THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



133 



supers. The walls of these hives 

 were double glass, to give the 

 dead-air space, which protected the 

 bees against extremes of heat or 

 cold, and sudden changes of tem- 

 perature. That fractional -^, which 

 has puzzled so many, gave room 

 for two strips of wood, each one 

 inch wide by yV thick, against 

 which the double glass could be 

 fastened with glazier's points. One 

 pane of glass, 18 by 12, a common 

 commercial size, could be easily 

 cut so as to answer for one side. 

 M3' movable-frame hives were first 

 made in the spring of 1852, in the 

 city of Philadelphia — some six 

 months before the patent, which 

 was applied for in January, was 

 issued. These hives were 14|- 

 inches from front to rear, 18^ from 

 side to side. Early in 1853 my 

 hives were made in Greenfield, 

 Mass., and the first edition of my 

 book on the " Hive and Honej^-Bee" 

 wvis published in Ma3- of that year. 

 The present size of hives, 18^ from 

 front to rear 14^ from side to side, 

 and ten inches deep, was then 

 adopted. The dimensions, 18| 

 from front to rear, and 10 inches 

 deep, have never been changed ; 

 but that from side to side may 

 var}' according to the number of 

 frames, some preferring 8, some 10, 

 and some even more. I am cor- 

 rectly quoted as having said, in the 

 American Bee Journal^ in reply to 

 an inquiry-, " Considering the ac- 

 curacy which may be obtained in 

 making the frames stiff and per- 

 fectly- square, I prefer the Root and 

 Newman measurements." What I 

 meant was, that frames could be 

 made so stifl[* and square as 

 to allow of their being ^ of an 

 inch longer than the old standard 

 size, and that the ^ inch (instead 

 of f ), still left between the uprights 

 of tlie frames and the front and 

 rear walls of the hive, gave all the 

 room needed for their proper 

 nuuiipuhitioii. It never occurred 



to me that any one could possibl}' 

 suppose that I meant ni}^ frames 

 could be imirroved in squareness or 

 stiflTness by making them only |- of 

 an inch longer ! I then thought 

 that it was quite a desirable point 

 to gain this -|- inch, as in ten frames 

 it gave an increase of comb surface 

 enough for rearing over 1100 bees. 

 As such large operators as Hed- 

 don, Root and Baldridge, insist 

 that I of an inch space between 

 uprights of frames and hive is the 

 least that can be safely allowed ; 

 and as hives are not unfrequently 

 made, even by good workmen, 

 which vary a little from the true 

 dimensions, and further, as some 

 kinds of lumber are badly affected 

 by variations in the weather, I am 

 now of the opinion that f is better 

 than I. 



Considering the frequency and 

 severity of my attacks of head 

 troubles, which not only prevent 

 me from taking any interest in bee 

 matters, but which render any 

 thought upon such subjects both 

 painful and dangerous, it will not 

 seem surprising that it is only 

 within a few wrecks that I have 

 learned that the change in the size 

 of the standard L. frame was made 

 to carry with it a change in the size 

 of the standard L. hive ! I have 

 no recollection of ever having read 

 the article to which Mr. Baldridge 

 thinks I ought to have responded, 

 until I saw his reference to it in 

 the A. B. J. of August 8ih, or I 

 should before this not only have 

 corrected his misunderstanding of 

 the reason I gave for preferring 

 that extra ^ inch, but should have 

 expressed my deep regret that the 

 size of the standard L. hive had 

 been changed ; not that slight 

 changes in frame and hive are of 

 any special importance, except as 

 they interfere to any extent with 

 the cardinal principle, that any L. 

 frame ought to fit in every L. hive. 

 Even after I ceased to use tlie 



