1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



385 



tie board followers, 9^x4)^x11. They will thus, 

 you see. be just as wide as the sections are high 

 when in place, and a little shorter than six sec- 

 tions as they are placed across the super. Drop 

 these followers into the ends of your super, one 

 against the screws, the other at the opposite 

 end, seeing that their ends are pushed back 

 close against the inside of super, opposite the 

 side screws. Now put in your sections and drop 

 in the usual follower on the side, dressed to 

 just 4}^ inches in width and a bee-space short 

 at the end next to the end, super-screws. Now 

 turn up your side-screws sufficiently to get the 

 sections pressed well against the opposite side, 

 then turn up your end screws until you can turn 

 no more with your fingers, and do the same to 

 the side screws, at the same time pressing the 

 tops of sections all into place evenly. If sepa - 

 rators are used (I never use more than two), cut 

 them just the length of your sections when well 

 pressed together, or scant 17 inches. 



You now have my ideal of a super. Every 

 section is squared up and held firmly in place 

 from every direction. If reversing is practiced, 

 you have but to turn your super over, using the 

 board hereinafter described, to prevent mash- 

 ing bees. Loosen the screws, let sections and 

 followers (I prefer the latter all loose) drop 

 down, and you have your bee-space on top once 

 more. For freedom from propolis I have never 

 seen any arrangement like it. My boys always 

 shout when they come to what they call a Rai- 

 ley super in cleaning up the sections for mar- 

 ket— no T tins, nothing in the way of a whole- 

 sale scraping of both top and bottom of sections 

 before the screws are loosened, thus removing 

 the small amountof propolis found there. Then 

 loosen the screws, and the sections separate in 

 all directions easily, as soon as the super is lift- 

 ed off. 



When I think of having to handle and clean 

 and take care of, and pay for six section-hold- 

 ers or six wide frames, or even five tins, as com- 

 pared with this arrangement, I have a feeling 

 of joyful relief. Somebody says, " Why, you 

 have two or three board followers to take care 

 of and clean." Well, they are of such shape as 

 to be much more easily cleaned and cared for 

 than the other articles, and cheaper. Then if 

 you will think of their position in the super you 

 will see that there will be but little cleaning to 

 do to them. The bees do not get much at the 

 end one. 



Another may object, "You can not take the 

 sections out as they are filled while on the hive. 

 If you loosen the screws, of course the sections 

 would drop into the brood-frames or honey-board 

 below." I answer, this is the only objection 

 which has troubled me. My remedy is to have 

 a board constructed like a bee-escape (the latter 

 can be utilized), just the size of the super, with 

 a strip }4 X % tacked around the outer edge as 

 a rim; then five more of these H'^% strips 



tacked across the board just where the rows of 

 sections come when the super is raised and set 

 upon this board. When 'any sections are seal- 

 ed, simply raise the] super, slip this board un- 

 der, and even theacorners, as when you put an 

 escape under. Them loosen your screws and 

 see how much more nicely any section can be 

 removed than with any other arrangement — no 

 bees hurt, no propolis to necessitate prying and 

 wrenching. DEach section stands loose in its 

 place ready to be picked up. Friends, try it. 

 Glasgow, Ky. 



[It was Oliver Foster, I think, who devised, 

 some ten years ago, a super for holding up sec- 

 tions by side and end compression; but of late 

 years we have heard nothing about it. But his 

 method of producing compression was not by 

 thumbscrews, but by a sort of clamps at diag- 

 onally opposite corners, the super itself being 

 halved through those corners. It is quite pos- 

 sible that, by the help of thumb-screws, the 

 sections may be so securely held as to stay in 

 place. But I am rather of the opinion that, 

 for very dry climates, like that of California, 

 for instance, or climates of the other extreme, 

 such as, for instance, those of Florida and Eng- 

 land, such a super would not answer. In the 

 first-mentioned localities, the sections would 

 be liable to shrink a trifle after being compress- 

 ed, and drop down. In the others, the damp- 

 ness would cause them to swell and buckle up. 

 I may be mistaken, but that would be my im- 

 pression. If Oliver Foster has abandoned his 

 original super, perhaps he can tell us the rea- 

 sons why. 



But there is no denying the fact that such a 

 super could be filled and emptied much more 

 easily than any other form; and, too, we have 

 the further advantage that such sections would 

 be brought much nearer to the brood-nest. 

 When Mr. W. K. Ball was here he expressed a 

 desire for a super that would allow the sections 

 to come up to the brood-frames, within a bee- 

 space. He was then using T tins; but I pre- 

 sume he would like the Railey super better yet, 

 providing there would be no danger from 

 shrinkage, thus allowing the sections to drop 

 down and destroy bee-spaces. — Ed.] 



FROM THE ORANGE-GROVES OF FLORIDA. 



FOUL BKOOD ; KIND WORDS FOR THE A. I. ROOT 

 COMPANY. 



By W. S. Hart. 



Mr. Root-.—YoMY card of a recent date, giving 

 notice that you have placed me on your list of 

 complimentary subscribers to your journal for 

 the ensuing year, cameoduly to hand, and I 

 thank you for this added evidence of your good 

 will. Gleanings, long years ago, became in- 

 dispensable to me ; and I believe that, through 

 me, it has become the same to many others. It 

 is always a pleasure to me to speak a good word 

 for the A. I. Root Co. and its wares, for the two 

 reasons that I like the persons composing it ; 

 and because, second, whatever they send out is 

 of the highest type of its kind, or else sold for 

 the lowest price of any of its quality. 



I have delayed acknowledgment, in the hope 

 that I might send other matter of value with 



