THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



97 



right lengths by hand. That will look 

 strange to the uninitiated, but it ie 

 so. In the woodworking shops, it 

 takes nearly as much time to cut 

 across a board 6 or 8 inches wide as 

 it takes to rip lengthwise one 10 or 

 12 feet long. By hand it is the re- 

 verse. Ripping a plank is entirely out 

 of the question while cutting it across 

 can be done nearly as quickly and 

 much cheaper than by machinery. 

 Here in East Tennessee, I can get the 

 planks dressed one side and of the 

 widths wanted for 20 to 22 dollars 

 per thousand feet. Out of them the 

 pieces necessary for a hive body, 

 cover, bottom and one super can be 

 cut by hand in half an hour. I get 

 the pieces needed for one-fifth or one- 

 fourth the price that I would have to 

 pay the 



The Hoffman frames cannot be made 

 at home. They are not the best kind, 

 notwithstanding the claims of the 

 parties interested in their sale. I use 

 what is called in Europe the impro- 

 polisable frame. It is made of four 

 plain pieces with nails at the ends of 

 the top bar. These nails rest on strips 

 of iron. Small notches cut in the 

 strips hold the frames in place, but 

 do not prevent the apiarist from plac- 

 ing the frames farther apart or closer 

 together if he chooses to do so. Thus 

 the advantages of both kinds, the 

 Hoffman and the plain frames, are 

 secured. As the only places where 

 the bees can put propolis are where 

 the nails rest on the strips of iron, 

 and there is but little room there, these 

 frames are more easily handled than 

 any other kind. 



They can be made very cheaply. 

 Secure from the wood working shops 

 long strips of the proper widths and 

 thickness and cut them of the right 

 lengths, a handful at a time, in a 

 mitre box. They can be made from 

 scraps and need not be dressed, mere- 



ly ripped. 



The best way is for the apiarist to 

 use a gasoline engine power saw and 

 do his own sawing. I have used a 

 home made foot power saw success- 

 fully, but it is rather hard work and 

 comparatively slow. At the present 

 prices, I would advise the use of a 

 gasoline engine. A foot power saw 

 with a suitable pulley attached can be 

 run with a small engine and do the 

 work as well as can be desired. In 

 this way the apiarist can use any 

 kind of lumber, old boxes, etc., and 

 make cheaply not only his bee-hives, 

 but all the boxes, crates, etc., that 

 he may need. And if he is also a 

 farmer, which is often the case, he 

 will find lots of repairs and new things 

 to do: gates, troughs, tables, etc. Be- 

 sides that, the engine can also be used 

 for cutting feed, churning and many 

 other purposes. 



With his own saw, the apiarist can 

 cut small pieces quickly and accurate- 

 ly. Among other things, he can make 

 the separators or "fences" for the 

 supers of his bee hives. 



They can be made of one wide piece 

 instead of four strips. The manufac- 

 turers make them with strips because 

 it enables them to use their smallest 

 scraps. Instead of grooved posts at 

 the ends of the frames, it is easier 

 to put two pieces, one at each side, 

 as shown in the figure. 



I presume that the Review readers 

 know already that I am making my 

 own foundation with a Rietsche press. 

 It may interest some of them to know 

 that this summer I have used brood 

 combs made of about one-third or a 

 little over of paraffine and two-thirds 

 wax. The combs made with that mix- 

 ture are as good in every respect as 

 those of pure wax. Next summer I 

 will try a larger percentage of paraf- 

 fine. 



Inheritance in the Honey Bee 



By WILMON NEWEIj L, CoUege Station, Texas 



More or less time has been devoted 

 by the writer, during the past four 

 years, to a study of inheritance in 

 the honey bee, as a project under the 

 Adams Fund. Innumerable obstacles 

 to the progress of this investigation 

 have accumulated to justify the an- 

 nouncement of a few interesting 



points. 



The matings have been made, for 

 the most part, at an isolated mating 

 station on the Gulf Coast prairie, about 

 forty miles northwest of Houston, 

 Texas. The location of the station is 

 almost ideal for this purpose, for 

 there are no trees or shrubs affording 



