132 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



April 



Simplicity hive, with the frame in place. It 

 will be observed that this frame has the top 

 and bottom alike, and that there are no 

 projections, for it to hang on. The only 

 supports the frame has, are the bent wire 

 staples, shown at D, C, and on a more en- 

 larged scale, at A. These are made of a 



scovell's suspended frame. 

 large size of tinned broom wire, which is so 

 elastic as to give considerable spring. I 

 need hardly state that they are to Ibe hung 

 on a nail head, in the end of the hive. 

 These nails are all driven in the exact spot, 

 by having a strip of iron, with a notch where 

 every nail is to come. Drive the nail tn the 

 notch, until the head just comes down to 

 the iron. Move your gauge away, and 

 it is all done. These nails a-ie cheaper than 

 the metal rabbet. If the bees do attach pro- 

 polis to the polished wire, it will snap off, 

 almost as soon as the wire is touched. To 

 fasten on these wire loops, two holes are 

 pricked at onoe, with a two pronged instru- 

 ment, or several end bars may be pierced at 

 once, by having a foot power punch. The 

 wire should go through just about as hard 

 as it can be pushed, and then clinched on 

 the inside. I need hardly say that these 

 holes must all be pierced at exactly the same 

 spot, or we shall have much trouble. To 

 get out the frames, you have only to lift 

 them, until the loops are raised from the 

 nail lieads, and then lift the frame out. The 

 upper story, will not be in the way at all, 

 and we can lift the frames from even the 

 lower story of the Simplicity hive, without 

 taking off the upper one. If we wish to use 

 chaff cushion division boards, we shall have 

 no rabbets to plug up or make tight, but on- 

 ly a plain square board; and the sheet of 

 cloth covering the frames, will go clear up 

 into the corners, anywhere, with no calcula- 

 tions to make for the rabbet, as before. Is 

 it not beautiful V But now we will take the 

 other side. 



OBJECTIONS. 



The one great objection, in my mind, is 

 that the frames are at fixed distances, and 

 cannot be slid along on the rabbet, nor used 

 interchangeably, unless the combs are pret- 

 ty nearly of a thickness. This difficulty, 

 since the 11S8 of fdn., isnot so great as be- 

 fore, for combs built on the fdn., are pretty 

 much alike, or at least they can be made so. 

 The other great objection is, that should 

 the bees get more honey in one side of the 

 comb than the other, which they often do, 

 the comb would be likely to swing out of 

 true. This could be remedied, by liaving 

 two nails, and a square ended loop on the 

 wire, but this plan, for several reasons, I 

 think untenable. We also might have nails, 

 staples, or a wire "zigzag'' at the bottom of 

 the frames, to keep the bottoms in place, 



but all such contrivances, have been over 

 and over again discarded, for various rea- 

 sons. I have used them all, and have exper- 

 imented much, besides hearing from many 

 others who have used them ; and I am sure 

 I would prefer just the simple wire loop and 

 nothing more, if I used it at all. 



Now we will listen to the inventor; of 

 course he is sanguine, for who ever knew an 

 inventor who was not. He has wisely chosen 

 one of the most shallow frames, for hi»— 

 what shall we call the hive friend Scovell ? 



I heliev^ that I am the orig-inal inventor of the 

 methori of suspending' cr)mh frames. I have also in- 

 vented a machine for bendin°r the wires, on which 

 they can be made for a trifle per thousand ; a pwund 

 of wire m'^ke^ 800 loop^. I will take the liberty of 

 answering- the objections In your letter, I run 70 

 hives last- season havinar double sets of frames of 10 

 each, and in no instance was I troubled by having- the 

 bees fasten the wires to the nails. A few of them 

 did fasten the quilt to the wires and nails when they 

 happened to oome in contact with them ; but I be- 

 lieve that if the top of the wire was % or ?£ of an 

 inch from the top of the frame they would not at- 

 tempt to fasten it. Nails without heads would have 

 to project too far inside of the hive, in order to keep 

 the frames from falling off ; nails with heads can be 

 driven in close, leaving- just room for the wire to 

 pass over. I have had hives brought 6 miles this 

 winter on a lumber wag-on, without having- a frams 

 f-astened and not one jumped fron its place. I, too, 

 did not like frames at exact distances. But by hav- 

 ing- a hive that oblig-es me to place them in. I find 

 that r have the straightest lot of combs that I have 

 ever had. I use no wire at the bottom to keep the 

 frames plumb ; if the frame is made true and hung- 

 true it makes but little ditfereace whether it is sus- 

 pended by a nail driven into the end— as hundreds 

 use them— by a projecting tip bar, or by a wire loop. 

 You say the wires would get twisted but of shap^ 

 with awkward handlin:?. I extracted 4.000 lbs. of 

 hiney last fall, 70 hives out of 110 having frames 

 with wire loops, and not one was twisted out of 

 shape. It would make this letter too long, for me to 

 attempt to tell you the advantages which i think one 

 gains by using the wire loop. I have a plan for ma- 

 king the hive double walled which [ think is just the 

 thing. Bv to-day's mail I will send you a sample, 

 showing the bond of mv wires and the manner of 

 hanging the frame. For large frames like the stan- 

 dard Langstroth, I would use No 18 or 19 tinned wire. 

 My frame is just 7^ inches deep. 



As you have had a great deal of experieneo with 

 different kinds of hives. I would be glad to have you 

 give mv plan a trial and see how you like it. If you 

 conclude to adopt the plan in whole or in part, I will 

 do what I can toward making it a durable hive. 



H. Scovell. 



Columbus, Kan.. Feb. 33d, 1878. 



Over 1000 February No's were given away, and now 

 we are obliged to offer lOe. a piece for 'era. Isn't it 

 sad to contemplate? Never mind, send us a Feb. No, 

 and we will send you the 10c. 



There! I have got all the pateijt office Oazetten 

 right at my elbow, in anTEmerson binder, and whe-n 

 anybody tells about his patent, I can read it for my- 

 self. The patent on Bingham's smoker is for a ma- 

 chine for "destroying insects by fumigation," per- 

 haps that is all right, but why does he not sav some- 

 thing about bees somewhere, if it is a "bee" Imple- 

 ment? 



^ t»* • ■ 



Our friend .1. M. Brooks, of Elizabethton, Ind., 

 makes a specialty of selling bees, and his circular is 

 well worth sending for. His bees are all yellow bees 

 and he says you do not have to put them on the win^- 

 dow to see the thi-ee yellow bands, either. I am well 

 aware, friend B., that if the bees are all a nice yel- 

 low, cnstomers are prettv sure to be satisfied ; if yon 

 can get just as large yields of honey, and have just 

 as good success wintering, as with the darker beos, 

 we shall all be satisfied 



