1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



179 



all in the fdn. line. First of all, I can print both 

 heavy and light sheets with greater speed, with less 

 than one-half the perplexing trouble, and not one- 

 t< nth the muss and daub that I experienced with any 

 of the live roller mills I have used; besides the 

 fact that I can instantly make it upon and around 

 wires previously woven into the frames, and when 

 on said wires it is on to perfection ; because I can take 

 the sheets dry from the pile of sheeted wax; because 

 they come through the mill dry, ready for use or 

 shipping; because it needs no papers between the 

 sheets to ship safely; because my sheets will be the 

 same size after printing, that they were before. We 

 can dip to order. 



Now regarding the value of the fdn. when put to 

 the bees. By demonstration I have proved to my- 

 self that this style of fdn. is drawn further and 

 quicker by the bees than any other I could get; also 

 that the comb was more delicate, and thinner, both 

 in base and side wall, than any other. 



These facts have, like all others, got their "why;" 

 and knowing how much better a strange reader 

 feels after hearing a reasonable " why," I will give 

 the one that strikes me, as follows: First, the press 

 makes the thinnest base fdn. of all. Now, whether 

 you make thick or thin, the wax is in the line, or 

 side wall, in greater proportion than with any other 

 fdn. This line is about as high as any, and broad- 

 er and softer than any other printed by pressure, 

 between rolls or otherwise. Bees will sn»ic<imc,s thin 

 even the base of fdn. They will always draw out all 

 of the line, or side wall, of any soft-line fdn. It fol- 

 lows, that we should demand perfection in the base 

 (thinness and concave shape), while it matters but 

 little about the line, further than this: that the 

 more wax it contains, the thicker comb it will make. 

 The softer the wax in that line, the greater the cer- 

 tainty and speed with which the bees will change 

 fdn. to comb; also, the more delicate will be that 

 comb, both in &ide wall and septum. I have never 

 heard any thing but praise from those who had 

 tried the press or its products, except in one case 

 of complaint of the fdn. I sold a party last season, 

 and now he is ordering a press. I have no interest 

 in this mill, or any other; only with truth, as it ap- 

 pears to me. 



Friend Koot, I send you by this mail, samples (ex- 

 act specimens of full sheets of heavy and light Giv- 

 en, heavy and light Vandcrvort, light and heavy 

 Dunham). With your experience, I think you will 

 have no trouble in determining " which is which." I 

 hope they will aid you in some interesting com- 

 menta. They are a few of the best styles of fdn. 

 that we employed in our late tests. 



James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., March 7, 1882. 



Many thanks for the samples, friend 11., 

 althouglt I already had all, except your Giv- 

 en samples. These latter are a tritle better 

 than any I have seen before, but still they 

 are not as tliin in the base as fdn. we make 

 on our rolls now, and several others that 

 have been sent in. 8o far as the style of the 

 Given is concerned, we have a mill we have 

 been using for the last year that makes fdn. 

 almost exactly like it. With this and the 

 Given, the walls are so broad that a great 

 part of the sheet is wax almost as soft as it 

 was before embossing, and it would look now 

 almost as if the coming fdn. were to be only 

 thick sheets of wax, with a hole pricked 

 where the cells are to be. Among your sam- 



ples is one that I can not locate. It much 

 resembles a piece sent me recently by Mrs. 

 Dunham. It is, in reality, artificial comb, 

 lor the cells are deep enough for the queen 

 to lay, or for honey to be stored therein. 

 The shape of cell hardly looks like the Dun- 

 ham, and the comb has a tritle higher walls, 

 and the base of the cell even thinner. As I 

 look at these, I begin to wonder if it is not 

 really true that we are creeping along — 

 slowly, it is true, but year by year nearer 

 to real honey-comb. No one person is going 

 to build this complete comb, as it were ; but 

 great numbers are to give it a touch and a 

 twist, and out of the multitude of touches 

 from a multitude of people, the beautiful 

 complete structure is to be evolved. At this 

 minute our factory is a perfect roar of indus- 

 try. Toward a hundred busy brains and 

 pairs of hands are laboring to perfect facili- 

 ties and aids for the unconscious little lioney- 

 bee. I do not know where the end of it all 

 is to be; but I do feel, in my very being, 

 that an all-seeing Eye is above and over all, 

 and that he has planned all things wisely and 

 well. 



GIVEN FUN. IN TWETAIi-CORNERED 

 FUAMES. 



FRIEND good's EXPERIENCE. 



SSEE in last Gleanings you convey the :dea that 

 fdn. can not be pressed into metal-cornered 

 wired frames with the Given press, which is a 

 grand mistake, and I believe you have done friend 

 Given an injustice by so doing, as I have heard from 

 parties who have ordered presses, but say they will 

 countermand their orders if you are correct. After 

 giving the metal-cornered frames a thorough trial, 

 I wish to say that I never want to use any other in 

 my apiary, and I have filled thousands of them with 

 fdn. with the Given press, without any inconven- 

 ience on account of the metal corners whatever. I 

 now use top corners onlj', and in making my frames 

 I use wire nails for nailing the bottom piece on. In 

 making the frames I drive the nails in only far 

 enough to hold the bottom piece in place; then in 

 wiring my frames I fasten the ends of the wire to 

 those nails, and then in pressing the fdn. in, if it does 

 not lift off readily, I take a pair of pliers and draw 

 the nails enough to loosen the bottom piece; then 

 take hold of the bottom piece, and you can draw the 

 fdn. off very easily. You that way have the same 

 advantage that friend Given has, by not putting the 

 end pieces in till after the fdn. is pressed in. I send 

 you one of these frames by this mail. What do you 

 think of it? I hope it will reach j'ou In good shape. 



Now, friend Hoot, if you or anyone else has a Giv- 

 en press, and can not make it do good work pressing 

 fdn. in metal-cornered wired frames, I will como 

 and make it work for you by you paying my travel- 

 ing expenses; and if I fail to make it do good work. 

 I will take the press off your hands, and pay you for 

 all your trouble. 



Now will you not, in next Gleanings, correct the 

 idea that you conveyed, that the metal corners could 

 not be used on the Given press? 1. R. Good. 



Nappanee, Ind., March 15, 188:i, 



Many thanks, my good friend " Good," 

 not only for your experience with the Given 

 press, but for the frame of wired fdn. that 

 came in pretty good order. Forgive me if 



