42 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



thing breaks down, the farmer who 

 depends on the blacksmith, will have 

 to take his horse and wagon and go to 

 the shop, perhaps three or four miles 

 away, wait until his turn comies, per- 

 haps spending a whole day, or half a 

 day, to get a piece of repairing done, 

 that he could have made himself in 

 half an hour had he had the tools and 

 known how to use them; not speaking 

 of the money spent. And there are the 

 rainy and winter days, during which 

 everything that is shaky can be fixed 

 without waiting for an actual break- 

 down, which alwaj^s takes place at 

 the most important time. 



What is made for sale must be well 

 finished, but what is tnade for home- 

 use does not need so inuch work spent 

 upon the finish; in fact, the time spent 

 in giving the work a iine appearance 

 is just that much loss. But the work- 

 ing parts must work satisfactorily. 

 You won't put up with a set-screw that 

 won't sta3^ set, as did a friend of mine 

 some 3'ears ago. 



Perhaps the best illustration of that 

 principle that I ever met was at a saw 

 mill across which I came during a trip 

 through the country. Through some 

 defect, the pitmam had broken, the 

 next town was forty or fifty miles 

 away, and the work pressing. A piece 

 of dry, rough hickory had been select- 

 ed, and a pitman made out of it. The 

 parts fitting in the collars at both ends 

 were as accuratel}' made as could be 

 desired; but. the rest of the piece was 

 just as the hatchet had left it, includ- 

 ing a few specks of bark. 



SOME EXCELLENT HINTS TO THOSE 

 WHO MAKE THEIR OWN HIVES. 



There is nothing hard in that, in 

 spite of all the manufacturers tell us. 

 Before ordering a large amount of 

 lumber, try one or two hives at first. 

 Then when you know exactly what 

 you want, place your order. It is far 

 easier to make a mistake in the sizes 

 wanted than 3''ou have any idea until 

 you try. The pieces for the hives, 



supers, etc., should be ordered ready 

 to make. If a box factory is available, 

 order tliere in preference. Their men 

 are used to accurate cutting. The 

 planing mills and door and sash fac- 

 tories depend on the finishing machines 

 to give their work the final shape and 

 size, hence they are in the habit of cut- 

 ting the lumber only approximately. 

 An error of yi of an inch or more en- 

 titles you to refuse the work. 



A slight variation in the width and 

 depth of the hives is immaterial, pro- 

 vided, of course, that the frames do 

 not coiTie too close to the bottom of the 

 hive. The important point is the in- 

 side length from front to back. This 

 must be accurate, or the frames will 

 not fit. The two end-pieces should 

 come between the sides, and, if neces- 

 sary, placed a little in or out to secure 

 exact length. The supers are con- 

 structed in ii similar way. 



MAKING FRAMES BY HAND. 



The lumber for the frames should be 

 bought in long strips; simply ripped 

 out of some boards. This is much 

 cheaper, and just as good. Strips 

 dressed on four sides cost not less than 

 a cent per lineal foot; often more. 

 Thej" should be cut of proper lengths, 

 b}'^ hand, to secure the exact lengths, 

 and, also, to save the cost. Cutting 

 small pieces by machinery, in a shop, 

 costs too much. It is charged at the 

 rate of 50 to 60 cents an hour, and 

 takes as much time as if done by hand. 



Provide a mitre-box; fix it at the 

 end of a bench; adjust a stop at the 

 the proper distance; take a few strips 

 at a time ; put them in the mitre-box ; 

 push them till they reach the stop; 

 saw, push them again; saw again, and 

 so on. In less than an hour, you will 

 cut enough pieces for a hundred 

 frames, or more. 



The top and bottom pieces, cut 

 square, should come between the end- 

 pieces. It is necessary to make the 

 frames of exact size; that is, so far as 

 the inside dimensions are concerned. 



