THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



both the upper aud lower surfaces of the 

 houey board, directly over the openings be- 

 tween the slats. Finally, the device of 

 making saw kerfs in the edges of the slats 

 entered my head, and at about the same 

 time without any knowledge of the work of 

 each other, Dr. Tinker, C. E. Boyer and 

 yourself also conceived ttiat idea. This can 

 hardly be called an invention, allow me to 

 say, because no new function was produced 

 that did not exist when the zinc strips were 

 tacked to the top or bottom of the board. 

 It is merely a matter of convenience. It 

 comes properly under the head of a device. 



Later on, I conceived the plan of making 

 an all-metal honey board with eight rows of 

 queen excluding openings, coming directly 

 over the center of the eight top-bars to the 

 brood frames below, (the same break- joint 

 principle tiiat existed in my old honey 

 board), the zinc being turned up at the 

 edges, bee-space, the bee-keeper tacking a 

 strip of wood around the edge or not, as he 

 might think best. This may be the coming 

 houey board, being even better than the 

 combination zinc and wood slatted honey 

 board, but only time aud experiment will 

 determine. This honey board may be stiif- 

 ened by V shaped pieces of tin as deep as 

 the bee-space below, being soldered on the 

 under side, about two of them to each honey 

 board, and being placed in such position 

 that the point will come directly over the 

 center of the space between the brood 

 frames belftw ; a cute arrangement which 

 will not prevent the bees passing all around 

 it. and consequently will not cause gluing. 

 This very all-metal honey board was highly 

 prized by Father Langstroth, who strongly 

 urged me to get a patent upon it, but I did 

 not consider it enough better than the com- 

 bination wood and zinc to be worth patent- 

 ing and defending in United States court. 

 Some of our writers have expressed a fear 

 that eight rows of queen excluding openings 

 would not give enough v>assage way for the 

 bees of a strong hive. Ui)on this point I have 

 made careful experiment, aud I am liere to- 

 day to say that I know that there never were 

 so many bees in any two hives that the said 

 eight rows of openings were not more than 

 ample for passage way. 



You have seen in my apiary, Mr. Editor, for 

 many years, ^v, deep top bars, which I adopt- 

 ed some twelve or fourteen years ago, feeling 

 sure that the depth of wood before the comb 

 began would act as a great preventive against 

 brace combs being built above the brood 

 frames, and such is found to be true, and 

 such frames, used in connection witli my 

 break-joint, bee space honey board, would 

 be of great advantage in lessening brace 

 combs below it, and come into general use 

 were it not for some objections to such top 

 bars. Tiiat kind of a top bar will by no 

 means take the place of a honey board, for 

 too many brace combs will be l)uilt above 

 them because there is no break-joint princi- 

 ple. Haviu2 given it a thorough trial we 

 know just what we are talking about. 



Regarding your mention of Dr. Miller's 

 trouble in having brace combs built above a 

 break-joint honey board; in our locality I 

 cannot conceive of trouble from that source. 



unless the apiarist neglected his chances and 

 compressed his bees to an extent which lost 

 him many pounds of honey. Such an over- 

 siglit might result in such brace combs, but 

 notliiiig else here. However, when bees will 

 build brace combs between the top surface 

 of my break-joint honey-board and the sur- 

 plus receptacles, there is nothing further to 

 be done unless it be to put on two honey- 

 boards, the second one being constructed in 

 such a way as to break joints with the iirst. 

 This will stop it, and the bees will work well 

 through both of them, too. 



I tell you, Mr. Editor, it has been almost 

 provoking to witness the damaging stub- 

 bornness with which bee-keepers have re- 

 fused to be convinced of the advantages of a 

 good honey board, but of course time is a 

 sure teacher and all will see it soon, but by 

 the time the masses thoroughly appreciate 

 it, there will be and are now most useful fea- 

 tures which they will still oppose, but we 

 must be patient and wait for the mills which 

 grind slowly but surely. 



DowAGiAC, Mich., Dec. 27, 1889. 



Brace Combs Lessened, but not Entirely 

 Prevented, by Square Top Bars. 



CHAS. H. GKEEN. 



"I^N my experience, in the past ten or 

 ytj twelve years as a specialist in bee keep- 

 ,^9 ing, I have carefully studied as well as 

 tested many of the new devices which 

 have been offered to the public. Among 

 these is the slatted, wood and zinc honey 

 board, and, after testing them thoroughly 

 for live years, I should dislike very much 

 now to be obliged to do without them. 



My preference is now strongly in favor of 

 the (lueen exclutler made of wood and metal. 

 For some time I was afraid it might be ob- 

 jectionable to tlie bees and would hinder 

 them in their work, but I am now satisfied it 

 makes no difference. For the last twelve 

 years I have used a frame, the top bar of 

 which is ■^s square. Eight of these frames 

 occupy a space of twelve inches. I have also 

 several other hives which I have purchased 

 from other parties, the top bars of which are 

 's, but are beveled from the top to a sharp 

 edge at the bottom. All hives have a bee 

 space over the frames. While I am troubled 

 more or less with brace combs over the 

 square top bars, there is a much greater 

 amount over those having the beveled top 

 bars. The annoyance caused by these brace 

 combs hav been overcome, in a measure, 

 by the use of either the slatted or zinc honey 

 boards. While brace combs will be built 

 from the toj) of the brood frames to the 

 honey board, there will be none of any con- 

 sequence built from the top of the honey 

 board to the surplus receptacles above, pro- 

 viding there is a ,5-lG space between. 



The use of honey boards greatly facili- 

 tates the ease in adjusting and removing 

 surplus arrangements, and also lessens the 

 danger of robbing as there are no brace 

 combs dripping with honey when cases are 

 removed. I also invert them on the hives 



