APICULTURE. 431 
How shall we obtain these requisities? If we would compete with 
Bro. Thielmann and Bro. Urie at the state fair next fall, we must lay 
the foundation now. If we would compete in the markets of the 
world, we must make preparation at home long before the bees 
begin to swarm. 
To accomplish these points we must adopt a section that when 
filled full will weigh about apound. I consider the 4144 x44x 7lgin. 
the proper size for general use with separators, and I do advise the 
use of separators by the general public. The members of this as- 
sociation do not need to use separators; they are skilled in their 
profession; they look to all the points; they keep their hives level; 
they keep their bees strong so that when they go into the surplus 
case they fill it and straight combs come naturally. For such bee- 
keepers I would advocate the 444x414 x7 to the foot and a full sheet 
of comb foundation. The average beekeeper uses about one pound 
of comb foundation for a bunch of 500 sections; his bees take care 
of themselves; some are strong, but most of them are weak; buta 
few bees go into the super at first, they cluster on some section and 
there is a vast unoccupied space all around them; honey is coming 
in slowly; they draw out the comb, and there is no limit to the size— 
it may bulge out on both sides way past the edge of the section and 
weigh one and one-half to two pounds. Later, honey comes in more 
freely, more bees are hatching all the time, and after awhile the case 
is filled. Later, when the bees more perfectly fill the case, some very 
straight combs may be found in the same case with some very bad 
ones, Had this person used separators, he would have had all the 
combs straight, because the few bees would have occupied one or 
two sectious somewhere in the center of the surplus case, and when 
they had drawn out the combs within about three-eighths of an 
inch of the separator, they would have capped it over and gone on 
to the next station. In this way the honey of no section can protrude 
beyond the edge of the section, and we have gained our first two 
points—the combs are scant weight and they are straight; and we 
have almost gained our third point, for when the combsare straight 
and do not bulge there will be very little leaking. We can guard 
againstall leaking if we will cuta piece of newspaper an inch larger 
than the bottom of our shipping crate and place itin the bottom, 
allowing the edge to turn up all around about one-fourth to one- 
halfinch. One more point about preventing honey from leaking: 
When honey is first stored in the combs, it is thin and watery; it 
needs to be ripened; the water in it needs to be evaporated. 
Honey may be ripened on the hive; but, if it is white, it is better to 
remove it from the hive, because if left on the beehive the bees 
will run over it, and the yellow pollen will fall off from their legs 
and soil the combs, and the honey has to go for second quality and 
be sold at from one to two cents a pound less. If, however, the 
honey is of a dark color or is produced in a region where no buck- 
wheat or golden rod exists, it may be ripened on the hive. 
The reason why honey should be removed from the hive as soon 
as completed, if raised in aregion where buckwheat exists,is that in 
the case of buckwheat honey, if dark colored and if only a few cells. 
