442 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Tlie Kools are not all dead. A 

 patent has just been issued to U. G. 

 Matthew on a bee-hive. His claims are 

 as follows : 



1. A bee-hive having the bottom pro- 

 vided with a ventilating-opening, and a 

 moth-trap, and guides on the said hinged 

 bottom, whereby the moth-trap may be 

 moved to either close or uncover the 

 ventilating-opening, substantially as de- 

 scribed. 



2. A bee-hive having the supporting- 

 legs, the hinged bottom, with the venti- 

 lating-opening and the guides, and the 

 moth-trap having flanges fitting in the 

 guides, and adapted to be moved to close 

 or uncover the ventilating-opening, sub- 

 stantially as described. 



It is the same old "moth-trap hum- 

 bug" — with not a new feature in it. 

 What a swindle the patent office is ! 

 Patents are issued on old, worn-out, and 

 worthless features of bee-hives ; the 

 poor inventor being deceived, and made 

 to believe that he has something of 

 value, when even the paper used in re- 

 cording the patent is spoiled by that 

 worthless transaction. There is abso- 

 lutely no value in this new patent, and 

 the inventor is defrauded out of his 

 money. 



Mrs. Potter Palmer, President 

 of the Board of Lady Managers of the 

 World's Fair, will drive the last nail 

 used in completion of the Woman's 

 Building. This nail will be furnished 

 by the women of Montana, and will be 

 a very wonderful one, as is indicated by 

 this description of it, given by the 

 Helena, Montana, Bidependent : 



The nail has been so made as to form 

 the back or cross-bar of a brooch, which 

 is to be a shield bearing the coat-of-arms 

 of Montana, reproduced in native gold 

 without a trace of alloy in its composi- 

 tion. The shield will be of gold, and 

 the symbolical figures will be made of 

 the same metal, but of different colors. 

 The waterfall in the foreground will be 

 of light colored gold, sunk into the 

 shield, and the plow and pick, standing 

 at the foot of the falls, will be of a 

 darker shade, as will be the background 

 or relief. The wreath surroiinding the 

 escutcheon will be of native gold, and 



the figures of the two men supporting 

 the whole on either side will also be of 

 the same rich, yellow gold. Under- 

 neath will be the scroll, bearing the 

 motto of the State, '' Or o y Plata.'" In 

 the two upper portions of the wreath 

 two Montana sapphires will be inserted. 

 Instead of merely engraving the figures, 

 each will be wrought separately, and 

 then fastened together, making the task 

 of shaping the brooch not only a delicate, 

 but exceedingly difficult one, and one 

 that will require much skill and pa- 

 tience. 



To Mrs. J. E. Rickards, of Butte, be- 

 longs the credit of the happy idea of 

 making the last nail one of such interest. 

 In design the nail, which is being made 

 by a Butte jeweler, will be the conter- 

 part of an ordinary twelve-penny nail, 

 and will be composed of three strips 

 with silver in the center, and the gold 

 and copper on either side. The nail 

 and brooch are distinct articles, and 

 after the former has been driven it will 

 be drawn from the wood, fastened to the 

 brooch, and the whole presented to Mrs. 

 Palmer. 



The women of Nebraska have under- 

 taken to furnish the hammer with which 

 this " last nail " will be driven. A de- 

 scription of the hammer has not yet been 

 given, but it is the intention to make it 

 worthy of the aristocratic nail with 

 which it will be brought in contact by 

 Mrs. Palmer. It has been suggested 

 that it be made of native Nebraska 

 woods, inlaid with gold, silver and pearl. 



Fatal Maladies among bees are 

 to be found at all times in some part of 

 the country, the same as among other 

 animals. But just to what extent may 

 be the resulting fatalities, and to what 

 degree such may affect the general 

 wealth, are often difficult to determine. 

 In the Toledo Blade for March 15, 

 1892, a "special" from Shepherd, 

 Mich., under the heading, " A Short 

 Honey Crop," says this concerning the 

 bees in two counties in the central part 

 of that State : 



Many colonies of bees have been lost 

 this Winter through Isabella and Clare 

 counties. There is evidently some fatal 

 malady in bcedoin, that will shorten the 

 honey crop very materially. 



