1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



99 



to the shoe by means of three or four nails 

 whose heads are countersunk into the rub- 

 ber. 



In all the articles, reference is made to the 

 use of beeswax for smearing over the corks to 

 make a hermetic sealing ; but we have found, 

 and our experience seems to be that of a num- 

 ber of others, that a mixture of paraffine, bees- 

 wax, and resin, equal parts, makes a much 

 better sealing than pure beeswax. The mix- 

 ture will spread evenly over the cork, without 

 cracking or leaving air-bubbles, while the wax 

 alone is liable to do both. 



Mr. Poudtr's and Mr. Walker's method of 

 bottling is almost exactly the same as the one 

 we use here at the Home of the Honey-bees, 

 with this difference, that we use steam, which 

 is much more convenient. 



I wish to indorse particularly, one of the 

 points made by all three of the writers in this 

 symposium ; and that is, the importance of 

 getting all the particles of glass off that cling 

 to the inside of the bottles. — Ed ] 



AN ADJUSTABLE SURPLUS ARRANGEMENT. 



Returning home from the postoffice last 

 night I found Mr. Smith and Mrs. D. in the 

 siiting-room awaiting my return. Upon pass- 

 ing the usual salutations, and remarking about 

 the nice winter weather, Mr. Smith launches 

 out thus : 



" A Iriend of mine, who keeps bees, told me 

 to-day that you had a surplus arrangement for 

 comb honey that you could enlarge or con- 

 tract at will to suit the size of the colony or 

 the season of the year, and I have come over 

 to have a little talk with you about it — that is, 

 if you have no patent on it, and feel free to 

 tell me about it." 



" Relative to your last point, I never even 

 thought of getting a patent on any thing I 

 ever made or planned. And as to telling any 

 one about the things I use, and how I use 

 them, it is something I have been at for the 

 past thirty years, and it always gives me 

 pleasure if I can help any one in any way." 



"Thank you. And now how is that surplus 

 arrangement made ? " 



" All that is necessary is to make the wide 

 frames, which hold the sections, so they will 

 fit the top of the hive and allow the hood or 

 cap to the hive to rest down over them, for 

 this arrangement is best used with a hive that 

 has a cap or hood. However, it can be used 

 by putting a wide shade-board over it. Get 

 all the pieces out true and square, after which 

 nail them over a true square form, so that each 

 wide frame will fit true and square against its 

 neighbor, for this surplus arrangement is made 

 out of a number of wide frames." 



" Do you use separators on these wide 

 frames ? " 



■'Yes. I advise using separators on or in 



any surplus arrangement, for after thirty 

 years of experience I am led to believe that a 

 strictly fancy article of comb honey can not 

 be secured in any other way." 



" Can this arrangement be used on the tier- 

 iug-up plan ? " 



"Yes, it can be so used by making both 

 tops and bottoms a plump one-fourth inch 

 narrower than the ends. If to be used only 

 one tier high, then have the top the thickness 

 of the tin separator wider than the ends, for 

 the separator is to be nailed to the ends." 



" Do you use tin for separators ? " 



"Yes After using several kinds of ma- 

 terial for separators, I prefer tin to any thing 

 else." 



" But doesn't the tin kink and warp when it 

 is nailed to the wide frames ? I could never 

 nail it so but that it would." 



" The nailing-on of this tin has much to do 

 with our liking or disliking this plan for a 

 surplus arrangement. The first year or two, 

 to prevent the kinking you speak of, I used a 

 hand vise, so arranged that I could pry over 

 one end of the wide frame, after having nailed 

 the tin at the other, thus stretching the tin so 

 tightly that it would fairly ring when hit a 

 little. While thus working one day I noticed 

 that in drawing the tin very taut I often 

 sprung the top and bottom of the frame out 

 or in, as the case might be, and from this I 

 soon had a way of putting on tin perfectly 

 every time. I made a form a trifle shorter 

 than the frame was long, outside measure, this 

 form being perfectly true and square, which 

 gave advantage over the vise method, for with 

 that the frame was sometimes drawn out of 

 true. Next I made a block the size of the in- 

 side of the frame, except a little shorter, and 

 of the same thickness as the ends to the 

 frames. To use it I sprung or bent the top 

 and bottom bar a little outward, thus shorten- 

 ing it, until it went into the form, when I laid 

 the tin separator in the proper place, placed a 

 straight-edge on top of the tin, and on this a 

 heavy weight. I now had the tin just where 

 I wished it, with all kinks and bulges taken 

 out, when it was nailed fast to the wide frame. 

 Upon removing the frame from the form, the 

 top and bottom sprang back into place again, 

 thus drawing the separator as tight as a drum- 

 head." 



" I am very glad you explained this to me 

 so fully, as it will help me much in nailing 

 separators to wide frames. But having the 

 separators and wide frames all in readiness, 

 what is the next move? " 



" They are now to be filled with sections, 

 the same having starters in them, or filled 

 with foundation, as you can afford, while it is 

 best, if Dossible, to have at least two wi''e 

 frames filled with bait sections, for each hive 

 you expect to work for comb honey." 



" Bait sections ! What are those ? " 



' ' Simply sections left over from the previous 

 year, that are half or more filled with comb, 

 but which were not sufficiently filled with 

 honey to be salable. These are called baits, 

 because they entice the bees to commence 

 work in the sections much sooner than they 

 otherwise would, because bees will go to work 



