THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



61 



break-joint lioney-boai-fl system. But 

 you are not alone in perceiving what 

 is to be tlie inevitable result. 



Yes, sir, I repeat lliat your slatted 

 honey-board has liad its day and will 

 pass out of sight. And tliere are two 

 reasons for it. First, its utiiit}' in 

 keeping tiie queen below it is unreli- 

 able. Second, it does not overcome 

 the evils fiom burr-combs, except on 

 its upper side ; but burr-combs below 

 the honey boai'd are tiie cause of all 

 the hue and cry for thick and wide 

 top-bars, which, with proper spacing, 

 loill prevent theae evils effectiudly. 



As to the break-jcnut slats cutting 

 off" the light, I 8imi)ly stated tiie facts as 

 observed. There was no theory about 

 it. There is plenty of light at the 

 entrance of Friend Manuin's hives, as 

 I have used them and know ; and 

 again, I think he rarely storifies liis 

 liives and supers moie than 24 inches 

 high. See my exception. But the 

 break-joint slats on the first story of 

 a hive com|)letely excludes all light 

 from the upper stories, and the trouble 

 was only n<jted where the liives and 

 supers were storified more than 24 

 inches high. 



But Mr. IIed<lon is anxious to goon 

 record against me that less l)urr-couibs 

 are built whei'e the break-joint prin- 

 ciple exists than where theie are di- 

 rect or continuous passage wa3's. Now 

 here is Dr. Miller, an acute and cau- 

 tious observer, who says he can see 

 no difference. So says Ernest R. 

 Root. So also says a noted Michigan 

 beekeeper and personal friend of Mr. 

 Heddon. See Gleanings for Mar. 1. 

 These men confirm my statements to 

 the extent that there is no difference. 

 Here then are four against one ; that 

 is about th(^ size of the probability 

 that Mr. Ileddon's views on this point 

 are to a large extent theoretical. 



This leaves me with the statement 

 there are even more burr-combs Iniilt 

 where the slats are break-joint. Here 

 let me say, that I never made or used 

 a Heddon slatted honey-board. I 

 liave used only Dr. Tinker's wood- 

 zinc honey- board, which I have often 



made break-joint. But the fact that 

 I use perforated zinc between the slats 

 of ni}' honey-board may make some 

 diff'erence. With the wood-zinc hon- 

 ey-boaid we have less burr-combs 

 with continuous passage ways than 

 where they are not. Hence I favor 

 direct passage ways and regard the 

 break-joint feature of Mr. Heddon's 

 slatted honey-board as of no value. 

 But he believes it of value and has 

 the credit of inventing the break- 

 joint feature. How about the bee- 

 space? Oh! that was invented by 

 our venei'ated Father Langstroth be- 

 fore brother Heddon ever thought of 

 bees. And before I would take from 

 his honored laurels without credit, I 

 should want to hide my face in shame ! 

 But let us have charity. Let us tliink 

 that brother Heddon had seen the 

 bee-space of Langstroth and then for- 

 got all about it, as he did when he 

 saw my wood-zinc honey-board at the 

 Michigan State Fair in 1885, and for- 

 got all al)Out it, then afterwards in- 

 vented it and claimed it as his own 

 invention ! 



Do I need here to give the proof, — 

 to mention the names of men whose 

 veracity and honor Mr. Heddon dare 

 not question? No, they are already 

 well known and I would warn him 

 that that old chestnut of his is about 

 played out. He may continue to us 

 iny invention on his new hive. 



Yes, I use the Langstroth bee-space 

 in my wood-zinc honey-board (it is no 

 use to misrepresent me, see my arti- 

 cle in Feb. Api) and I use it in the 

 top of my brood-chambers, and I use 

 the Langstroth movable brood-frame 

 that I believe the most practical brood- 

 frame ever invented ; and I have used 

 brother Hedtlon's new brood- frames, 

 that by some hook or crook, Father 

 Langstroth, in the feebleness of his 

 old age, was persuaded to endorse as 

 a superior invention ! 



New Phil a., O. 



In justice to our readers, we will let this con- 

 troversy end here. I believe the break-joint, 

 burr-prool" slatted lioiie3'board is a perleca liiiui- 

 bug, uud a useless, worthless device auyway. 



