THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



421 



"Granville, O., Nov. 8, 1877.— Mr. New- 

 man: There is considerable discussion 

 here about the legality of using the 'Ameri- 

 can' bee-hive. I am not personally inter- 

 ested, as I never had an American hive in 

 my yard; but a man by the name of Cruix- 

 shank has been levying a tax on every one 

 who has an American hive in this county. 

 I claimed to him that Mr. King had In 1873 

 made all his patents public property, con- 

 sequently if I had any desire to make or use 

 an American hive I should do so. IJut 

 Cruixshank claims that he bought this and 

 other territory before Mr. King made his 

 patent public; and he still has a valid claim 

 on all who make or use the hive in the 

 territory he purchased of Mr. King previous 

 to his giving his patents to the public; that 

 Mr. King had no legal right to this county, 

 and could give no one a right to make his 

 hive here, as he did not own the territory. 

 Will you please give us all the benefit of 

 .your opinion in the next Journal? and no 

 doubt it will serve persons in other localities 

 as well as this, who are about to make their 

 hives for next season. Cruixshank has 

 published a card in our county paper, warn- 

 ing all those who use the American that he 

 ■wnl prosecute them for a farm right." 



W. H. Sedgwick. 



We would answer that the "American" is 

 still a patent hive. In November, 1873, Mr. 

 H. A. King announced that his hives were 

 "public property in all unsold territory," 

 which he then stated comprised "about 

 ninety-nine one hundredths of the whole 

 United States," and adds: "By this an- 

 nouncement we remove every restraint 

 from the use, manufacture and sale of our 

 hives in all unsold territory." He could not 

 donate the patent to the public in counties 

 he did not own. 



By a letter just received from Kev. H. A. 

 King, we learn that Mr. Cruixshank pur- 

 chased a few counties in Ohio before the 

 event of his donation to the public— his 

 claim therefore is technically legal. 



The Langstroth patent has expired— it is 

 public property everywhere. 



Davis, Mich., Nov. 13, 1877.—" My third 

 years' report is as follows: After losing 40 

 colonies during winter and spring, I liad 

 but 14 left, which 1 have only doubled, but 

 have put in, during the spring and sum- 

 mer, enough to make my number now to 64 

 colonies— all in good condition, witti plenty 

 of honey to winter on. I have taken 3,006 

 lbs. of extracted and considerable comb 

 honey (I kept no account of the comb 

 honey). I find ready sale for my honey at 

 home at 15 to 18c. per lb., and 10c. for comb 

 honey taken from old hives when transfer- 

 ring. I make my price on honey at the 

 commencement of the season, at about what 

 I think will be a fair rate and living profit, 

 and as yet have found no difficulty in mak- 

 ing sales. I have not quite 600 lbs. on hand. 

 It will soon be all gone, and at a fair rate. 

 I have been very busy over the hives tliis 

 season, trying to make up my losses, and 

 think I have done it. If not 1 think 1 have, 

 and that is just as well. We should not 

 brood over misfortunes but keep our minds 

 and hands busily engaged in building up, 



and we may soon recover our losses. I 

 have been reading the transactions of our 

 National Association, and am very much in- 

 terested in them. I am glad there are so 

 many scientific men engaged in apiculture. 

 When I read the American Bee Journal. 

 it seems to me that we fairly meet with 

 each other in relating our experiences." 



W. P. EVRITT. 



Allamakee, Iowa, Nov. 12, 1877.— "Since 

 Messrs. Thurber offered a prize for " the 

 best honey in the most marketable shape," 

 I have watched witii greatest interest for 

 the report of tlie committee appointed to 

 decide as to the merits of the different ex- 

 hibits of honey placed on exhibition, with a 

 view of competing for the Thurber medal.. 

 In the current number, the Journal has. 

 favored us with the report and decision of 

 the committee, also with a short description 

 of several of the different lots of honey of- 

 fered for the inspection of said committee, 

 with cuts of shipping crates, hives, extrac- 

 tors, etc. In the next Journal please give 

 a minute description as to size and style of 

 construction of the boxes or small packages 

 so successfully used by Messrs. Doolittle, 

 lletherington, et al. Are all or any of them 

 covered by letters patent? I run my apiary 

 exclusively for box honey; have at present 

 50 stands of bees, and if I have ordinary 

 success in wintering I shall undoubtedly 

 need considerable storage capacity for sur- 

 plus honey next season. I like to keep up 

 with the times as regards boxes and otiier 

 fixtures. Accept my best wishes for the 

 financial success of the Journal; it is^ 

 the bee-keeper's friend." C. A. Luce. 



[The Doolittle box (or cap) is 6 in. high 

 by 5 in. wide inside, and 1% in. between the 

 glass; which is put on after the boxes are 

 taken from the hive. The side pieces of 

 the box are 2 in. wide holding in the glass^ 

 with the assistance of 3 tin triangles driven 

 into the top and bottom and bent over the 

 glass. A saw groove in the top is intended 

 to fasten starters. Capt. Hetherington's 

 cap of boxes is patented; his crate is not 

 —neither is the Doolittle box. 



The lletherington crate is 8x16 in. by 6 in. 

 deep, inside, and contains 12 of the above 

 boxes; glass at each side of the crate, show- 

 ing the honey; held in by a 1-in. strip (Ji in. 

 thick) at top and bottom. A wabble-saw 

 cut on each end serves for handling.— Ed.] 



Wenham, Mass.—" I see on page 335, Oct. 

 number, C. A. Graves thinks I am careless 

 in shipping queens. I am as liable to make 

 mistakes as any one— and by an oversight 

 sent his to N. Y. instead of O. I bad some 

 200 orders when his was received on June 4 

 (not May 4 as he stated), but to oblige him, 

 tilled his order 10 days before it would come 

 in regular order— sending his on June 27. I 

 don't ask Mr. G. to lose the $1; he can have 

 it 'on demand.' As to friend Glenn, I think 

 he had reason to complain. There was a, 

 slight misunderstanding about his order, 

 but he had another queen sent Aug. 20, be- 

 fore his article appeared in the Journal. 

 I want to say that I am ready to settle all 

 differences by private correspondence with- 

 out troubling the A. B. J." H. Alley. 



