190 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



better take it to a planing mill. Even 

 should you conclude to plane your stuff by 

 hand, these same directions will apply all 

 the same. Our Chatf hives were all planed 

 by hand, every part of them, until but a few 

 nionths ago. With a hand saw and square, 

 you can cut up the lumber very well, but if 

 your time is valuable, and you have 25 col- 

 onies of bees and a prospect of more, you 

 will most assuredly save money by having 

 some kind of a foot power circular saw. On 

 this account, all the directions for making 

 the Simplicity hive were specially adapted 

 to the foot power saw. To be sure that I 

 was in error no where, I stood over one of 

 the Avorkmen, while he made a complete 

 hive, with the saw we use. If you really de- 

 sire to make a hive with a hand saw and 

 plane etc., you are to cut your stuff up, just 

 as I directed. Straighten one edge with a 

 jack plane, in the good old way ; (beg pardon, 

 if this soimds sarcastic, I tried not to have 

 it) then with a gauge mark out the width of 

 your boards, saw them out with a hand rip 

 saw, and plane down to the line. When 

 this is done, with a plane and bevel square, 

 dress off one corner, until you have the de- 

 sired bevel for the bottom edge of the 

 boards. The rim to go around under the 

 cover can be dressed out in the same way. 

 The shoulder that we made on the top edge, 

 to exclude wind and rain, can be cut very 

 nicely after the hive is nailed up, with a 

 plane bit ground on a grindstone until it 

 will cut the desired shape. You can do it, 

 and you can make nice work, but it will pay 

 you just about as well as it will to mow a 40 

 acre tield with a scythe, when you can get 

 your neighbor's niowingmachine for a trifle, 

 to do the whole quickly and nicely. 



FRAMES FOR HIVES. 



The frames to fit the hives I have describ- 

 ed, are 17| by 9i. I took these dimensions 

 from a frame Mr. L. sent me several years 

 ago, in answer to an application to him for 

 a frame of the dimensions he would prefer. 

 Altliough some of the frames in common 

 use, called the L. frame, differ s<miewhat 

 from these dimensions, yet the frame will 

 lit the greater number of hives in common 

 use, known as the L. hive. There is some 

 difference of opinion in regard to the com- 

 parative merits ot frames with metal sup- 

 porting arms, and those having the top l)ar 

 i)volonged. at each end, so as to form a sup- 

 port. I decidedly prefer those with the 

 metal bearing, as being more easily 

 handled, even at the risk of having them 



slip about once in a while, when we do not 

 want them to. I want a frame so "mov- 

 able," that it can be picked up at any time, 

 with one hand even, in spite of all the pro- 

 polis the bees can fasten to its attachments 

 to the body of the hive. The all wood 

 frames have considerably the advantage in 

 cheapness, and they can be got up on short 

 notice, Avith very little machinery. 



It is a very important thing to have all 

 our frames, as well as om- hives, exact in 

 size, and to insure this, we have gauges 

 made for each separate part. We formerly 

 used wooden gauges, but after long use, we 

 find there is danger of inaccuracy from the 

 shrinking and swelling by changes of weath- 

 ei-, or loosening of joints by use, and we 

 have, therefore, decided on steel gauges, 

 which we make of a cheap carpenters" 

 square, such as are to be had at almost any 

 hardware store. The stops are made of 

 brass, and are put on with rivets, as there 

 is always more danger of a solder joint giv- 

 ing way, than of a riveted one. The draw- 

 ing below will, I think, make it all plain. 



► 



Ei^ 



m^ 



GAUGE FOR FRAME MAKING. 



The plate on the end is put on that end of 

 the square that reads one inch, thus enabling 

 us to read the dimensions in inches, at the 

 same time that we are trying a piece of 

 board to see if the length is right. One side 

 of the square gauges the top bar, and the 

 otlier side, the bottom bar. The notch in the 

 side gives the length of the end bars. Eor 

 frnmes, we use box lumber tliat costs about 

 $."-0. per M. A cheaper quality would an- 

 swer, and we might work cull lumber to 

 quite an advantage, were it not that there 

 would be great danger of bad pieces getting 

 in, and we really need the very best straight 

 grained pine for our frames, both brood and 

 section, that we can get. For the metal 

 corners, the lumber is to be i)laned just I of 

 an inch ; aft^r trying frames with the bars 

 of almost all widths, I think I would prefer 

 this to any other width. Square the end of 

 your board with the cut off bar, and then 

 set the i)arallel bar at such a distance, that 

 the pieces cut off will be of sucli length, as 

 to just push in between the stops on your 

 gaxige. Do not say, when you have it near- 

 ly right, "that is near enough", but have it 

 just as nice a fit as it can be ; tlien you can 

 go on cutting up yom- boards, without any 

 fear of inaccuracy. For metal cornered 

 frames, vou liave onlv to cut off two lengths: 



