ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS ASSOCIATION 



113 



Mr. Taylor — I want to say a word 

 about the cover. I have a great many 

 covers. Of course, once in a while one 

 will warp a little, but I would not use 

 a ^ inch board. I would use a ^, and 

 you see at once the reason for it. It 

 has not the strength in warping to 

 draw the cleats out of shape. I would 

 use a §^ inch board, and instead of us- 

 ing a single cleat at the end I would 

 have a flat piece nailed on to the end 

 of the cover even with the upper sur- 

 face of the board, and then another flat 

 piece up on the top covering the first 

 cleat and part of the board. In that way 

 you will likely get those two parts of 

 the cleat so that they will not both want 

 to go in the same direction if the cover 

 wants to warp. If you use that thickness 

 of board, §^, and cleat them in that way 

 (I can't give the size now of the cleats 

 I use, but not very heavy), there will 

 be very few of them that will warp to 

 do any damage. 



Mr. Wheeler — I have one idea on this 

 subject. It is not my idea; it is the idea 

 of James Heddon. The first cover he 

 put out gave a space all around and 

 under the cover. We tack a strip on 

 the outside edge of the cover on the 

 side and a cleat on the edge — I presume 

 you have seen them described in the 



American Bee Journal so that the 



cover sits on the rim and does not 

 crush any bees; and if the board in the 

 center warps, the outside rim sits square 

 because it is fastened to the ends. The 

 4 pieces around the hive are fastened 

 together, and if the center board warps 

 or twists a little bit it does not allow the 

 cover to change so that the bees can 

 escape. The warping of the main cover 

 does not affect the warping of the rim 

 outside, which will maintain its shape, 

 because the ends of the 4 pieces around 

 are nailed together, and rest down on 

 the square hive. I like it very much, 

 and I do not have any trouble at all with 

 the cover warping enough to let the 

 bees get out or the cold weather to get 

 in. . 



Mr. Hutchinson — When a board 

 warps, it is the heart side, that is, the 

 convex ; and in nailing up the hive turn 

 that side up. It is at the corner of the 

 hive, and not in the center — it is always 

 at each end. Nail them up with the 

 heart side out, and then the tendency is 

 to warp to the center, and that is almost 

 impossible. If the corner will stay the 

 board will last. 



Dr. Bohrer — I want to sanction what 



Mr. Hutchinson said in regard to the 

 manner *in which boards ought to be 

 put together, whether top, bottom or 

 side. With regard to the roof of a 

 hive, I think, as Dr. Miller said, that 

 it is one of the most important things 

 connected with the hive, to have a roof 

 that will not leak, and one that will be 

 the least trouble. The roof that has giv- 

 en me the most satisfaction is made of 

 two boards, coming together in the 

 center, and the outer edges being dressed 

 down, beveled with almost a feather 

 edge, or ^ inch, maybe, at the outer 

 edge, and % in the center, and then a 

 saddle-board on top of that. In putting 

 them together they won't come down 

 square on the roof, and I make it a 

 rule to put a weight on them — a brick- 

 bat. That will usually weight them 

 down, and I do not find that kind of 

 cover to warp very much. There is the 

 cover made of two boards, in the center 

 a piece of tin, and as long as the tin is 

 well painted it will last 15, 20, maybe 

 25 years. In calling this question up, un- 

 derstand it is not the price of hives that 

 I wanted to bring up a discussion in re- 

 gard to, but for convenience and dura- 

 bility — ^that is what we want. The price 

 is one thing, and the question of dura- 

 bility and practicability is another. 



National Food Law and Honey. 



"Will the National Pure Food Law, 

 enacted by Congress, increase the sale 

 of either or both comb and extracted 

 honey?" 



Mr. Taylor— No. 



Mr. Nau — Yes. 



Mr. Arnd — I think it will. At least 

 I have found it so in the grocery trade 

 in Chicago. We used to have to send 

 a wagon to sell our honey, and now 

 they come to our place and get it. Those 

 people that have been putting up bogus 

 honey are out of business today, t 

 think it will increase the sale of pure 

 honey. 



Mr. Wilcox — I think the more pure 

 food laws we have the better. It does 

 increase the sale of honey. The pure 

 food law increases the sale of almost 

 everything that has been adulterated. It 

 restores confidence in the product, and 

 the people will buy. I think it is a 

 good thing in that way. 



Mr. Wheeler — I would like to ask 

 what is going to be done about the honey- 

 dew that happens to get in the hon-ey. 

 How are we going to meet that? 



Mr. Moore — I think the answer to 



