72 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



■unable to attend the regular meetings. 



Mr. Miitli informally replied to tiie 

 tJovernor, showing that a growing 

 ■demand for liquid honey was spring- 

 ing up— being now largely consumed 

 in manufact\iring. Among manu- 

 facturers using honey are the pork 

 packers, for sugar-cured hams ; to- 

 bacconists, bakers, confectioners, 

 manufacturers of printers' rollers, etc. 



I. K. Cotton, Dr. O'Rear, J. Kin- 

 dey, Mrs. Kobbins and Mrs. Stout 

 "were appointed delegates to the 

 North American Bee-Keepers' So- 

 ciety, with instructions to ask the 

 Society to hold its next session in 

 Indianapolis. 



After some appropriate resolutions 

 for favors conferred on the Society, 

 the meeting adjourned to the call of 

 the Executive Committee. — Indiana 

 -Farmer. 



For tile American Bee JournaL 



Best Way to Use Small Sections. 



DR. G. L. TINKER. 



That the readers of the Bee Jour- 

 nal may know why it is proposed to 

 have the new small sections only ]j?3 

 inches tliick, it may be well to explain 

 how they are to be used. 



I think that every bee-keeper can 

 ■see that it would be a great ad vantage 

 if the sections could be set down at 

 ■once upon the brood frames so that 

 the passage ways would be continuous 

 into the sections. With broad frames 

 or racks holding the 2-inch sections it 

 is necessary to raise them at least }4 

 inch above the brood frames, in order 

 to admit the bees into all the passage 

 ways between the sections. This y 

 inch space I believe to be a hindrance 

 to the bees entering the sections and 

 affords a place for the bees to build 

 comb, which often interferes in lifting 

 out tlie frames. It is also no little 

 trouble to cut away these bits of comb 

 after the section cases are taken off. 

 Some colonies are worse than others 

 about building comb in tliis space and 

 can hardly be induced to go above it, 

 into the sections, to work. If the pas- 

 sage ways between the brood frames 

 and the sections were contin nous, there 

 is no doubt but that it would facilitate 

 the bees in their work and result in a 

 larger surplus. 



iSTow, with a thin section to be used 

 With or without separators, this space 

 is unnecessary and the section case or 

 rack can be set upon the brood frames 

 so that all of the passage ways will be 

 continuous. If a rack is used it may 

 contain 36 to 40 sections, according to 

 the length of the brood frame ; 36 can 

 be used on 9 Gallup frames, and 40 

 upon 8 Langstroth. After the bees 

 iiave one rack of sections partly filled 

 it may be lifted oil and an empty rack 

 of sections put on. The upper rack is 

 then slid over the other one, endwise, 

 and no bees need be killed. ]>y tier- 

 ing up in tills manner. 120 half-pound 

 sections can be used at once to ad- 

 vantage. 



If wood separators 1-16 inches thick 

 be used between sections l-''s inches 

 thick, 9 bro id frames can be evenly 

 spaced 1 7-16 inches from center to 



center, in a hive just 13 inches wide, so 

 that when the rack of sections is slid 

 over the frames, the spaces will all bn 

 continuous. But if the section be \}4 

 inches thick, the frames would liave 

 to he spaced 1 9-16 inches from center 

 to center, but the hive would have to 

 be just 14 inches wide to hold 9 frames 

 where 10 are ordinarily used. This 

 would be spacing the frames too far 

 apart, and I think would not work 

 satisfactorily. Hence, if the sections 

 are to be set upon the frames in the 

 manner here proposed, the section 

 ought not to be over 1?^ inches thick. 

 If used without separators, a section 

 3?8x3;'|jxl?8 will hold just one-half 

 pound. If separators be used, tlie size 

 maybe S^^xS^lxl?^, which will hold 

 very near one-halt pound. 



To prevent the killing of bees, the 

 brood frames must be brought up on 

 a level with the top of the body of the 

 hive, so that the rack of sections can 

 be slid over the frames, endwise. As 

 I have used a similar arrangement to 

 the above, I can speak from experience 

 as to its practicability. There may be 

 some danger of the queen moving up 

 into the section department, but I do 

 not think it would often occur, espec- 

 ially where the deeper frames are 

 used. 



Since most bee-keepers will only use 

 a few of the half-pound sections, the 

 first season, on trial, it would not be 

 much trouble to prepare a few hives 

 and fixtures for the purpose, making, 

 of course, the hives to fit the frames in 

 use, and then, sometime in May, set 

 the frames and bees from some of the 

 old hives into them. 



New Philadelphia, O. 



For the American Bee Journal, 



The Forncrook Patent Section. 



M. M. BALDRIDGB. 



I have received Mr. Forncrook's 

 catalogue for 1883, in which I find 

 the following lansruage : " We intend 

 to prosecute manufacturers who in- 

 fringe upon our rights to manufacture 

 a one-piece section of any descrip- 

 tion." Also the following: "We 

 do not intend to molest bee-keepers 

 for using the one-piece sections they 

 may have bought of other parties 

 previous to Dec. 1, 1881, but caution 

 them against buying any not bearing 

 our stamp." The latter quotation is 

 equivalent to saying that bee-keepers 

 will be prosecuted for infringement 

 of the Forncrook patent for using 

 one-piece sections '■ of any descrip- 

 tion " made by outside parties since 

 Dec. 1, 1881. 



As the above is misleading, for- 

 bearance any longer to dissect the 

 Forncrook patent, ceases to be a 

 virtue. 



llnving had more or less experience 

 during the past 2-5 years in overhaul- 

 ing specifications and claims on " pat- 

 ent hives," it enables me to under- 

 stand the points in Mr. Forncrook's 

 patent. Having in my possession the 

 Forncrook specilic-itions and claims, 

 I will now give the latter, which are 

 as follows : I claim " as a new article 

 of manufacture, a blank for honey- 



frames formed of a single piece of 

 wood having transverse angular 

 grooves c. longitudinal groove d, and 

 recesses h, al 1 arranged in the man- 

 ner shown and described." 



The above is what is known as a 

 " combination " claim, being made 

 up of parts, as follows : One (1) strip 

 of wood; three (3) transverse angular 

 grooves; one (1) longitudinal groove; 

 and two (2) recesses or passage ways 

 for the bees, with both ends of the 

 strip " dentated " so they will " inter- 

 lock when brought together." The 

 specifications and drawings must al- 

 ways be referred to, to get at a proper 

 understanding of the claims and what 

 is meant by the following words: 

 " All arranged in the manner shown 

 and described." The following en- 

 graving illustrates the entire claim : 



czzn^gi^^LZZi 



Now, it must be apparent that, the 

 omission of any of the parts enumer- 

 ated destroys the" combination," and 

 renders the patent null and void. 



I will now introduce three illustra- 

 tions, as follows : 



1[ 



11 



E^ 



1 



L 



As none of the above sections pos- 

 sess all the parts of the "cimihina- 

 tion,"they evidently do not infringe 

 upon the Forncrook patent. 



And now let me suggest another 

 destructive element, to-wit : The 

 omission of simply the " longitudinal 

 groove!" In other words, the sec- 

 tion can be made all in one piece, 

 with both ends dentated, with the 3 

 transverse angular grooves, and with 

 tops and botf(mis narrower than the 

 sides, and still not infringe the Forn- 

 crook patent ! And why not omit 

 the " longitudinal groove," inasmuch 

 as the section is just as good without 

 it V For my own use I always omit 

 said groove ; in fact, I would as soon 

 use a^latitudinal groove as a " longi- 

 tudinal one !" 



As a rule, any " combination " pat- 

 ent can be easily evaded ; in other 

 words, it is not very difficult to drive 

 a " span of horses " or a " yoke of 

 oxen" right through one! I have 

 yet to find a " combination " patent, 

 on bee-hives, that cannot be evaded, 

 and still retain all the essentials. 

 The Langstroth patent was the most 

 difficult to evade, but even that could 

 be done and still make the hive very 

 practical. 



Now, if Mr. Forncrook lias as good 



sense as I give him credit for, he will 



never prosecute the makers, vendors, 



or users of the one-piece section for 



infringement, so long as they omit any 



of the parts of his "combination," as 



i indicated in his patent, and as set 



' fortli in this article. 



1 For one, I would like to hear from 



i Mr. Forncrook through the Bee 



! Journal in rei)ly to my analysis of 



