1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



17 



It will be noted that the raised projec- 

 tions, or bosses, are stamped at regular in- 

 tervals in a narrow strip of tin. The later- 

 al projection of these bosses is equal to just 

 half the distance between the end-bars 

 when properly spaced; and when these end- 

 bars are IjV inches wide there will be a t^g- 

 inch space between them when separated 

 1| from center to center. The depth or pro- 

 jection of the bosses will, therefore, be just 

 half, or s\ inch. As they are stamped right 

 out of the sheet metal they will be very 

 strong, especially as they are stiffened by 

 the ribs or braces on each side. But prima- 

 rily the object of these ribs is to prevent 



MARBACH.S METAL-SPACED HOFFMAN FRAME. 



these raised projections from catching or 

 hooking on each other when these frames 

 are inserted into or removed from the hive 

 by providing a sliding contact over the 

 bridge- like ribs. 



The whole strip with its raised projections 

 is bent in the form of a letter U, and slipped 

 over the top-bar and end-bar, binding both 

 together. 



One objection to the Hoffman is that the 

 projection of the top-bar that rests on the 

 hive- rabbet being so frail it is liable to split 

 or break off; but this band of metal firmly 

 binding it to the end- bar will make this im- 

 possible on this frame. As the raised pro- 

 jections are united by strips of metal they 

 will always be equally distant apart, so they 

 will always register— that is to say, come 

 directly opposite each other when the frames 

 are in the hive. 



Another objection that has been raised 

 against the regular Hoffman was that, if it 

 were not nailed up right— the V edge al- 

 ways the same way— its value would, to a 

 great extent, be destroyed. The new Hoff- 

 man can not be put up wrong, for it has no 

 rights and left. No matter how the spacers 

 are put on, they will always come right. 



The appearance of the frame put up with 

 this spacer with its bright metallic binding 

 is very neat. In fact, we may say it is the 

 handsomest frame, and at the same time the 

 strongest, of any put out heretofore. It 

 may be handled in precisely the same way 

 as the Hoffman; and, no matter how abun- 

 dant the propolis may be in any locality, 

 these small metal surfaces can not be glued 

 together. 



The usual objection, that this being a me- 

 tal spacer will interfere with the uncapping- 



knife for extracting, maybe possibly urged;" 

 but in talking with some of the extracted- 

 honey men at the National convention, who, 

 by the way, generally approved this frame, 

 it does not appear that this objection would 

 be as serio'js in actual practice as in theory. 

 In all cases where metal spacers are used, 

 the uncapping-knife must be handled in a 

 slightly different manner. It is the general 

 practice to start the blade of the knife (when 

 the frame is stood on end) at the bottom 

 edge, or what would be near the end-bar now 

 at the bottom. The knife is then worked 

 seesaw fashion upward until it is almost up 

 to the other end of the bar at the top. It is 

 then withdrawn, when the other edge of the 

 blade is entered just below the upper end- 

 bar, meeting the first cut, when the whole 

 film of capping will drop away free. But I 

 was told that one could use the uncapping- 

 knife with metal-spaced fram.es in the regu- 

 lation way, using one cutting edge through- 

 out. A little care on reaching within a 

 quarter of an inch of the metal will prevent 

 dulling the knife. 



It should not be understood that this 

 metal-spaced Hoffman will supplant the reg- 

 ular all- wood Hoffman, The probabilities 

 are that the great majority of Hoffman us- 

 ers will still prefer the old standby, as pro- 

 polis is not a serious enough problem to in- 

 terfere with its use in most localities. This 

 new frame is merely offered to suit condi- 

 tions where propohs may be unusally abun- 

 dant, or to meet the preference of those who 

 do not want any sticking at all of the frames; 

 and those who wish something which can be 

 picked up out of the hive singly or in pairs 

 without a pry at any season of the year, any- 

 where, need to look no further. 



N. B.— This frame can be used inter- 

 changeably with the regular Hoffman frames 

 in the same hive, without modification. 



THE ROOT TWIN BABY MATING-BOXES. 



As intimated in our Dec. 1st issue, p. 1244, 

 we now recommend a twin mating-box, us- 

 ing a frame three to the L. , in preference 

 to the small Swarthmore or Pratt box con- 

 taining two frames, six of which weuld just 

 fill the regular standard Langstroth. This 

 box is almost cubical in shape, and is divid- 

 ed centrally from top to bottom with a thin 

 veneer partition-board. This is made thin 

 in order that the warmth of the two clusters 

 may be the better combined into one cluster. 

 In each division there are two little frames, 

 three of which, as explained, will just go in- 

 side of the regular standard Langstroth 

 frame, the division being made on perpen- 

 dicular lines, see Fig. 2. In order to make 

 these hang in the hives in the little twin 

 mating-box a little piece of folded tin slides 

 over each end of the top-bar, as shown at 

 F and G. The^se can be slid back as shown 

 at B, Fig. 2, or shoved out as shown at A 

 and F. When used in this latter position, 

 they serve as a projection which rests on a 

 wooden rabbet in the little hive. When the 

 frames are to be filled out with drawn comb 



