68 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 25, 19C6 



cau conveniently and safely reach without letting go from 

 above. This answer has not been tested for its correctness 

 to my complete satisfaction, but as a guess it is logical, and 

 has not been founded upon the throw of a dice. In con- 

 nection with this is seen why the larva does not spin the 

 cocoon to the extreme apex of the cell, spinning down only 

 so far as she can conveniently reach." 



ZTtisccUcmeous 

 Heirs * 3 terns 



"\ 



J 



The Annual Index for 1905 will be found in the cen- 

 tral 4 pages of this number of the American Bee Journal. 

 Those pages can very easily be torn off the wire stitches 

 and put in the proper place at the back of the last number 

 for 1905, and then filed away, or bound, if so desired. 



We regretted very much not being able to get out this 

 index so as to have it in the last issue of 1905 where it be- 

 longed, but it was an utter impossibility to do so, owing to 

 the National convention held here at that time. But it will 

 be all right if it is transferred as directed. 



Mr. Orel L. HeFshiseP, of Buffalo, N. Y., reported Jan. 

 15 that he had been suffering from the grip most of the 

 time since returning home from the National convention. 

 He says that bees had the finest winter flight imaginable 

 that day (Jan. 15). The temperature at 2 p.m. was 47 de- 

 grees above zero, the wind hardly noticeable, no snow on 

 the ground, the weather hazy, but the sun shining through 

 it all day. Mr. Hershiser's article in this week's issue will 

 be read with much interest, as his Combined Hive-Stand 

 and Bottom-Board seems to be the thing, both for moving 

 bees and for cellar- wintering. 



The Ontario Convention Report— a large part of 

 which appears in this number — will doubtless be read with 

 great interest, not only by our Canadian subscribers, but by 

 all others. We regretted not to have a copy of Mr. Lowey's 

 paper to appear in its proper place, but hope to get it in 

 time to publish it with the balance of the report next week. 

 Canadian bee-keepers always have good conventions ; they 

 have some expert bee-folks over there, so there is no reason 

 why they should not have fine meetings. They were well 

 represented at the Chicago-Northwestern and National 

 meetings in Chicago last month, as has been mentioned 

 before. 



Hepshiser Hive-Stand and Bottom-Board.— Through 

 the courtesy of Gleanings in Bee Culture we use the en- 

 gravings in the article by Orel L. Hershiser, on pages 73 

 and 74. The descriptions of the several illustrations which 

 appeared in Gleanings with the engravings, in January, 

 1905, are as follows : 



The salient objects of this combined hive-stand and bottom-board 

 appear clearly after a careful study of the illustrations presented 

 herewith. 



Referring to the lettered parts of the engravings, A is the bottom- 

 board; B the front, or alighting-board; C the bail-like support of the 

 front, and D the flexible wire support of the rear ends of the bottom- 

 board when the same is in ordinary outdoor use; E the pins used to 

 regulate the size of entrance to hive and depth of space under the 

 bottom-bars of frames; F the upper inside rim which forms a shoulder 

 against which the bottom-board rests snugly when held in its highest 

 position by the bail-like support C and the flexible wire support D ; G 

 is the hooks by means of which the alighting-board B is coupled to the 

 bottom-board A — loops in the alighting-board B corresponding to the 

 hooks in the bottom-board A; and H is the front sill. 



Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through a vertical 

 plane on a line between the two sides, which passes through one of the 

 loops G, of a 'combined hive-stand and bottom-board, showing the re- 

 lation of the various parts to the bottom and alighting-boards A and B 

 respectively, in normal position for ordinary outdoor use. This figure, 

 in connection with Figs. 2 and 3, clearly shows the manner of support- 

 ing the bottom-board A by means of the flexible wire spring D and the 

 bail-like support C. The bottom-board A is lowered, for the purpose 

 of enlarging the entrance to the hive, by pushing the bail-like support 

 B back until it engages the pins E. One or more of these adjustments 

 may be provided as needed or desired. The front board B is here 

 shown in its capacity as an alighting-board, it being coupled to the 

 hooks G of bottom-board A, by means of the corresponding loops on 

 the upper edge of the alighting-board. 



Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hive-stand and bottom-board 

 detached, showing details of construction of the upper and under side 



of the bottom-board A and of the stand. It will be observed that the 

 flexible wire spring D is self-adjusting to any angle of the bottom- 

 board A required in enlarging or contracting the entrance to the hive, 

 it being sufficiently yielding for this purpose, and at the same time 

 rigid to the extent of holding the rear end of the bottom-board A 

 firmly against the under 6ide of the rear portion of the upper inside 

 rim F, Fig. 1. It will also be observed that the bail-like support C 

 may be inclined at any desired angle for the purpose of lowering or 

 raising the front end of bottom-board A to enlarge or contract the en- 

 trance to hive, and that, when closing the hive and stand, the bail-like 

 support C is pulled forward until its upper part drops into the rabbet 

 of the front sill H (rabbet shows in Fig. 2, but is not lettered), thus 

 permitting the bottom-board A to be dropped to lower position where 

 it rests snugly upon the upper surface of the lower inside rim into 

 which the bail-like support C hioges. 



Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the combined hive-stand and bottom- 

 board adjusted for ordinary outdoor or summer use, with bottom- 

 board A in highest position, resting snugly against the shoulder formed 

 by the upper inside rim F; the front board B in position as an alight- 

 ing-board, and the flexible wire support D shown by dotted line. The 

 separate view of the alighting-board B, Fig. 3, shows the loops by 

 means of which it is coupled to the bottom-board A by engagement 

 with the corresponding hooks G, Fig. 3. It will be observed that the 

 front board (alighting-board) B is provided with a substantial cleat 

 the full length of its under 6ide. joined in 6uch position as will sup- 

 port it at the proper angle when in use as an alighting-board, and also 

 to lock the bottom-board A securely in its lower position when used 

 as a front board to confine the colony of bees within the hive and 

 stand 



Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the bottom-board A lowered 

 and the alighting-board B inserted as a front board, which closes up 

 the hive and stand as used in i cellar-wintering or in the transporta- 

 tion of bees. The bottom-board A is held securely in place by the cleat 

 just beneath the flexible wire spring D and by the cleat on the front 

 board B, shown on the under side thereof in Fig. 3. When so closed, 

 the bottom-board A rests snugly on the cleats forming the lower in- 

 side rim into which the bail-like support C is hinged at side6 of the 

 stand, thus making it impossible for the bottom-board A to get shifted 

 from its place while the front board B is inserted. A small ring fast- 

 ened midway of the lower edge of the front board B. as shown in Figs. 

 1,3 and 4, is convenient in inserting and withdrawing it. The front 

 board B may be held in place by means of a button, or by a wire key 

 dropped through eyelets screwed into the front of the stand just above 

 the upper and below the lower margins of the front board B. Devices 

 for holding the front board B in place, when stand is closed, are not 

 shown in the engravings. 



The wire-cloth screen at sides of stand, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 

 4, is for the purpose of giving needed ventilation at all times when the 

 colony of bees is enclosed. 



Referring to the engravings in a recent. letter from Mr. 

 Hershiser, he adds the following : 



" Some important improvements have been made in the 

 details of construction since the engravings were made. 

 The stand is now made 14-s inches lower, which gives much 

 greater strength, without detracting from any of its useful 

 features. It also makes it cheaper to construct. The rear 

 supporting device for the floor-board is now made of two 

 flat springs, one at each side of the rear end of stand. The 

 front supporting device which holds the floorboard in posi- 

 tion is now hinged in the front sill or cross-piece instead of 

 the lower side-cleats. All this makes the device neater in 

 appearance, and the alighting-board is naturally in a more 

 nearly horizontal position. Other minor improvements 

 have also been incorporated." 



The Wood Binder (or Holder) for holding a year's 

 copies of the American Bee Journal is a splendid thing for 

 the purpose, and also for the little money asked for it. It is 

 mailed for only 20 cents, or with the American Bee Journal 

 a year — $1.10 for both. But we have run out of them lately, 

 though we have an order in for a good supply which we ex- 

 pect to receive and be able to mail about Feb. 1. The reason 

 of delay is because of the factory making them is behind 

 in its orders. So those who have ordered " Wood Binders " 

 of us will now know why they have not received them. 

 They will be mailed just as soon as we can get them our- 

 selves. In the meantime we would advise others of our 

 readers to order them, as they certainly are a very conve- 

 nient thing for keeping together for ready reference the 

 copies of the American Bee Journal as they are received 

 from week to week. 



You Can Help Greatly— both us and the advertisers 

 in the American Bee Journal — if you will not only patronize 

 those who advertise in these columns, but if you will also 

 not fail to mention having seen the advertisement in the 

 American Bee Journal whenever you write to any of them. 

 If it were not for the advertising patronage we receive the 

 American Bee Journal could not be furnished at the low 

 price of $ 1. 00 a year. So kindly help all concerned by doing 

 business with our advertisers and mentioning that you saw 

 their advertisement in the American Bee Journal. 



