894 



(CLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



383 



another question; but it contaminates any 

 ing it has to do with. It brings down the 

 ality of other goods, and we are sure it iu- 

 res digestion. 



[t would be a very interesting problem, for 

 me one well skilled in political economy, to 

 certain how much legitimate labor is dis- 

 iced in our country by the daily dumping of 

 ) tons (to say nothing of the output of other 

 stories) of glucose on our markets, hardly an 

 nee of which comes to the surface under its 

 Lie name. We have no doubt it would exceed 

 any times the labor employed in producing it. 

 5 an enemy to labor, it seems in all essential 

 spects to be on a par with the brewery and 

 stillery. 



GIVEN FOUNDATION MADE FROM ROLLS. 



After making some experiments with the 

 ven foundation-press we have finally come to 

 e conclusion that i/this foundation is softer, 

 id more readily accepted by the bees, than 

 e ordinary roller foundation, it is due to this 

 ct: The side walls are made very thick and 

 savy, so that the surplus of wax is crowded 

 to the walls, without any excess of press- 

 •e. With this fact before us we constructed a 

 ill having extra heavy walls, and, to our 

 •eat delight, the foundation from it seems to 

 ! very much softer because the excess of wax, 

 stead of running out into long sheets, went 

 to the walls. An ordinary sheet of wax, after 

 Mng passed through this mill, increases in 

 ngth only about 33 per cent of its original 

 ngth, instead of, as heretofore, from 200 to 300 

 iT cent. Whether this foundation is as soft as 

 lat from the press, can not be definitely prov- 

 1 just yet; but from present indications it is 

 illy so. From some tests we have made, the 

 ies seeem to accept it very readily. In our 

 ext issue we hope to report further in regard 

 » it; but at present we fear that this very soft 

 (undation would give trouble on hortizontally 

 ired frames, because it has not strength 

 lOugh to prevent it from buckling, unless, in- 

 eed, it is made excessively heavy. 



how it was possible at that time to send out 

 frames that way. There have been so many 

 calls of late that we have finally constructed a 

 special machine to do the work, so the frames 

 shall not cost any more than the old style ; and 

 we now send out our thick-top fram(>s of this 

 description. An illustration of it will appear 

 in our next issue. 



THAT V EDGE TO HOFFMAN FRAMES. 



Some few bee-keepers object to the V edge 

 of the Hoifman frame, more, it seems to us, on 

 theoretical grounds than because they have 

 used them alongside of Hoffman frames with 

 end- bars whose contact edges are square. 

 When we first introduced the Hoffman frame 

 we likewise objected to the V edge, and for the 

 first year made the frame with the edges square. 

 Indeed, we placed in the neighborhood of 80 

 colonies on such frames. As the season wore 

 on, we began to see that the square edge had a 

 disadvantage in that the propolis would in time 

 accumulate on the two opposing surfaces, 

 and gradually increase the spacing between 

 the frames. The following season we introduc- 

 ed alongside of them frames having V edges, 

 the V coming in contact with a squarge edge. 

 As propolis began to accumulate we found that 

 it did not increase the spacing, because the V 

 edge would push the propolis on either side — 

 that is, it would divide or cut it like a knife. 

 During warm weather, protolis — especially if 

 new — is soft; and every time the V edge crowds 

 against the square edge, the point comes close 

 in contact with the blunt edge. Again, V-edge 

 frames separate more easily than those having 

 only square eda-es. 



THE NEW TOP BAR 



Nov. 1, p. 831, 1893, Mr. J. A. Scudder describ- 

 1 an improvement in top-bars that he had 

 lade for him especially, and also sent us a 

 imple. The improvement related particularly 

 ) the end of the top-bar. He recommended 

 lat they be 1}4 inches wide; but such width 

 ould make it inconvenient to handle, unless 

 le cud of the top-bar could be narrowed down 

 of an inch. In our footnote we acknowledged 

 16 improvement ; but on account of the ex- 

 anse of making this change we did not see 



'* But," you say, "the square edges would be 

 all right provided you wedge them up." Well, 

 during that first season's use of them on SO col- 

 onies we tried the wedging feature; and while 

 it remedied the trouble some, it was unsatis- 

 factory. We then tried thumb-screws, but 

 finally gave these up. Well, we now use and 

 recommend Hoffman frames having a V edge 

 like the one shown in the accompanying dia- 

 gram. In connection with them we use a 

 division-board, but no wedge, thumb-screws, 

 nor any thing of the sort; and we are firmly 

 convinced that Mr. Hoffman, the introducer 

 of these frames, who has used them for so many 

 years, is pretty nearly right, on the V edge. 



