GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1921. 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



each for the gallon size. Before the war I 

 bought them for 7c and 10c each, respective- 

 ly. Since the consumer pays for the jug 

 extra and has the privilege of returning 

 the empty jug at the same price patd for it, 

 the price does not make so much difference. 

 However, it would be an advantage to both 

 the producer and the consumer if the jugs 

 were less costly; less money would be in- 

 vested and the loss would be less if a jug is 

 accidentally broken. I believe the price 

 could be reduced considerably if all the 

 progressive honey producers would use 

 them, as the demand would thereby be in- 

 creased so that the factory could put in full 

 time making them. 



Perhaps bee supply companies could be 

 induced to order the jugs by the carload 

 and advertise in their catalogs to sell to 

 honey producers at cost. Let's ask them to 

 do this for the good of the cause. To adver- 

 tise honey in this way is to increase the 

 demand, thereby encouraging a uniform 

 and fair price for honey in a standard pack- 

 age, as a staple article to be found in any 

 store in the United States. 



Greenville, Wis. Edward Hassinger, Jr. 



NAILS AND NAILING 



Proper Sizes and Spacing of Nails for Best Results 



The U. S. Forest Products Laboratory has 

 by experiments arrived at some conclusions 

 regarding the economical ways of nailing 

 wood that should be of 'general interest to 

 beekeepers. 



Probably a majority of beekeepers use 

 too few nails, while quite a number of peo- 

 ple in an endeavor to make a strong job 

 overdo the matter by driving so many nails 

 that they split the ends of the boards. Not 

 a few use the wrong kind and size of nail 

 for greatest security. 



It is reported that the cement-coated 

 nail has from 10 to 30 per cent more hold- 

 ing power than the same nail not coated. In 

 most cases the barbed nail had the least 

 holding power of any. The short nail of 

 large diameter has small holding power, 

 while the long slender nail lets go by its 

 breaking. The stout nails are better for 

 hard woods, and the long slender ones for 

 soft woods. 



For woods of medium hardness, the nails 

 should be of the same penny as the thick- 

 ness of the board in eighths of an inch; 

 that is, 4-penny for a half-inch board, and 

 8-penny for an inch board. 



Six-penny nails should be spaced 1% to 

 2 inches apart, and the space increased 

 about i/i inch for each additional penny 

 in size; so that 8-penny nails should be 

 spaced about 2^2 inches apart. 



I might add to the above information 



from the Forest Laboratory, that when 

 white pine and basswood were plentiful and 

 cheap and most generally used by beekeep- 

 ers east of the Rocky Mountains, there 

 was little danger of using too many nails, 

 as those woods did not check easily by 

 nailing. But now when cheaper woods like 

 spruce, fir, redwood, and hemlock are so 

 much in use, especial care needs to be ex- 

 ercised in nailing, as these woods split eas- 



In this era of expensive lumber, high 

 freight rates, and comparatively cheap nails, 

 it is advisable to use as light lumber and 

 as many nails as the wood will stand in 

 making up shipping crates and cases. 



Do not fail to remember that according 

 to the experiments related above, cement- 

 coated nails have the greatest holding pow- 

 er, for wire nails; smooth nails next, and 

 barbed nails least, in most instances. 



Some years ago the army engineers at 

 the Watertown Arsenal found by experi- 

 ments that cut nails of the same length 

 as wire nails had an average of about 60 

 per cent more holding power than wire 

 nails. But as cut nails are higher in price 

 than wire nails, very few are used at pres- 

 ent. 



As the word "penny," as applied to the 

 size of nails, is all "Greek" to people in 

 some sections of the country, I might state 

 that originally an 8-penny nail weighed 

 about 8 pennyweights, and a 40-penny spike 

 about 40 pennyweights. Nails made now 

 are lighter in weight, but the lengths remain 

 the same. A 4-penny nail, that is, 4-penny 

 size, is 1% inches long; 6-penny, 2 inches 

 long; 8-penny, 2% inches long; 10-penny, 3 

 inches long; 12-penny, 3% inches long. 



However, they are liable to vary about 

 Vs of an inch from the above figures, which 

 are for "common" nails. "Fine" or fin- 

 ishing nails, are not much used by bee- 

 keepers, as the heads are so small that they 

 draw thru soft woods. A. N. Clark. 



Charlotte, Mich. 



EXTRA CHAMBER FOR STORES 



Shallow Extracting-super for Stores, and Brood-cham- 

 ber for Brood 



Many of us are convinced that for bee- 

 keepers, in the northern sections of the 

 country especially, the Langstroth frame is 

 not deep enough; and, consequently, many 

 arguments are being presented in favor of 

 the Jumbo or Quinby frame, or the 12 or 13 

 frame Langstroth hive. I think we had bet- 

 ter go slowly in making such a change. For 

 wintering, perhaps the deep frame is su- 

 perior; but for all-around purposes the 

 Langstroth frame is superior. 



Very few beekeepers now use the Lang- 



