182 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 1 



te^-keeping, the shallow hives are superior, 

 anrl combs never break down as do the deep 

 ones. 



Fourth, with deep hives the eombs are nev- 

 er built out and attached to the wood all 

 around, as is generally true with the shallow 

 hives and frames; and I think it must be 

 clear to any logical mind that a hive that 

 does not accomplish the perfect building and 

 attaching of combs to the wood is deficient 

 in some essentials. 



Fifth, without wiring, good combs are an 

 impossibility with deep hives; but with shal- 

 >low ones, wire is never necessary. 



Sixth, foundation hangs nearer the center 

 of the frame, and there is also less danger 

 of breaking down when a large mass of bees 

 get on to it when drawing it out. 



Seventh, shallow combs stand the strain 

 of heavy work, when extracting, much bet- 

 ter than do deep ones even when wired. 



Eighth, shallow combs are much easier to 

 uncap. If a man will take a look at the way 

 Coggshall is holding a L. frame to uncap it, 

 at the field trials at Jenkintown. Pa., then 

 witness the ease and rapidity with which 

 even your humble servant uncaps the shal- 

 low combs, without even moving or changing 

 the position of the comb, he will not be at a 

 loss to understand why some of us, at least, 

 appreciate the shallow hive and frame. In 

 the illustration spoken of, Mr. Coggshall 

 holds the frame nearly under his arm. With 

 shallow combs I stan^ the comb on the end- 

 bar, with thrt bottom-bar slanting slightly 

 toward me, and slice down the right side, 

 then, using the reverse edge of the knife, I 

 cut down the left side smoothly, rapidly, and 

 without once changing the position of knife 

 or <'onib. But can you do it with deep combs? 

 I think not. 



Ninth, it is almost impossible to free deep 

 combs of bees without shaking and brushing 

 them. Shallow combs and supers are easily 

 freed entire 



Tenth, shallow hives can always be con- 

 verted into either a small hive for comb hon- 

 ey or a big one for extracted honey, and at 

 a moment's notice too. 



Lest some one be fool enough to argue, as 

 did a party once before, that 1 had mixed 

 demerits of combs and hives, I will state 

 that 1 do not know of a demerit of one that 

 is not insepaiable from the other; for combs 

 of a certain depth have to lie used in hives 

 of a like depth. Now, ]\lr. Editor, is it not 

 a fact that every great manufacturer has 

 fought against shallow hives, and that every 

 one has been literally compelled to adopt 

 a shallow hive, the Root Co. last? and why 

 was this unless, as I suspect, that the so-call- 

 ed standard hive did not meet all the exact- 

 ing requirements of modern bee-keeping? 



Vigo, Tex. 



Some one advertises honey-cakes made in 

 Denmark, in the British Bee Jourtwl. More- 

 over, he says they will keep any length of 

 time. There is nothing rotten in Denmark. 



LIQUEFYING HONEY ON A COOK- 

 STOVE. 



Home-made 3Ieltin^- - tanks at a Cost of 

 Only a Few Cents. 



BY C. W. DAYTON. 



, Mr. Boot: — You gave so many interesting 

 pictures in the last two issues that I came 

 near forgetting to read the articles. Al- 

 though there have appeared descriptions and 

 pictures of several honey-heating devices, 

 there was none which seemed to hit my case 

 so well as the plan I am already using; and 

 as I belong to the list of small producers — 

 that is, producers of from two to ten tons, I 

 will send you a rough draft of my outfit for 

 melting honey after it has once become gran- 

 ulated solid. If we have a trade in the mid- 

 dle of winter, or the following spring when 



consumers are slacking oif from their pork- 

 and-beef diet, and before strawberries, cur- 

 rants, or other fruits arrive, it is advan- 

 tageous to have a quantity of honey left over 

 to supply such demand; and it also keeps 

 them in lemembrance of the good taste; so 

 that they will lot)k forward to satisfy further 

 their taste from the new crop. 



In the illu.stration six square five- gal Ion 

 coal-oil or honey cans are shown, with their 

 tops cut oft" so that a part about 10 inches in 

 depth remains. They will hold about 35 

 pounds of honey apiece conveniently. I usu- 

 ally pay 5 cents each for coal-oil cans; and 

 when the top is removed so that we can get 

 at the inside they are easily cleane<i.* The 

 large pan to cover all the cans is what I call 

 the hood. This comes down and rests on 

 the stove all around to conHne the heat^, as 

 will be easily understood. Under the cans 

 will be seen coils of stout hoop or band iron, 

 J or 1 inch wide for the cans to rest upon so 

 as not to come in direct contact with the 

 stove. Over the reservoir of the stove none 

 of these are needed. 



Now as to results: The eight receptacles 

 will melt about 200 pounds in three hours — 

 about enough to fill 60 quart jars, and that is 

 about all I care to deliver in a single day — 

 that is, to private houses. If they went to 

 dealers, by the dozen, I should ni^ed more; 

 but I do not put much on dealers' shelves in 

 winter or spring, as they sell st) slowly and 



