128 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



bars are narrow, and staples are used as side- 

 spacers. 



However, Mr. A. G. Willows, of St. Catha- 

 rines, Ont., says he used exactly such a frame 

 as was described on page 94 in last issue, in the 

 summer of 1893, and that he wrote to us at that 

 time (we had forgotten it) calling our attention 

 to them, but that we replied that we could not 

 see our way clear to change the length of the 

 top bar, or something to that effect. 



Both Mr. Boomhower and Mr. Willows very 

 properly felt that they ought to have the credit 

 for being prior in the use of a bee-space around 

 the top-bars in connection with a staple end- 

 spacer. Both seem to be entirely ignorant of 

 what the other has done. 



Now, if the reader will turn to my article on 

 page 94 of our last issue he will see that I did 

 not claim the idea was new. I simply carried 

 the impression, which was true, that the im- 

 provement was something new to our catalog. 

 In other words, we introduced the improve- 

 ment as a new one to our customers, just as we 

 introduced the Hoffman frame in 1890— a de- 

 vice that had been used for 15 years or more 

 prior to our adoption of it. As I shall present- 

 ly show, neither Mr. Boomhower nor Mr. Wil- 

 lows is prior in the use of the bee sp ce around 

 the top-bar in connection with staples. A. I. 

 R. says Langstroth was the first one to make 

 and use io; that he bought frames of this de- 

 scription of Ransom & Cobb, of Cleveland— a 

 firm who made the Langstroth hives away 

 back in 1864 and '5. In proof that Mr. Lang- 

 stroth did use this very thing, the reader is 

 referred to "Langstroth on the Honey-bee," 

 1857. Plates 1, 16, and 22 show the bee-space 

 around the ends of the top-bars. It is true, 

 the staples are not shown; but A. I. R. says 

 they are mentioned and their use discussed in 

 the old volumes of the American Bee Journal, 

 and were used by him and quite a number of 

 other bee-keepers who were then following 

 Langstroth. 



1S57! Well, well ! How many times we think 

 we have invented something, only to find that 

 Langstroth was ahead of us by about thirty 

 years! 



But I do not care how old an idea is. If it Is 

 a good one, use it; and if not, throw it away. 



Unless Mr. Boomhower used staples under 

 the projections of the Hoffman frames pure 

 and simple, Mr,. Willows will have to have, for 

 the present, at least, the credit of being prior 

 to any in the use of staple end -spacers when 

 applied to Hoffman frames. With regard to 

 staples or nails as side-spacers, E. France & 

 Son Jused them a great many years ago— just 

 how long I can not say.cThe idea is certainly 

 very old. I find in Gleanings for 1890, page 

 99, and 1891, page 474, spacers of thi s desc rip- 

 tion. In the American Bee Journal for i87f, 

 page 252, will found that Henry Alley used 



staples as side-spacers. Again, in the same, 

 journal it seems that Mr. Thomas used side- 

 spacers to Langstroth frames. A reference to 

 it is given on page 203 for 1870. British bee- 

 keepers have for years used a bee-space around 

 the ends of the top-bars, in connection with a 

 shoulder or end-spacer, to butt up against the 

 hive-rabbet under the top-bar. See Cheshire 

 and the files of the British Bee Journal. A 

 single reference from this journal will suffice; 

 viz., Jan. 1, 1876, page ]69. Again, Mr. A. B. 

 Weed (brother of the foundation man) used 

 short top-bar projections with nails under them 

 some 15 years ago. 



In justice to Mr. Boomhower, perhaps it 

 would be fair to state that he may have been, 

 and probably was, the first to make use of 

 staples as both side and end spacers. His ar- 

 rangement will make a very excellent self- 

 spacing frame, and I will illustrate it in an 

 early issue of Gleanings. But taking it all in 

 all, I should prefer the Hoffman as illustrated 

 in our last issue, for the reason that I want the 

 wide part of the end to help conserve the heat, 

 and also because the sticking together of these 

 contiguous parts of the frame is a decided ad- 

 vantage rather than a disadvantage. I want 

 the frames to stick together some. It is much 

 easier to handle them thus in pairs and trios 

 than to try to hold them together by mere fric- 

 tion; and then in carrying the hives about, this 

 slight sticking prevents the frames from slip- 

 ing about. Still, there may be some who would 

 prefer the Boomhower plan. All that would 

 be necessary would be a few extra staples ap- 

 plied to our regular thick top frames having 

 end-bars X wide. We can furnish hives for 

 this combination at the same price as our reg- 

 ular ones; but the hives will have to be order- 

 ed from the factory rather than from any of 

 our branches or agencies, as we shall not regu- 

 larly keep them in stock. 



FOUNDATION WITH DEEP CELLS; MR. HXTTCHIN- 

 SON'S "note of WARNING." 



Commenting on what was said on this sub- 

 ject, both in the Americayi Bee Journal and in 

 Gleanings, Mr. Hutchinson, in the February 

 Review, feels " that a most earnest warning 

 ought to be given regarding the use of such 

 foundation." Well, perhaps I had better give 

 all he says, and here it is: 



We all know that the eating quality of comb honey 

 has not been improved by the use of comb founda- 

 tion—much has been the complaint about the " fish- 

 bone " in comb honey. Comb, natural comb, is of a 

 light friable nature— like the feathery, new-fallen 

 snow. Once this snow has been melted it can never 

 be restored to its former state. It may be frozen 

 again, but it will be hard and solid; it will be ice. 

 Of course, Nature can evaporate the water, and 

 form it into snow again, but man can not restore it 

 to snow. In a like manner, once comb has been 

 melted into wax its character is changed. It is 

 no longer comb, but wax. Another simile has 

 been used by Mr. Bingham; viz., that "butter is 

 butter, but melted butter is gi-ease; so comb is 

 comb, but melted comb is wax." Comb foundation 



