190 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 15 



rainy outside. Clear around under the eaves 

 is a little long box or shelf where fall tools 

 and small things needed in the care of the 

 chicks may be kept out of the way, where 

 they can be seen at a glance, and where you 

 can reach them without any stooping. My 

 decision is, just now, that if you are going 

 to run an incubator (even down in Florida) 

 you need some sort of brooder-house. I do 

 not think this one cost, labor and all, over 

 $40 00. Several who have looked it over 

 have suggested it wouldn't be a bad place 

 for two people to live in, in this genial chmate, 

 especially if the aforesaid "two people " had 

 got tired of paying out money for rent, and, 

 at the end of the year having nothing to 

 show for it I might add that Wesley and I 

 have built three similar houses for roostir g 

 and laying houses. These, however, have 

 no windows nor doors except screen doors 

 covered with netting. The whole south side 

 is netting. Each house is shut up at night 

 and opened at daylight. — A. I. R. 



FASTENING FULL SHEETS OF FOUNDA- 

 TION IN SHALLOW EXTRACT- 

 ING FRAMES. 



The Spoon and Melted- wax Plan Found the 

 Most Satisfactory. 



BY F. DUNDAS TODD. 



In ^he shallow extracting-frames I use full 

 sheets of foundation; but neither in those of 

 my own make nor in those made by Root is 

 there provided a wedge device for fastening 

 in the sheets, so one must fall back upon 

 wax as a cementing medium, or grip between 

 two strips of wood. My preference is for 

 wax. 



When brought face to face with the prob- 

 lem of foundation-fastening I gathered to- 

 gether the literature upon the subject in the 

 various magazines and books and compared 

 them all. Mr. Hutchinson described one 

 method that looked rather alluring — one in 

 which a mixture of beeswax and resin is 

 melted in an oil-can and poured from the 

 spout on to the top-bar of the frame along- 

 side the edge of the sheet. I will admit that, 

 in Mr. Hutcninson's hands, the scheme prob- 

 ably worked first rate; but with me it was an 

 utter failure. I tried two different sizes of 

 C3ns, and experimented with various sizes 

 of aperture; but the wax set in the nozzle on 

 the first pouring, and then the fun began. 

 For a while I tried boring out the hole each 

 time with a nail, but soon the clogging work- 

 ed its way downward beyond reach. Then 

 I tried plunging the can into the hot water 

 bath with the nozzle down. This melted the 

 wax all right, but soon there was more water 

 inside than wax, while outside the wax was 

 speedily getting on top of the water. Be- 

 sides, I was burning my fingers, and while 

 it is possible my digits may in due season be- 

 come inured to bee-stings I am afraid they 

 will never become immune to scalds from 

 hot water. So the Hutchinson idea after a 



fair trial was voted unsuited to this locality. 

 Louis Scholl's spoon method looked sloppy 

 and inherently lacking in nicety; but I have 

 a high opinion of his opinions, so I decided 

 to give it a trial. After a little practice, and 

 getiing the tools adjusted to suit my hand, I 

 found the system exceedingly good, and now 

 I can fasten a few hundred sheets of founda- 

 tion into position in a little while. 



The essential tools are a suitable spoon 

 and a frame- rack. "Suitable" is a rather 

 vague term; but I have tried tea, dessert, 

 soup, and big cooking spoons, and my choice 

 is the dessert size. Mine cost me about 5 

 cts. in a hardware store, and is made of iron 

 with a plated surface. As I held it in my 

 hand trying to figure out how the melted 

 wax would flow irom its lip, my mind went 

 back to the "cruisie " of fifty years ago — that 

 is to say, the holder for the melted fat and 

 cotton or vegetable pith that did duty as 

 light-producer in the cottar homes of Scot- 

 land. In general outline it suggested a Bart- 

 lett pear divided the long way, the core and 

 meat being removed. So I decided to shape 

 my dessert-spoon along the same lines, which 

 was accomplished by the free use of pliers 

 and hammers. 



So please picture to yourself the main part 

 of the body of the spoon being used as a res- 

 ervoir while the sides at the point are folded 

 inward so as to form an open ditch about ^ s 

 inch wide through which the wax may flow. 

 While the melted wax is being poured on 

 the frame this must be held upside down 

 with the sheet resting on the under side of 

 the top bar. A support of some kind is em- 

 phatically necessary. My first was an ex- 

 perimental one to hold only one frame at a 

 time; but once I had got the angles to my 

 mind I made another to hold three. 



Make a solid board frame of ^4 -inch lumber, 

 20 by 24. Diagonally across the face of it 

 nail three cleats of the same thickness any 

 convenient width, not more than an inch, 

 the left ends (provided the cleats run clear 

 across the board) being 3, 10, and 17 inches 

 from the top, the right ends 10, 17, and 24 

 inches. Then, for plain frames of y's top- 

 bar, make from 's-inch boards, such as one 

 finds on boxes, three pieces slightly smaller 

 than the inside dimensions of the frame, say 

 4 by 16. For Root frames the thickness 

 should be }i inch. Nail these half an inch 

 above the cleats, and the rack is ready. When 

 in use mine stands on the bench with a slight 

 backward tilt, being supported by a brace 

 that is fastened to the back. 



The wax is melted in a large jelly-glass 

 that stands in a five-pound lard-pail contain- 

 ing water almost to the top of the glass. A 

 small kerosene-stove is a convenient source 

 of heat. The spoon usually rests in the wa- 

 ter when not in use, so as to keep it warm 

 and clean. 



Every thing ready, three frames are plac- 

 ed on the rark upside down; then sheets of 

 foundation are slipped into place. It pays to 

 handle the sheet with great care so as to 

 keep it perfectly flat and the edges stra ght. 

 The best edge is dropped on the frame so 



