be- 

 cause some dealers are prejudiced against Colorado honey 

 on account of having it granulate on their hands in past 

 seasons, so that it is just as well that the residence be left 

 off. 



Another subject we should like your Association to take 

 up, and that is to try to arrange to sell the honey by the 

 pound and not by the- case, simply because we can not edu- 

 cate the Eastern trade to buy by the case, as it is not cus- 

 1 tomary, and your asking this is compelling a hardship upon 



