THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



199 



hive is pushed forward 1}4 in- on the bot- 

 tom board. Tliis gives an entrance the 

 whole length of the hive, say 12 in. long and 

 }4 in. wide. This can be enlai-ged or 

 diminished by simply pushing in a block on 

 each side. For surplus honey a box 6 in. 

 high and 1 ft. in theclear is placed on top. 

 The handles on the upper box of the main 

 hive may also be turned up and temporarily 

 screwed to the surplus box, I thus secure it 

 in its place. It may be tilled with frames 

 or small boxes. 



Only the main features are here given. It 

 will be part of the apiarist's amusement to 

 till in the details to suit himself. 



To make one box of the main hive, the 

 writer takes 8 pieces of the following 

 dimensions: Two pieces 9x12, the grain 

 running the longest way, and six pieces 3x 

 14 in. The tw^o pieces 9x12 form the front 

 and back, and are rabbitted out X in- The 

 three pieces 3x14 made one side, and by not 

 nailing or screwing the middle piece you 

 can fill in the space with glass and let the 

 middle piece cover it. If you please, plane 

 off the middle piece the thickness of the 

 glass and it will be Unsh with the side, and 

 a button will secure it. 



If you wish a long hive in the honey sea- 

 son with a larger surface on top, place the 

 two boxes of the main hive side by side; 

 first unscrewing the sides which come to- 

 gether, a piece of galvanized tin underneath 

 the top and bottom pieces holds the hive 

 together. 



In the fall, the boxes are again placed one 

 above the other for wintering, and the 

 wooden side screwed on without removing 

 the tin. Sometimes there is a little excres- 

 ence of comb when the glass goes in, but 

 that is easily remedied. 



Holmesburg, Pa. D. C. Millett. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee Smoker— H. Nesbit. 



I have used Quinby's smoker for 3 or 4 

 years; I paid $l.m for it, and would not be 

 without it for three times its cost. I liad 

 not used it long before I found it needed 

 many improvements. I found it rather 

 hard to set down on its head, even on a 

 level surface. In six cases out of ten it 

 would tumble over on its side, and if left in 

 that position would go out in 2 or 3 minutes, 

 and tlien the time and trouble to re-light it 

 is too well known to bee men to need any 

 coment. I also found it apt to get out of 

 order. I have been repairing and improving 

 it till everything about it is new except 

 the wood part of the bellows; and the 

 whole thing would have been new, but tor 

 want of a steel spring, to suit my notion 

 for one I had invented and intended mak- 

 ing this spring,had I not seen a new smoker 

 described by T. F. Bingham, of Abronia, 

 Mich. 



I bought one on trial (if it did not suit he 

 was to take it back). I received it a little 

 more than two weeks ago. Have been at 

 work with it almost every day since, and 

 gave it a fair trial. I could not ask for a 

 better one. I have never seen Quinby's im- 

 proved one, but I can say this of Bing- 

 ham's: I would not give it for a dozen of 

 those like the one Quinby sent me. It will 

 set on its head at once, even on a rough sur- 

 face; but that makes little or no difference, 

 for if laid on the side it will not go out like 



Quinby's. It gives a stronger puff and 

 burns slower, and will retain the tire almost 

 twice as long. Tiie saving of time a single 

 season, in lighting it so often as Quinby's 

 requires, is alone worth the price of it. It 

 is strong and substantially made and not 

 apt to get out of order. It is just like the 

 one I had intended to make, with two ex- 

 ceptions; but whether these would be any 

 improvement I cannot say. This one suits 

 me well enough not to ask for a better. I 

 never burn anything in them but rotton 

 sugar tree and elm. Never use tobacco on 

 bees, nor in any other way but for gapes in 

 chickens. 



I suppose you have heard of the death of 

 H. Nesbit, though I see nothing in the 

 April number about it. I did not hear of it 

 myself till lately, by a letter from his only 

 daughter. He fell from his chair while 

 reading a paper, and died suddenly with 

 heart disease, some time in Feb. Mr. Nes- 

 bit was honest and upright in all his deal- 

 ings; and no one knew the busy bees better 

 than he did, and how to manage them with 

 the greatest ease and to the best profit. The 

 bee fraternity has lost a valuable friend in 

 him. He and I carried on a very extensive 

 correspondence with each other on bees. 

 He was frequently classed with such men 

 as Quinby, Grimm, Gallup, etc. 



Lowell, Ky., May 4, 1877. R. M. Akgo. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Michigan B. K. Association. 



Mk. Editor:— I have read the report of 

 our State Bee-Keepers' Association with in- 

 terest. Very many of our State's largest 

 and most successful honey producers were 

 absent; and, as might be expected, we find 

 much in the report that has little worth for 

 us who are trying to "get on" in this avoca- 

 tion. "Shall women keep bees," "Shall 

 farmers keep bees," and "Reciprocal bene- 

 fits of bees and plants," etc., are all good 

 jobs in their line, but amount to little or 

 nothing to the real honey producers of 

 Michigan. Whether all farmers and all 

 women enter our ranks or not, may have 

 some bearing on the success of those who 

 have already invested, as well as those who 

 are soon to join us; but whether many or 

 few enter this, or any other branch of busi- 

 ness will depend on how the prospects look, 

 rather than how essays read, or what you 

 or I may say about it. Every calling seeks 

 its just level with all others, after a while, 

 and the matter before us is merely a differ- 

 ence of opinion in regard to the " high 

 water mark" of apiculture. 



Pres. Cook's address, as is usually the 

 case, is right to the point, i.e., is upon the 

 right and important subject, but alas from 

 all I have experienced, and all I know of 

 the subject, is full of mistakes and shows a 

 want of experience. I am glad, very glad, 

 that our country is well supplied with 

 philanthropic institutions; I hope to see 

 more organized each year. But I do not 

 believe that the Michigan B. K. Association 

 ever contemplated making philanthropy its 

 object, neither do I believe it should, 

 neither do I believe it can, neither do I be- 

 lieve many who make clains in this direc- 

 tion are honest in that claim, for most of 

 them are not honey-producers proper, but 

 aplcultural "middle-men," who see their 

 interests forwarded by so doing. But it has 



