NOVEMBKl: 1, 1915 



889 



Next in importance is the section. Though 

 good results can be obtained with two-bcc- 

 way sections, I have adopted almost exclu- 

 sively the four-beeway section. The pas- 

 sageways at the ends of the sections appear 

 to aid the bees in building the combs true. 

 In their desire to keep open that passage 

 they refrain from building the comb of 

 eitlier section so that it trespasses upon the 

 passage. When sections with two beeways 

 are used, there are often sections which 

 have the combs of one built slightly into the 

 other adjacent section. When taken apart 

 these sections will be dauby. It is less 

 pleasant to handle four-beeway sections; 

 but after one is used to them he forgets all 

 that. Habit should never be allowed to 

 stand in the way of the adoption of an 

 improvement. 



The illustration will show more of my 

 method. I detest section-holdei-s. I use 

 free slats just seventeen inches in length, 

 and my supers are seventeen inches in 

 length inside measure. The bee-space is at 

 the bottom, and the sections are flush with 

 the top of the super. My supers are very 

 light and simple ; and as I use outside rims, 

 they are amply protected from the weather. 

 The illustration shows a super with to]) 

 view and with bottom view, just as it came 

 from, the hive. One illustration shows the 

 sections removed and piled to display each. 

 These thirty-six sections shown are the 

 original thirty-six of 

 the super. Their net 

 weights are as fol- 

 lows: One weighed 12 

 ounces ; five weighed 

 12 1-5 ounces; three 

 weighed 121/4 ounces; 

 two weighed 12 1-3 

 ounces; nine weighed 

 12 V^ ounces, seven 

 weighed 12% ounces, 

 three weighed 13 

 ounces, two .weighed 

 13^4 ounces, and four 

 weighed 13^/2 ounces. 

 It will be noted that 

 the lightest had 12 

 ounces of honey, and 

 t h e heaviest 13V2 

 ounces — a range of 

 11/2 ounces. It should 

 be noted here that sec- 

 tions IVa inches wide 

 are used, designed to 

 produce a twelve- 

 ounce section. The 

 variation in weight of 

 sections was largely 

 due to the more com- The 



plete Hlliiig of some over others. Some 

 combs were doublless slightly thicker than 

 others, but not noticeably. 



One should study the illustration which 

 shows the supers standing on end with a 

 background of wliite cloth. If the number 

 of spaces be noted where the cloth can be 

 freely seen though the spaces between the 

 combs, it will be readily seen how little 

 bulging there is. It was impossible to show 

 witli the camera all the spaces, but every 

 space Avas clear. Of course, this was a 

 selected super; but I spent some time be- 

 fore I decided which of several supers to 

 l>ut before the camera. 



You can lead a horse to water, but you 

 cannot make liim drink. I do not expect to 

 win many over to -the production of comb 

 honey without the use of separators; but I 

 have led the way. We are all free to do as 

 we please; but when one produces almost 

 exclusively non-.separatored honey, it shows 

 that it is not a method to be easily cast 

 aside. My crop this year, with more to 

 hear from, is over 5000 sections, and bee- 

 keeping is my avocation. Those who are 

 so strongly opposed to this method of pro- 

 ducing honey might do well to learn hov/ it 

 can be done before they condemn it. 



It would not be wise to leave one of the 

 illustrations without a word of explanation. 

 In that the super emptied of its contents is 

 sliown, and several separators of the fence 



net weight varied but IM ounces. 



