138 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



points of junction of the band two arms of a 

 bar should be attached. This bar should run 

 up through the standard or cross bar close to 

 the horizontal bevel wheel on the reel shaft 

 and should be joined to the lever by a link. 

 The lever should be attached to a fulcrum 

 that is rigidly attached to the standard. 



If preferred a hollow reel shaft can be 

 used and the collar and its attachments can 

 be moved up and down by a core or rod in 

 the shaft. This core has a cross pin attach- 

 ed to it that passes through slots in the reel 

 shaft and into the collar. The core is joined 

 to the reversing lever by a revolving joint 

 and link connection. My first idea was to 

 move the core by having a revolving cap like 

 those used on carpenter braces, attached to 

 it. The lever fulcrum and guide can be at- 

 tached to a circular bed plate that surrounds 

 the shaft and is held in place by a collar. 

 This will allow the lever handle to be placed 

 in the position that best suits the operator. 

 The reel shaft should be thicker where the 

 slots are cut into it, and the lower journal 

 should be solid and pass into the hollow part 

 of the shaft. This, I think, will make a nice 

 arrangement, especially if the gearing to 

 give motion to the reel is at the sides and 

 bottom of the machine. 



White House Sta., N. J. April 17, '93. 

 (To be continued.) 



If the Porter Escape Lacks Capacity, Ex- 

 periments Have Not Proved It, 



B. & E. 0. POBTEB. 



>R. AIKIN'S theories regarding bee- 

 escapes, as given in the last issue of 

 the Review, although plausible, as 

 such, are not in accord with the facts in the 

 case as we find them in actual experience. 

 While, on first thought, it seems reasonable 

 to suppose that enlarging the exit capacity, 

 or increasing the number of outlets of an 

 escape, would proportionately increase the 

 rapidity of its working, yet extensive and 

 pains-taking experiments, made by our- 

 selves and others, during several seasons of 

 practical work in the apiary, with a view to 

 determining this very question, have satis- 

 fied us that nothing is gained in time by the 

 use of more than one properly constructed 



Experiments to prove any thing regard- 

 ing different forms of escapes must, neces- 

 sarily, be comparative and made with great 

 care, under precisely the same conditions, or 

 erroneous conclusions will be reached, es- 

 pecially as there are so many influences, 

 aside from those any particular character- 

 istic of the escapes themselves may possess, 

 that have their effect to vary the length of 

 the time occupied by the bees in passing 

 through them. The time of the day the es- 

 capes are put on, the state of the weather, 

 the presence or absence of a honey-flow, the 

 different dispositions or traits of the bees of 

 the different colonies, or whether or not 

 they have unsealed brood or a queen below, 

 all these have their effect. 



Limited tests, made with but one form of 

 escape, as were those made by Mr. Aikin, 

 can prove nothing regarding any other 

 form. 



It seems almost needless to add that the 

 reason the Porter escape, which, by the way, 

 is not, as some seem to suppose, merely a 

 particular or specific form of escape, but 

 which, on the contrary, embraces all forms 

 in which one or more laterally yielding or 

 leaf springs are used (see the Porter patent 

 application filed Aug. 10, '91, issued Jan. 10, 

 '93), is on the market in the form that it is, 

 is because, after having been carefully 

 tested for an entire season by several expert 

 bee-keepers in a large number of different 

 forms, embracing those in which the bees 

 pass out under the springs, those in which 

 they pass out over them, those in which they 

 pass out between them, those in which they 

 pass out between them and the sides of the 

 escape, those having exits varying from one 

 to a dozen, and those in which perforated 

 tin was used for the tops, also for both tops 

 and bodies, this one (the one adopted) 

 proved in every way the best. The univer- 

 sal favor with which it has been received 

 after extensive use in both America and 

 Europe, the sale of thousands with the priv- 

 ilege of being returned and having money 

 refunded, if, after trial they are not found 

 superior to all other kinds of escapes and 

 satisfactory in every way, but not one re- 

 turned nor a word of complaint from any 

 one, and the scores of complimentary letters 

 received, lead us to think that we have made 

 no serious mistake in the matter. Yet, even 

 this will not cause us to remit our endeavors 

 to imi)rove. 



Lewistown, 111. April 22, 1893. 



