56 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



THE NEW $15 FOUNDATION MACHINE. 



TH^ELOW is an engraving of the little 

 j'JD'pj) machine we mentioned last month. 

 The length of the rolls in this machine 

 is 34 in., and it will roll sheets of wax a lit- 

 tle more than 3 inches in width. With 

 sheets of wax clipped very thin and even, 

 which we do to the best advantage with a 

 wooden wheel about 2 ft. in diameter, we 

 have made fdn. so thin that lit*, will cover 12 

 square feet of surface. 



FDN. MACIIINE EXPRESSLY FOR MAKING 

 STARTERS FOR HONEY-BOXES. 



Thin fdn. like this can be made with al- 

 most any of the mills we have sold, by hav- 

 ing very thin sheeted wax, and cutting it in- 

 to 3 in. strips before passing it through the 

 rolls, they, as a matter of course, being tight- 

 ly screwed down. Now what is it worth to 

 make a single pound of wax into fdn. that 

 will cover 12 square feet? If we can buy 

 wax for 25c, I have undertaken it, as you 

 will see by the price list for 30c. After we 

 have put paper between all the sheets, and 

 made a box to ship it in, there is but a small 

 margin left for profits. Well, a pound will 

 go a great way, when made up so thin as 

 this, and I guess we will have to learn to 

 work close, in making fdn. for comb honey. 

 We have not tried putting in full sized start- 

 ers on the melted wax plan, but our girls put 

 in small ones so rapidly and securely with it, 

 that I have no doubt at all about its work- 

 ing with full sized starters, and I think I 

 will give you a picture of the apparatus they 

 use. 



iWiSi^P 



ARRANGEMENT FOR PUTTING STARTERS 

 IN THE nONEY BOXES. 



It consists, principally, of a half inch 

 board, 12 in. by 18 in. One end is screwed 

 to a bench or table, and near the othe* end 

 is a tin cup, let in so as to be level with the 

 top of the board. About i in. below the up- 

 per edge of the cup is a bridge of tin. The 

 cup is to contain clean, yellow wax, with 

 about I part of white resin. A lamp placed 

 under the cupkeepsthe mixture melted, and, 



by adding a little from time to time, the wax 

 is to be kept just over the bridge of tin. 

 The girls just touch the starter to this bridge, 

 and place it instantly in the center of the 

 top bar of the section, and it is a fixture. 

 The resin makes the wax so tenacious that 

 the box may be thrown on the floor, without 

 shaking out or breaking the starter. We 

 can furnish the cup and board when desired 

 for 25c. If wanted by mail, 50c. 



The starters may be put in after the boxes 

 are made up, or before, as you choose; but 

 our girls prefer to have them in the flat. 

 Lay your pile of long strips right back of 

 the* cup, against the strip that is tacked on 

 to keep them from falling off. Put your pile 

 of fdn. starters near the strip across the end 

 of the board. Now take a section, and place 

 it against the stops, which are so arranged 

 that the part which is to be the top bar will 

 be right opposite, and close to, the cup. To 

 bring the starter exactly in the center of the 

 top bar, you will observe a strip with the 

 middle cut out, to give room for the fingers, 

 fastened so as to come a little above the sec- 

 tion top bar; it should be high enough so the 

 melted wax and resin will never get stuck 

 to it. As soon as the starter is in place, 

 with the right hand take the section away 

 and put another in its place, while the left 

 hand is getting a new starter and dipping it 

 in the cup. You must make both hands 

 work together. Don't say you can't, but 

 keep trying; for, no matter how awkward it 

 seems at first, they w r ill soon learn how, and 

 you will do just twice as much, as to let one 

 hand remain idle the greater part of the 

 time. Again, you must place your stuff so 

 your hands will not have to travel a great 

 distance each time you pick up a stick and 

 lay it down again. Fix things handy, close 

 by, but in good order, and work so syste- 

 matically that you will be glad to have* the 

 neighbors come and look on, instead of be- 

 ing worried and fidgety because everything 

 is so lt cluttered up." Have your wax and 

 resin so that no particle shall ever get on 

 anything, except where it is wanted, and un- 

 der no circumstances let it get on the floor. 

 If you cannot do it in a nice and genteel way, 

 get yourself off out of doors, and turn the 

 whole job over to the women folks. I want 

 you to be a happy and prosperous family, 

 and I doiit want your wife to say, "I wish 

 you had never heard of Mr. Hoot and his 

 bee journal." 



$fa "%rct$kr&" 



[This department is to be kept for the benefit of 

 those who are dissatisfied; and when anything is 

 amiss, I hope you will "talk right out." As a i-ule 

 we will omit names and addresses, to avoid being 

 too personal.] 



^jojfj^LEASE find enclosed $1. for Gleanings, one 

 }\i year. If I am not too late, send me that little 

 ' plane. Will you please send me one of your 

 metal corners. H. S. 



Brooklyn, Wis., Jan. 5, 1880. 



It was away back in Oct., that we offered 

 a plane for new subscribers for 1880, and so 



