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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNALk. 



723 



tween the ordinary commercial nails that are purchast at the 

 hardware stores, and the nails that the manufacturers of sup- 

 plies send out? 



Dr. Miller — Yes, sir. 



Mr. DeLong — A neighbor of mine said the nails were gal- 

 vanized, or had gone through some process that prevented 

 them from rusting. Nails that will rust in the hive lose their 

 efficacy in holding the hive together, and of course a bee- 

 keeper who puts up a good hive out of good material should 

 put in good nails so as to keep the good things all together. I 

 think the bee supply companies would be a good place for the 

 bee-man to buy his nails. I want to say in regard to the sup- 

 ply men, that I think they are a blessing to the fraternity. 

 They are helping to make bee-keeping more easy, and are 

 helping to elevate the business. 



Dr. Miller — I want to make an apology. Not so very long 

 ago there was put before us what I think Mr. DeLong has re- 

 ferred to--lhat is, what were called cement nails, with a cov- 

 ering of cement to make them hold tighter. I said there was 

 no need for them — that we could get the same effect cheaper — 

 just rust your nails and they will hold tight. After getting 

 some of the cement nails, I wanted to take that back. They 

 are away ahead of ordinary nails. You can put in a nail so 

 small that it won't split the wood at all, as an ordinary smooth 

 nail would, and the cement nails will hold much tighter. It 

 is cheaper in the end to use the cement nails ; they cost a lit- 

 tle more per pound, but you get more to the pound, as you can 

 use a smaller nail. I have gone through the wholesale and 

 retail hardware stores in Chicago for the right kind of nails 

 without finding them; then I sent to the manufacturers of 

 bee-supplies and I would get the right kind. You cannot get 

 the right nails In the large places, let alone the small places. 

 It is a big thing to get the right kind of nails. If you have 

 never tried the cement nails, try them and you will be con- 

 vinced. 



E. R. Root — I want to say a word in regard to the use of 

 wire nails and cut nails. Wire nails won't draw the boards 

 up together ; cut nails will. Wire nails won't hug the boards 

 close, but cement wire nails will draw them up tight. Some- 

 time ago the thought occurred to us that we wanted to make 

 a better hive, and we put the price up, as we also did the 

 quality of the material. The growth of our business has 

 shown us that the people appreciate that we want to make 

 better goods, even if we have to charge higher prices. Last 

 season we had more business than we could possibly take care 

 of. We endeavor not to put knotty or shaky boards In our 

 hives. We are endeavoring to give the bee-keepers what they 

 want. We are anxious to see what changes and what im- 

 provements can be made. Last year I traveled a great deal, 

 and nearly every year I go around among the bee-keepers and 

 see what they want. We want to know how we can improve 

 our goods. Words of intelligent criticism are what help us 

 supply dealers. In regard to marking packages, we have a 

 rubber stamp for marking, but in the rush of the busy season 

 we leave that stamp off of some of the packages, probably. I 

 presume that some get goods without being stampt. We in- 

 tend to put stamps on all packages, indicating the contents of 

 the packages. 



Mr. Masters — There is one thing in reference to the nail 

 question that I wish to say, that has not been said yet. I lind 

 that the nails that I get from Mr. Root — and I presume I 

 would probably find the same thing with those furnisht by 

 other manufacturers — have points. They are sharp-pointed, 

 and will stick in. You stick in a nail and it will stay where 

 you put it until you strike it. If a man has to hold a nail 

 while he gets it started, it is a great inconvenience. These 

 pointed nails I have found to be a great advantage In putting 

 hives together, especially with the smaller nails. I consider 

 cement nails a great advantage. I have found out that the 

 nails hold much better. I have sometimes had to drive boards 

 apart that had been nailed together, and with the cement nails 

 I have found that sometimes the head of the nail would pull 

 through the wood rather than let the nail draw out. It is a 

 great advantage to have nails that will hold, and sharp- 

 pointed nails. 



A. I. Root — Some one has said that the cement nails are 

 cheaper, and they are cheaper for this reason : A smaller nail 

 of this kind will hold better than a larger nail that is not 

 cemented. 



Mr. Lathrop — Perhaps I am the only man in the room 

 who ever thought of such a thing, but I wish the supply deal- 

 ers would use different nails for nailing up cases and boxes. 

 They nail them up as if they never expected them to be 

 opened again. I would like them to use short, smooth nails for 

 nailing up shipping-boxes — any boxes that contain supplies. 

 Sometimes the bee-keeper has to tear the cover of the box all 

 to pieces, for the packers have used too many nails, ur the 



nails are so long they won't pull out. An ordinary amount of 

 nails will hold a box together while it is going from the fac- 

 tory to the bee-keeper, and he can open It without destroying 

 the boards. 



Dr. Miller — I think the manufacturers should, when they 

 send out a case of goods, nail it securely. Sometimes I think 

 there are not fastened up tight enough. 



Mr. Danzenbaker — Stuff shipt to our part of the country 

 can hardly be nailed too tight. The boxes get handled very 

 roughly by many of the colored freight-haudlers. I have sev- 

 eral times had goods lost by their not being nailed up strongly 

 enough. I would rather have ten boxes nailed up too strongly 

 than one that is not nailed strongly enough, and is broken 

 apart. 



Dr. Miller — I believe I have had the same feeling that 

 Mr. Lathrop has. I suppose it is a hard matter to know how 

 to fasten up packages. It makes me feel badly to have to 

 split a nice cover all to pieces, but I suppose it is a difficult 

 thing to do to strike just the right medium. 



Mr. Danzenbaker — I use a nail-puller, such as dry-goods 

 men use in opening boxes. I can draw the nails out and save 

 the covers without brealcing them. 



Mr. Spaulding — I went into several hardware stores hunt- 

 ing for them, and the hardware men said they didn't keep 

 cement nails at all. The traveling men on the road wanted 

 to sell them to them, but couldn't. The hardware men said 

 carpenters wanted nails that they could hold in their mouths, 

 and that the taste of the cement nails was objectionable. 



E. R. Root — The ordinary hardware dealers do not seem 

 to know of the cement nails, but they will after awhile. 



Dr. Miller — Is there anything in the covering of those 

 cement nails that is injurious ? 



E. R. Root — It is only a preparation of tar. 



Mr. Rauchfuss — As the supply manufacturers seem will- 

 ing to hear a little criticism, I believe this is a good time to 

 say something about the way hive-bottoms are made. We get 

 bottoms frequently that are in two pieces, and in our dry 

 climate they shrink apart and leave quite a big crack. I 

 would like to have the bottoms always in one piece. With the 

 bodies of the dovetailed hives, if they are made of lumber that 

 is not thoroughly seasoned, and if they lie in our locality for 

 a few months without being made up, it is almost impossible 

 to put them together without splitting. The dovetails will not 

 fit any more. 



Mr. Hatch — I would like to say one word against poplar 

 shipping-cases. They do not look good ; they do not ship 

 good, and I do not think they are good. They split, and don't 

 present a good appearance. 1 would rather have pine than 

 poplar any time. 



At this point it was moved, seconded and carried that the 

 regular business of thl^onvention be closed with to-night's 

 session. 



Ex-Gov. Alvin Saunders, of Nebraska, an old-time bee- 

 keeper, and the only war governor of Nebraska now living, 

 was then introduced to the convention by Pres. York, and 

 spoke briefly as follows : 



SHOKT ADDRESS BY EX-GOV. SAUNDERS. 



I did not come here to teach anybody. I want you to un- 

 derstand that I am here as a scholar myself, and a pretty 

 new one at that. I take a great interest in this work that is 

 in the minds of those who are here. I should have liked to 

 be with you from the beginning of your proceedings, but I 

 regret that I have been busy with some other matters which 

 made it impossible. 



I have never attended a meeting of persons connected 

 with this kind of work that I did not Hud some pretty good 

 citizens, and I feel myself honored to be associated with this 

 class of people. I have a little farm and have some bees on 

 it, and produce a little honey for our own use, and may be for 

 the use of my neighbors, sometimes; but I don't boast of that 

 at all. I know very little about the business. I am only a 

 scholar myself, as I say, and am here to be taught by others, 

 rather than to try to teach you ; therefore, I shall not try to 

 teach you, but shall just simply try to thank you for the good 

 your visit has done me. We are glad to see you. Many States 

 are represented in this meeting, and we of Omaha are proud of 

 that, and we are proud of the character of the men who rep- 

 resent our own State. You have never seen a Nebraskan who 

 was not proud of his State. 



Dr. Mason — Nor an Ohioan, either. 



Mr. Saunders — No, nor an Ohioan. When we Nebraskans 

 want to get office, we go back to Ohio for it. [Laughter.] 



Dr. Mason — W. J. Bryan didn't go to Ohio, and he got 

 left. 



Mr. Saunders — Now I came here, as I say, to gather in- 

 formation from you. When I go home, my folks will say that 



