468 



THE S.MERICSr« WEW JQlSMfimJU, 



In tlie Paris Universal Exposi- 

 tion, the Swiss Department was to have 

 contained (according to catalogue) 137 hives 

 of all kinds, but the Paris correspondent of 

 the British Bee Journal could not find 

 them. He says : 



For days and weeks past we have been in 

 and out to see whether the exhibit of Mr. 

 Zimmerman had arrived. In the official 

 catalogue Mr. Zimmerman is described as 

 exhibiting no less than 137 hives of all sys- 

 tems, but, alas ! for human promises, there 

 is only one bee-hive in the whole section, 

 and that is by another maker. It would have 

 been a real novelty to have seen 137 bee- 

 hives at one exhibition, and would have 

 filled pages of your Journal, but they are 

 not there ; and the officials, whom I have 

 closely questioned, know nothing whatever 

 about them. 



Portable Tool-Box.— A. correspon- 

 dent remarks that he feels certain that al- 

 most every one handling bees has felt the 

 need of au easy and convenient method of 

 carrying honey from the hives to the ex- 

 tracting room, and returning the empty 

 combs to the hives, and at the same time 

 have a full supply of apiarian tools, scrap- 

 pans, etc., always at hand and ready for 

 immediate use. He desires to know the 

 probable cost, and where such can be 

 obtained. 



The best thing we know of in that line is 

 called the Davis Honey Carriage. It con- 

 tains a honey-comb safe, made sufficiently 

 long and deep to receive the longest and 



Hurplns Boxes and Sections.— 



Alexander Le Roy, Amiens, France, asks 

 the following questions : 



1. What was the origin of the honey sec- 

 tions or surplus-boxes ? 



2. Who first thought of them ? 



3. Was it the Rev. L. L. Langstroth ? 



i. Did Mr. Langstroth invent sections 

 when he devised his frame hive ? 



.5. Were sections in four pieces when first 

 made, and then one-piece sections with 

 square grooves ; and alter that, those with 

 the V groove ? 



In reply we offer the following as nearly 

 as we can remember the facts. If we are 

 in error, we shall thank any one to give a 

 correction, for only the exact truth on every 

 subject is of any value : 



1. The origin of "boxes" for surplus 

 honey was probably in the "California 

 frames," first used by Mr. J. S. Harbison, 

 who was most likely the inventor of such 

 frames, which were made something like the 



being 2 inches, and the tops and bottoms IM 

 inches wide, leaving room for the bees to 

 enter between every two— to be used with 

 tin separators S}4 inches wide. 



3. No. 



4. Honey sections Were unknown when 

 the Langstroth liive was invented— it had 

 frames for surplus honey similar to the 

 brood-frames, but one-half their depth, and 

 were used above a honey-board having 

 holes bored in it to admit the bees to the 

 surplus apartment. 



5. After the four-piece dovetailed sections 

 before mentioned, Prof. Cook used berry- 

 box stuff bent to shape around a block, and 

 nailed. Then several attempts were made 

 to get the sections made all-inone-piece ; 

 but that was not perfected until about 18S0, 



The Davis Honey Carnage. 



deepest honey-frames in use, and wide 

 enough to hold all the frames used in a 

 story in perpendicular position. It has a 

 dripping-pan to save the honey from being 

 wasted or dripping around. 



One of its principal features is a Tool-Box, 

 in which to carry the smoker, fuel for the 

 smoker, matches, queen-cages, transferring 

 clamps, etc. ; also, all the tools needed in 

 an apiary. The cover of this box is hinged 

 at the front end, and when turned forward 

 so as to open the tool-box, it rests on an ad- 

 justable device so as to form a convenient 

 and strong writing-desk, on which a memor- 

 andum book or sheet of paper, or both, may 

 be fastened, and be always convenient for 

 making notes and keeping a record of your 

 work. 



It also has a revolving comb-hanger, and 

 is an invaluable article in an apiary. 



Its price is S 18.00, and it can be obtained 

 at this office. 



Dovetailed Sec'n. Nailed Section. California Frame 



brood-frames, only they were about 6x6 

 inches in size, and the sides and top were IK 

 inches wide, with narrower bottoms. 



2. The first " honey boxes " were made to 

 hold several combs about 6 inches square. 

 A. G. Hill, of Indiana, conceived the idea of 

 sawing about half through these boxes every 

 2 inches, so that the retailer could with a 

 knife cut the combs apart, without injuring 

 the honey-combs. 



About the same time Geo. T. Wheeler, of 

 New York, invented honey-boxes for single 

 combs, having wood tops and bottoms, glass 

 ends, and when taken from the hives (where 

 full sized tin separators were used) the sides 

 were also glassed. The entrance for the 

 bees was through a " slot " in the bottom 

 pieces. 



Tlien N. N. Betsinger, of New Tort, we 

 think, invented the honey-box made by 

 nailing 2xV inch sides to IJa'x'i inch tops 

 and bottoms, to be used with tin separators, 

 and glassed on the sides after being taken 

 from the hives. These were to hold 2 

 pounds of honey. 



Then Mr. A. I. Root, of Ohio, we think, 

 invented one-pound sections, eight of them, 

 4,14x414 inches, to fit into a " wide frame " 



Wide Frame Cuntaiulnt; 8 Oue-1'uund Sections. 



of the same size as the Langstroth brood- 

 frame. These were of Jt'-ineh wood all 

 around, and were "dovetailed;" the sides 



1 



Oue-Piece une-Pouna Section. 



in Watertown, Wis., when the present one- 

 piece section with v groove was made and 

 put upon the market. 



Later the square groove section was made 

 by Mr. A. I. Root, of Ohio, but it was aban- 

 doned as soon as the Forncrook patent was 

 invalidated by the United States Supreme 

 Court decision. Now the V groove one-piece 

 sections are universally used— all others are 

 abandoned. 



Anotlter Palseliood Retracted. 



—On page 339, we called attention to an 

 item in the SaniUn-y Era, averring that 

 " comb " was " made artificially," and that 

 "artificial honey, of glucose and sugar, 

 with a little bitter almond flavoring," was 

 upon the market, etc. 



We then denounced the article, and de- 

 manded that the Era make a correction 

 in its columns. It has done so, but very 

 reluctantly. It says : 



We are very glad to learn both that pure 

 honey can be had of any honest honey- 

 dealer, and that artificial comb is not filled 

 with glucose, nor even successfully manu- 

 factured as yet. Honey in the comb, it 

 seems, can be relied on. 



We are pleased to see that the Sanitary 

 Era may be classed among the honest 

 papers, which are always willing to correct 

 a false statement ! We wish some other 

 papers who have lately transgressed, would 

 do the same— and thus place themselves in 

 the truth-loving class. 



Xlie Completion and dedication of 

 the National Monument to the Forefathers 

 at Plymouth, Mass., the corner-stone of 

 which was laid thirty years ago, gives time- 

 liness to the well-written and beautifully 

 illustrated article of "The Pilgrim Fathers," 

 which leads off this number of Frank 

 Leslie's Popular Monthly for August. The 

 short stories, illustrated poems, miscella- 

 ous essays, etc., are up to the first-class 

 standard, and the new literary department 

 begun in this number promises to be a 

 valuable feature. 



