1891 



GLEANINGS IN HEE CULTURE. 



419 



deep, and Iho projection on the end of the 

 frames is only y, inch lung; so liie liability of 

 kiliinf? bees is not so gnat as where tiie i-ibbet 

 is wider. We have contemplated niinowlng 

 the rabbet on the Dovetailed hive to \ inch, 

 but do not dii re to do so yet. If the Hot!man 

 frame should be accepted, the change would be 

 a necessity. The Hoffman frame; will kill bees 

 as yon say. if n(»t handled rightly. If it is a 

 strong colony, and the bees cnv f the projec- 

 tions, the frames can be manipulated so as to 

 slide tile bees off. I grant, in the luiiiils of some 

 the frame wouUI be a bad bee-killer. This is 

 also true of the loose frame. The latter can be 

 handled so as to roll the bees over — kill some — 

 in iifling a frame hastily from the center of a 

 populous colony wiiliout sjiaciiig the adjaci-nt 

 fi'ames fuither ajiait. Loosi' fraines will also 

 kill bees if they are leaned carelessly against 

 the liive. The Hoffman presents an advantage 

 right here. See article and engravings on page 

 3(59. Our Langsti'oth-Hoffmans are so made 

 that they will not catch in the extractor-bas- 

 kets. Mr. Hoffman himself is an extracted- 

 honey man. producing annually tons of honey. 

 He says the projections do not interfere in the 

 extractor. 



It occurs to me. that sheet zinc would be 

 rather expensive for hive-covers. As it would 

 not have to be painted, perhaps in the long run 

 it would be just as cheap as tin. Who else has 

 tried them ?] E. R. R. 



A SECTION-FOLDER FOR 25 CENTS. 



ALT, ABOUT HOW TO MAKE ONE. 



I know of no sectioii-folder on the market 

 which is not covered by a i)atenT. preventing 

 the bee-keeper from making them at home. 

 The one described below was devised by myself 

 and improved by my brother, and this makes its 

 third season's use. It can be made by any intel- 

 ligent bee-keeper at a cost of not more than 35 

 cents. It generally can be made from old mate- 

 rial, and so really does not cost more than his 

 time to make it. If made true and substantial 

 it works just about to perfection. There is no 

 patent on ii. Peihaps it might be useful to 

 some. 



LOOFT S HO.ME-MADE SECTION-FOLDER. 



It is made as follows: Take a piece of two- 

 inch plank of some kind of hard wood, about 

 (ix8 in., and cut a right-angled notch in the mid- 

 dle of one side, so that the sides of the notch 

 will be equal, and more than 414 inches long. 

 Nail this solidly a little to one side of the mid- 

 dle of a piece of pine board a foot wide and 



about 18 inches long, nailing through thi' board 

 into the plank. Next, take two pieces two 

 inches square. on(^ a foot or more long, and the 

 othei' about nine inches long. Hinge these two 

 pieces together in some w ay. Mine has a sim- 

 ple |tongue-and-slit hinge. The short piece is 

 luiiled to the board along the end of the piece of 

 plank, where there was I'oom left for it, with 

 the slit end uji to receive the end of the long 

 piece, which is to be used as a lever. Now cut 

 a notch in the long piec<'. just like the one cut 

 in the ])lauk. about -^j in de p, and cut it where 

 it will corres|)ond exactly with the upper corner 

 of a folded section i)laced in the big notch, when 

 the lever is at right angles to the sides of the 

 board. This con-;tilutes the essential part of 

 the machine. It is to be fastened to the wall or 

 bench at a convenient height tor woik from a 

 seat. Nail a small strip on the bottom end of 

 the board for a little shelf on which to pile the 

 unfolded sections. A small chain or rope, and 

 a i)iece of board, make a treadle. Provide a 

 spring of proi)er tension to lift the lever an inch 

 or more above the horizontal, and it is ready for 

 work. In bending the sections to be placed in 

 the folder, do not bring the ends entirely to- 

 gether, but let them slip along the sides of the 

 notch in the lever as it comes down. 



The details, of course, are capable of many 

 luodilications. The princijjal (jbject of this 

 article is to present the main idea, leaving it to 

 the bee-kee|)er to make such changes as will 

 suit his taste and circumstances. 



With this machine I can fold 1.5 sections per 

 minute, and do good work. With it and a home- 

 made Arthur C Miller foundation - fastener, 

 having a guide on it, the work of folding sec- 

 tions and putting foundation into them is truly 

 delightful: besides, the work is of the very best 

 quality. 



CLIPPING QITEENS. 



P''rom reijlies given by correspondents in the 

 American Dec Journal to a query as to clip- 

 ping of queens' wings, I see that, in the main, 

 they follow the directions given in the text- 

 books — that of seizing the queen and lifting her 

 from the comb. I used the same plan: but the 

 trouble, I had in following it induced me to seek 

 another. Without a hand as steady as a vise, 

 the ordeal is rather perilous for the queen. 

 What bee-keeper has not caught a queen by the 

 wings or legs, and had her get hold on his fin- 

 gers with her other legs, and crawl 'and twist 

 until he thinks wings or legs must cotue off. and 

 then let her go to get a new hold? The queen 

 also receives a terrible scare. Do not lift her 

 from the comb. Catch the queen by the wing, 

 and let her hold to the comb. Pull just hard 

 enough to hold her, and you have the best 

 chance in the world to use the scissors: or. if 

 you have a sharp jjen knife, stretch her wing 

 over the end of your finger, and give a little 

 stroke with your knife, and she will walk away 

 apparently without knowing what has happen- 

 ed. I cando it this way in half the time. 



Cochranton, O., Apr. 5. C. G. Looft. 



[You have given us a capita! machine, and 

 one that may be equal to the excellent Hubbard 

 machine. Almost any one with a little practi- 

 cal ingenuity can construct one. We have used 

 one on a similar principle to put largie dove- 

 tailed boxes together, and know that a machine 

 on that principle will work. Yours would have 

 the advantage over the Hubbard machine, in 

 that the operator could sit down to his work 

 and do the squeezing with the foot. We will 

 construct one for our own use. and report. The 

 engraver, we notice, left oft" the spiral spring to 

 raise the lever. Hello! here's another machine. 

 It is, perhaps, simpler but not so good.] 



