1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



593 



entrances open full width, and 

 they all came throug^h finely. 



I have tried chaff cushions in 

 supers, and have always had 

 trouble with them, on account 

 of their g^etting wet, and rotting 

 and tearing. Now I use rag" 

 carpet. If you leave supers 

 on, try a few packed with old 

 rag- carpets. I think j'ou will 

 be pleased with the results. 

 Better say something to the 

 women about it, before you take 

 it, as thej' might not like it. 

 Mine didn't. 



HIVES MADE AT THE PLANING- 



mill; are they ANY better? 

 Several j'ears ag-o I built up 

 an apiary near Springfield, 

 and decided to patronize a plan- 

 ing- mill for the hives. Sure- 

 ly, where they had ample pow- 

 er the saw would i un right, and 

 then I could pick out the lumber 

 tosuitm3 self; but I found, when 

 I came to select the kind it 

 seemed I wanted, the lumber 

 was too dear, and I was com- 

 pelled to take a cheaper grade. 

 Well. I did the best I could. 

 The man looked at his watch, 

 pushed the lever, and away went 

 that saw, and it looked as if 



"WHY. THE PLEASURE I DERIVE FROM PUTTING T0(, ETHER 

 BUNCH UF FACTORY HIVES MURE THAN PAYS THE EXTRA COST. 



'the fits I USED TO HAVE, AND "THE ETERNAL FITNESS OF ALL 

 THINGS." 



all would be plain sailing; but be- 

 fore I got through I saw my mis- 

 take, and heartily wished myself 

 out of it. In the first place, the 

 man knew nothing of what I want- 

 ed. He was competent enough to 

 handle the machines and g^et out 

 an order for panel doors, or sash 

 and blinds; but a hive was out of 

 his line, and I had to tell him as 

 we went along ; and I tell you, 

 for a greeny to go in there and try 

 to measure and figure and count 

 with that old saw running at the 

 rate of $1.00 an hour soon gets one 

 rattled, or it did me. Well, after 

 it was all over it looked as if I 

 must have selected lumber with 

 strings in it, for the ends looked 

 like the frayed end of a piece of 

 rag carpet, and were beautifully 

 corrugated ; and when I put them 

 up I felt all the time that I ought 

 to have iron rods to hold them to- 

 gether. 



I want a hive specialist to make 

 my hives, and don't want any bet- 

 ter than the kind they make at 

 Medina. 



Pataskala, O. 



[It is not impossible to get "bad 

 fits" on factory hives if the dove- 

 tailing should happen to be done 

 when the lumber is not quite dry. 

 It is then that the manufacturer 

 gets "particular fits." — Ed.] 



