PUBLISHED EVERY WEEK 



AT $1.00 PER ANNUM. 



35th Year. 



CHICAQO, ILL., APRIL 4, 1895. 



No. 14. 



Coi;)tributed /Kriiclcs^ 



On Important A.piariai2 Subjects, 



Combined Feeder — Its Coustructioii and Use. 



BY J. A. GOLDEN. 



There has been a great deal said through the bee-papers, 

 during the past year, in regard to the percolator feeder, and 

 while,, this plan of feeding may have its advocates, I send 

 you a photograph of Flody feeding her bees with one of ray 

 combined feeders, which you will see leaning against the 

 front of the hive, and is so constructed as to be used for a 

 brood-frame cover, doing away with the oil-cloth or burlap, 

 and is always ready to feed for winter stores, or stimulating, 

 feeding back extracted honey to finish sections at the closing 

 of the season, or sugar in any form, and the beauty of it all is, 

 one can feed a large number of colonies in a few minutes. 



Plody's plan is to lift off the hive cover, raise one end of 

 the cushion, and pour the feed through the wire-cloth that 



b 



Mr. J. A. Oolden — See page 220. 



covers the feeder. No bees can get out, no robbers get in. 

 Push down the cushion, put on the cover, and off to the next. 

 Thus, by looking at the photograph, it will fully explain this 

 combination of feeder and hive-cover. 



This (1894) being the second year that I have used them 

 on all of my hives, gives me an experience from which I am 

 persuaded that there is not one bee-keeper in a thousand that 

 would use any other after trying one of these. They are of 



Miss Flody Feeding Her Bees. 



simple construction, and could be manufactured very cheaply. 

 I find that I can feed twice the amount of feed with this 

 feeder than I can with any other feeder in the same length of 

 time ; besides, it is the best winter cover and ventilator I ever 

 saw or used ; and for spring stimulating it is very valuable, 

 never having to disturb the cluster, nor causing cold drafts of 

 air to chill the brood. I hope that every bee-keeper in the 

 land will make and try one. I will give the plan of construc- 

 tion : First, the board K is cut to fit the inside measure of the 

 hive, and is of % lumber, with a '■'s strip nailed around the 

 under edge for bee-space over the brood-frames. Then cut a 

 % slot across one end, like at E, 6 inches long, just inside the 

 end board, which is 2}i inches wide and % thick. The ends 

 are raitered, and nailed near each end of the board K. Side 

 strips to correspond are nailed close to the edge of the board 

 K, and to the end boards ; nail from the underside of board 

 K. The edges should be dressed bevel to make the top true. 

 Cut a strip of wire-cloth to fit the top of the inclosure; take 

 strips like the old comb-guide, lay one under and one on top 

 around the edge, and with '4 inch wire tacks nail and clinch 

 all around, which makes quite a good frame. Then with two 

 small leather hinges attach to one of the end-boards this 



