THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY. 
449 
— z>., American lime — each box consisting of two 
narrow and two wider pieces, planed on one side only 
(the outer side), as bees fix their comb more easily to 
wood as it leaves the saw. The sides A are about i-j^in. 
wide, and 4Jin. long; the top and bottom pieces 
being the same length, but Jin. narrower. The parts, 
after they are brought to the correct thickness, are 
clamped together in hundreds, and run over a ‘‘gang’’ 
of grooving-saws (thick, circular saws), which, cutting 
grooves into the ends of the clamped-up pieces, leave 
eight notches at each end of the separated sides, and 
seven in those of the top and bottom. The eight pro- 
jections (dovetails ?) of the top and bottom fit into 
the hollows between the nine projections of the sides 
with such accuracy that knocking them together with 
a hammer gives a box with tolerable — perhaps suf- 
ficient — rigidity; but a touch on the dovetails of thin, 
light glue, which I have always used, holds the four 
pieces together with astonishing tenacity. 
The little labour glueing involves is, in my judg- 
ment, more than compensated by the subsequent ease 
and freedom with which these sections can be handled^ 
They are then beyond injury, and instead, when filled, of 
depending upon the stiffening given by the comb, and 
sometimes losing a bottom rail in removal, the sections 
yield to the tender cells the fullest protection, pre- 
venting the bleeding and depreciation too commonly 
attending the use of flimsy boxes. 
The greater width of the sides gives entrance-way 
to the bees from below, as the top and bottom pieces 
are kept Jin. apart as the sections stand side by 
side. The corresponding openings above permit of 
VOL. II. 2 G 
