THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEP hit. 



119 



using just a very little care as I drop 

 the nail on the rabbet, rarely kill a 

 bee, :iik1 I can do if in one-third the 

 time it takes to handle any other 

 frame. Another great advantage is, 

 you hardly ever need to separate the 

 frames with a pry, unless they are 

 very full of honey and brood. 



The only objection to this frame is, 

 the metal might come in contact with 

 the honey -knife ; but this is so insig- 

 nificant that it practically amounts to 

 nothing, as I have thoroughly tested 

 this matter ; and if the knife should 

 strike it, the zinc is soft and would 

 not hurt it. 



I claim the originality of the use of 

 zinc and staple as per sample, but yet 

 they may be old ideas, but they are 

 new to me. I call it Minnick's metal 

 bearing Hoffman frame, and all I ask 

 is due credit if I deserve it. 



I would like very much to see you 

 place it in your catalogue, and am 

 very sure it would have a very large 

 sale. Yours truly, 



James A. Minnick. 



Anderson, 1ml., July 19, If 



The W. T. Falconek Man'f'g 

 Co.: Gentlemen: — 1 suppose you 

 think I have not done my duty for 

 not writing to you sooner, but this is 

 my last week of school and it has 

 kept me pretty bi 



My be - hav< got through all i 

 and i am very thankful too. They 

 are roaring li ythiug. Papa 



is going through th< bees know clip- 

 ping -the queen's wings, separating 

 the brood, and tea ;hing them the 

 "Fireman's Dance" — theoutside here 

 and the inside there, and making 

 swarms where they are ready. He 

 swarms them for those who want him 



to do so, and charges 50 cents a swarm 

 for doing so. 



Papa got stung by a queen bee for 

 the first time in his life the other day, 

 and he has kept bees ever since he 

 was fifteen, and now he is forty-five 

 years old. The way he got stung was 

 this : He was carrying a queen around 

 by one wing, and it got its spunk up 

 and stung him. 



I must tell you how papa gets the 

 bees off the windows. Ha opens the 

 doors and darkens the windows 

 on the outside with a blanket, 

 and they will be gone before you 

 can get into the house again. Some 

 people kill them with brooms; Ithink 

 that is wicked. 



I must close now, L'or to-morrow is 

 Decoration Day, and I must get up 

 early, as I go in the procession. 



Yours truly, OllIE JONES. 



Cortland, Q, May 29, 1 



Ed. Am, Bee-Keeper, Dear Sir : 

 My bees are doing pretty good work, 

 gathering honey and swarming rapid- 

 ly. 1 had ten spring count, 

 and have increased to twenty-three 

 colonies. I purchased on.' new . warm, 



I think this will be one of our \ 



old-fashioned honey years. Basswood 



has had very good bloom. The blos- 



have been m aty than I 



them for several years past. 



The Italian Sees are rather bad 

 swarmers. It seems as if they would 

 .-warm when there is no need of it. 

 They frequently swam 

 the hive is not full enough 

 make them work in the upper story. 

 On that account 1 like the blacks bet- 

 ter. Yours, &c, 



John Slaubaugh. 



Eglan, W, Va,July, 1892, 



