THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



23 



I had them than to have the hive- 

 corners dovetailed, or the frames of 

 the Hoffman type. 



MANUFACTURERS HAVE "OVER HEAD 



EXPENSES" AND PROFITS THAT 



MUST BE COVERED. 



Now tlien, leaving given this ilhis- 

 tration, let me go still further and be 

 just to Bro. Root, and all other manu- 

 facturers. Suppose I sliould go into 

 tlie business of manufacturing hives to 

 sell, go into it on a large scale. First 

 I must have a building, power, ma- 

 chinery, help, book-keepers, insurance, 

 interest, taxes, advertising, and, above 

 all this, there must be a profit. I have 

 not argued, nor intended to convey the 

 impression, that supply dealers were 

 asking too much for their goods. It is 

 impossible for them to avoid these 

 "overhead expenses," as the}' are 

 termed. It won't answer for them to 

 figure up "lumber so much, cutting up 

 so mucli, nailing and painting so 

 much," as I did in the hives that I 

 made, or had made; but here is the 

 point, and it is the only one that I ex- 

 pected to make, viz: The man who is 

 so situated that he can get his lumber 

 cut up at a mill, cut up in a satis- 

 factory' manner, and at a reasonable 

 price, can saz'e all of these "overhead 

 expenses" that must go to the general 

 manufacturer. I think there is not a 

 manufacturer who will not admit this. 

 One thing more, I suppose any one 

 who thinks the present manufacturers 

 of hives are making too much profit, is 

 at liberty to go into the business and 

 offer them as much cheaper as he sees 

 fit. 



BEE-KEEPERS HAVE LEISURE 

 IN WINTER. 



Here is another point, and it is a 

 dt^^ one: Bee-keepers in winter have 

 hours, days and weeks of leisure. 

 They have nothing else to do than 

 make their hives and fixtures for the 

 coming season. What folly for a man 

 to send away his money to buy hives, 



and then sit around all winter and do 

 nothing. 



I don't advise everybody to buy a 

 buzz saw, or to set up a windmill, 

 horse power, or gasoline engine. Un- 

 less a man has taste or ability in this 

 line, it would probably be money worse 

 than wiisted, but any one can get a 

 sample hive, take it to a planing mill, 

 select the lumber that will answer his 

 purpose, and have the hives cut out as 

 I have suggested; just plain boxes 

 without any filligree work on tliem, 

 plain, all-wood frames to match, and 

 he must be a bungler indeed, who could 

 not nail them up and paint them. 



It maj' seem like heresy, but I honest- 

 ly believe that we can get along with- 

 out bottom boards — just use the plain 

 eai'th as Mr. Tyrrell has been doing 

 the past season. I also believe that 

 his Paroid Roofing covers will prove 

 all right. In fact, I am delighted 

 with the clieapness and simplicity of 

 his hive outfit. One thing is certain, 

 if I needed 100 hives I should not pay 

 $125 for them, and this is said with no 

 thought or intimation that manufactur- 

 ers are charging too much for their 

 hives; that there is anything like a 

 trust or combination that is trying to 

 put prices above where they ought to 

 be. If manufacturers are charging 

 too much, it is only a question of time, 

 and a very short time, too, when some- 

 body else will be offering them at a 

 lower price. As I have already ex- 

 plained, the point is right here: The 

 manufacturer has a lot of expenses 

 that do not come to the man who is 

 making hives for himself. Besides, 

 the manufacturer must have a profit. 



SMALL, CHEAP POWERS FOR HIVE- 

 MAKING. 



Then there is the question of freight. 

 It may not be a serious item in some 

 parts of the country — in others it is a 

 very big item. A Barnes foot-power 

 saw can be bought for S35. The inter- 

 est on this sum would not be over $2.00 

 a year. It would not require the 



