18!tl 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Kil 



About till' boc-spacc between the closed end.* 

 and tlie hive end: Tlie majority of bee-keep- 

 ers would oppose you strongly on that point 

 (see page 87, last Lssue, for a sample). The 

 reason is this: If bees have access to both sides 

 of the closed ends, they will gum tiiem togeth- 

 er that much harder. To make closed -end frames 

 readily movable, the bees should have access to 

 the cracks between the uprights on x\\(' hisidc 

 only. 



Your frame-rest for the bottom-board might 

 do: but isn't it too much I'igging'.'J 



ABOUT CLOSED-END FRAMES. 



TIIEIi; XTSE IN A TIGHT-FITTING CASK. 

 IIEDDON. NKW? 



Near the close of the honey season of 1878 or 

 "79, while taking sections of honey out of a 

 super that held a single row of sections like one 

 apartment of Moore's crate, it occurred to me 

 that brood-frames could be constructed to tit in 

 a hive in the same way. In a few weeks after 

 I first thought of such a hive. I constr'ucted one 

 with closed-end frames, and with the ends of 

 the frames fitting against thi' ends of the hive. 

 In the fall of 1879 a hive of this kind was ex- 

 hibited at the Smithtield fair: and in the next 

 spring, about a dozen hives of that kind were 

 made and sold. I had used closed -end frames 

 prior to the construction of this hive, but they 

 did not fit against the ends of the hive, and 

 they were used for the extractor only. 



Starting with one hive in 1880 I have added 

 to tlie number occasionally till I have probably 

 more than 2(1 of that kind in use now. I prefer 

 that the ends of the frames shall not exceed a 

 scant yV i"ch in thickness. That thickness is 

 all that is required for strength; and the thin- 

 ner the ends, the less trouble there is in the 

 way of pinching bees between the edges when 

 frames are replaced in the hive. 



It is important that the frames shall have 

 very little "end shake." When a part or all of 

 the frames are taken out of the hive, bees will 

 crawl uj) on the end of the hive; and, in re- 

 placing the frames, if there is as much as fs or 

 i^B end shake, some of the bees will be caught 

 and rolled in between the end of the frame and 

 the end of the hive. If the frames have not 

 more than i^,;, I prefer ^V P"d shake. The bees 

 will be shoved out of the way, and, with a little 

 care, the hive can be closed without crushing 

 bees. By using wire nails, and nailing through 

 the thin ends into the tops and bottoms, we 

 have a good, cheap, invertible frame. The 

 frames stand on a strip of wood nailed against 

 the ends of the hive at the bottom, and the tops 

 of the frames ai'e even with the top edge of the 

 hive. In tiering up the strips on which the 

 upper frames stand, cover the upper ends of the 

 frames below. The entrance is at one side of 

 the frames, and a follower is wedged against 

 the other side of the frames, the bees being 

 excluded from the space at the back of the fol- 

 lower. In connection with a top-bar of proper 

 width and thickness, this arrangement proba- 

 bly reduces burr-combs and propolis to a mini- 

 mum. R. M. Rkynoi,ds. 



E. Springfield, O., Feb. 10. 



P. S.— The details on first page ai'e important, 

 for the reason that Heddon claims that his 

 patent covers the close-fitting case. If you 

 don't care to publish this, please return it. 



R. M. R. 



[ I am free to say, that Mr. Heddon is pro- 

 gressive, and one of the few, I think, who are 

 able to pick out the few good things in the rub- 

 bish of bygone days. He was the first one to 



give me an insight into the possibilities result- 

 ing from the use of fixed distances. But there 

 are one or two things which I feel need correc- 

 tion. If he is chiiniing broadly that he was the 

 first one to suggest the use of closed-end frames 

 in a tight-fitting case, he is gi'eatly mistaken. 

 I have known foi' some time that he was not a 

 prior user of this combination. I found one 

 place where it had been used in York State foi' 

 a good many yeais. and I heard all around that 

 it was an old idea. Mr. R. M. Reynolds, of East 

 Springfield. C)., whose letter appears above, 

 gives us amplt> proof of the oldness of the idea. 

 The two things— closed-end frames and tight- 

 fitting cases— are so suggestive of the combina- 

 tion that it would be strange if it were not 

 originated years and years ago. I have no 

 doubt that this letter "will call forth similar 

 ones from others: but I have no disposition to 

 stir up controversy, only that credit should fall 

 where it is due. That no one may accuse me of 

 hiding behind the editorial wc, 1 come out un- 

 der the singular form of the pronoun, and sign 

 mvself E. R. R.f 



BEE-DRESS FOR LADIES. 



TIIOSK DOOLITTLE CEIJ.-CUPS. AGAIN. 



Since writing about aprons -I have found a 

 very pretty pattern for my bed-ticking aprons. 

 I send you a picture of it. Y"ou need not smile. 

 Even a bed-ticking apron will look much better 

 if made up neatly than if fashioned after a 

 clumsy pattern. I like to look neat, even when 

 taking care of bees. Don't laugh, Mr. Root; I 

 really do, although 1 had reached such a dilap- 

 idated condition the day you visited our apiary. 



Front View— .3G9(;. Back View— 3(39(). 



A V^'ORK-APRON FOIi THE APIARY. 



While talking about dress I would suggest 

 that ladies working with bees make their work- 

 dresses with perfectly straight, plain skirts, and 

 just as light as possible — no unnecessary cloth 

 and no lining. I don't know of any thing more 

 exhausting than heavy skirts. 



I never admired blouse waists; but last sum- 

 mer some of my waists gave out in the very 

 busy season and I made me a blouse, more be- 



