412 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



Somehow the report got out that The A. I. RrotCo.'s 

 manufacturing plant had burned, and we are be- 

 ginning to hear from our agents and dealers. We are 

 very glad to inform our readers that it is a mi'-take; 

 that our plant is intact, and is operating in every de- 

 partmem full blas-t and over time. We have had no 

 fire for about a year, and even that did not delay us for 

 more than two hours. 



THE HUBB.ARD BEE-HIVE CO. 



This company, who succfeded G. K. Hubbard at 

 Fori Wayne. Ind., and manufactured the Hubbard hive, 

 burned out a few weeks ago; and. not wishing to re- 

 build, I hey have .■-old out to us their business and good 

 will. All letttrs addressed to them are foiwa ded 

 here. We are not prepared as yet to supply the Hub- 

 ba'd hive, as we are t( o much crowded with orders for 

 our regular styles, but shall be pleased to luinish iht ir 

 customers with such goods as we are prepared to sup- 

 ply- 



COMB FOUNDATION MACHINES. 



We have some improvements in comb foundation 

 machines to offer at this time. We have had under 

 construe ion for a year or two past a new machine for 

 cutting the rdls ot the foundation mills automatica ly. 

 This m.~ chine is built much stronger and heavier than 

 the old one; and while requiring less attention on the 

 part of the operator, it will do more accurate work 

 and do it in le's time. 



But the most important new feature which we have 

 al.so developed in connrction with the new machine is 

 the punch which forms the cell formers on the rolls 

 We are able with the new punch toget a more perfect- 

 ly shaptd cell wi h base ot uniform thinness, and as 

 near the shape of natural comb as it is possible to at- 

 tain. Moreover, there is no sharp ragged edge left on 

 the cell-formers, so that the foundation comes from 

 the rolls much more freely than from mills made with 

 the o'd style punch. All mills numbered fromSOOOand 

 up are made with the new-style punch. 



PERFORATED ZINC. 



We have built an entire ly new machine for perforat- 

 ing queen excluding zinc and have a carload of sheet 

 zinc already on hand to use in the new machine. It will 

 take sheets S'2 inches wide, where the old one takes 28- 

 inch zinc. The new sheets will be 32X9t) instead of 

 28x96 and will go in at the same price. The holes are 

 a little closer together; in fact, just as close as the i Id 

 Tinker zinc. We have had an increasing number of 

 orders for boards 16x20. and as we had to pay extra 

 for sheet zinc 28 inches wide over that which is 32, we 

 decided to build the new machine wide enough to take 

 32 inch zinc. We expect to have smoother perfora- 

 tions. Me do rot exacth' reduce the price, but, rath- 

 er thsn change the basi of prices at this season we do- 

 nate the ext'a 4-inch >trip on lull sheets reserving the 

 right to fill orders out of stock with 28x96 so long as 

 stock in the hands of our dealers lasts. Boards 16x20 

 will be $1.60 lor 10. Other regular sizes listed are not 

 changed in price. 



BUSINESS COMPARISONS. 



Business continues to increase, as shown by a few 

 comi,ari.'ons. In the three months of this calendar 

 year we have shipped 53 carloads against 49 during ihe 

 same period last year. Totalcars to April 1, thisx e^r's 

 bu.siness, from Sept. 1, 100 against 85 in the .<-aine" time 

 last year. The middle West has taken the most of 

 this increase We have shipped 2 cars this year atainst 

 one last year into Kansas; 5 against 2 into Missouri; 7 

 against 2 into Iowa; 9 against 1 into Ch'cago; 4against 

 3 into Indiana: one extra to Cincinnati, O.. and Bell 

 Brai ch, Michigan, and 10 against 3 into Southwest 

 Texas. 



I" spite of this increase in shipments we have more 

 unfilled carload orders than we had the same date last 

 year. 



We have made to date, from Sept. 1, over 13 million 



sections, against about 7 million last year, and 84,000 

 lbs. of foundalior against 74.0>.0 a year ago. 



We are right up with orders on sections and founda- 

 tion and have some surplus of both ahead of orders. 

 It i^ hives a d supers whrch are crowding us most, and 

 holding back orders. In spite of the advice t) have 

 your hives made at home, and the fact that more than 

 usual have fo lowed that aJvice. still we have not bten 

 able to turn out hives fast enough to fill i.rdeis prompt- 

 ly. For several weeks we have been short on dry bass- 

 wood for sections, but we were fortunate in having a 

 large stock to draw from in filling orders Dry lum- 

 ber engaged has been prevented from coming forward 

 because of the exc<-s>ive snow in Michigan. The new 

 cut is now nearly dry enough to work, and we never 

 had a larger or nicer lot of white basswood than we 

 have secuied this year, right here in Ohio. We are 

 also well supplied with a large stock of dry pine for 

 h'ves and are pushing things to our utmost to get the 

 goods out to those in need of them. 



SFCOND-HAND FOUNDATION-MILLS. 



We have the following list of second-hand founda- 

 tion-machines to offer. To any one iaterested we 

 shall be pleased to mail a sample made from any one 

 ot these machines on application. 



No. 057 2^x14 hexagi rial medium-brood mill. This 

 has been used in our wax-room; has ~ome slight blrm- 

 ishes in the rolls which mar the looks of the founda- 

 tion a little, but do not injure it for ute in the hive. 

 Price S20 



No. 0)6, 2V^xl4 light-brood mill: of same description, 

 but for a lighter-weight foundati m. Price 820. 



No. 05V 2x10 Pelham mill. This is a nea'ly new 

 machine, but the cells do ni,t havea natural base, and 

 for that reason this make of mill is not desirable. 

 Price f7. 



No. 2275, 25^x6 hexagonal extra thin-super mill, in 

 good condition Price $15. 



No. 058. 2'/2x6 hexagonal thin super mill, in good 

 ccndiiion; has been used in our wax-room, and taken 

 oui to make room for a wider mill Price $15 



No 159. 2^.\6 hexago al extra-thin super mill, in 

 good condition. Price $15. 



No. 13. 2s6 hexagonal e.\-trathin-siiper mill, in ex- 

 cellent condition except fori ne crushed cell. Price $12. 



No. 014, 2x6 hexagonal extra-lhin-super mill, in good 

 condition, with one bad cell. Price $12. 



No. 037, 2x6 hexagonal extra-thin-super mill, in fair 

 condition; cells somewhat pitted. Price 88 



No 2132, 2x6 hexagonal extra-thin-super mill, in good 

 conditio!'. Price $.0. 



No. 061, 2x10 hexa onal medium brood mill of late 

 pattern, in good condition except that a few ot the 

 cells on uppei roll are scratched some, but not enough 

 to be very noticeable in the foundation. Price 814. 



H S M FENCE. 



We have gone to an expense of over $200 in dies and 

 tools fjr making Danz. M fences with cross slots as 

 shown below The great advantage of this form of 

 fence over the ordinary one with wooden cross-cleats 

 is the free communication around the edges ot the sec- 

 tions, insuring a comb filled out full to the side as well 

 as at top and bottom. The freer communication al- 

 lowed to the bees encouraged them to wo k more 

 freely in the supers fitted with these fences. Much 

 the larger proportion of sections used in Great Britain 



are open 4 sides, and used with cross-slotted separa- 

 tors, permitting side communication and insuring bet- 

 ter-filled sections. The tin cleats on the H. S. fence 

 have a raised boss at the top and bottom to act as a 

 sp cer for the plain sections. This is the same idea 

 brought out in 18 8 by Hyde and SchoU, of Texas, but 

 the form was not perfected till this year. We have 

 supplied for use in S mthwest Texas this year over 80li0 

 of these fences fitted in Danz. supers. They aie worth 

 85 00 per 100 or Danz. 2 M or 4 M supers will be fitted 

 with these H S M fences at 15 cts. each extra for this 

 season to those who wish to try them. We are not 

 prepared to furnish this style of fence for the 4}(X4}i 

 sections. This would require a new set of dies. We 

 want to see ihem thoroughly tested this season with 

 4x5 sections in Danz. supers. 



