GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



own price because they can not ship it 

 themselves; and then most of these locations 

 are already overstocked, and strangfers will 

 meet with any thing but a hearty welcome. 

 A good accessible market, with a fair to 

 poor honey yield, is more desirable than a 

 good crop that is practically^ inaccessible 

 to market. This past season has decided 

 that, for me, the proper solution of this 

 problem rests in improved methods, careful 

 management, and in developing the resourc- 

 es already at hand." 



" I believe you are on the right track in 

 this matter, and that the main thing is to 

 study thoroughly your location, and then 

 use the methods and appliances that are 

 Ibest suited to that particular location." 



"Yes, that is it; or, as Heddon puts it, 

 plant your guns and stay by them. Keep 

 more bees; produce tons instead of pounds. 

 Here is a sample of the foundation that the 

 bees accepted and worked out into such 

 beautiful combs of honey by the feeding- 

 back process. It is the Root thin-base 

 foundation. Here is a section that was on 

 the hive only 12 hours, and at a time when 

 common foundation would be completely de- 

 stroyed, and here is one that is finished. 

 You see there are no pop-holes in the corners 

 of either of these sections, and this one that 

 has been on the hives only twelve hours has 

 honey in some of the cells." 



" Do you fasten the foundation at the 

 sides? " 



" No. The pieces are made of a size just 

 to fill the section inside, and will be quick- 

 ly and firmly attached to the sides as well 

 as at the top; but this one is as firmly at- 

 tached at the bottom as at the top. ' ' 



" Oh, yesi I always use a narrow strip 

 of foundation at the bottom of sections. 

 Does not the fence separator have something 

 to do with those well-filled sections? " 



"Yes. I am very certain that the free 

 communication afforded by these separators 

 has a tendency to lessen the pop-holes that 

 are such an eyesore to producers of fancy 

 honeys but not so much as does the thin- 

 base foundation; and with the two com- 

 bined there is nothing further to be desired 

 in this dii-ection." 



"What is the cause of these pop-holes, 

 as you call them? " 



" Well, I have always thought that the 

 bees made them for passageways; but this 

 last season I have about come to the conclu- 

 sion that the bees gnaw out the foundation 

 because they don't like it, and afterward 

 are slow to fill up these holes, because they 

 are so handy for passageways. It was 

 this idea that led me to trj^ the thin-base 

 foundation, which, in every case, was ac- 

 cepted the same as natural comb." 



" Do you think that a section that is tall- 

 er than it is wide, or 4x5, will be any bet- 

 ter filled than one that is square, or 4Hx 



4X?" 



"No. Other things being equal, one 

 will be just as well filled as the other." 



"Is not this foundation rather expen- 

 sive? " 



"Yes. It cost me 75 cents per pound, 

 and that is about -'4 of a cent per section; 

 but if I can get '2 cent more per pound for 

 these extra well-filled sections it will pay 

 me to use it, even at that price. I shall ex- 

 periment further the coming season with 

 this foundation." 



^-. -» ••♦••••«* 



SUPER FOUNDATION FOR THE BROOD=CHAMBER. 



The Use of Weed and other Foundation. 



BY W. T. STEPHENSON. 



I was very much interested in that con- 

 tribution on page 789, by Wm. M. Whitney. 

 I have been experimenting along the same 

 line myself, viz., using super foundation for 

 the brood-chamber. I did not, however, 

 buy the surplus foundation with the inten- 

 tion of using it for brood foundation. I pur- 

 chased what I thought to be enough of both 

 kinds — brood and super. Late in the sea- 

 son I suddenly needed foundation for about 

 100 frames. When I examined my pile of 

 brood foundation I found, to my sorrow, I 

 had only about 8 sheets. In my bewilder- 

 ment I hit upon the following plan: I would 

 use the super foundation for the brood- 

 frames. I fastened one sheet lengthwise to 

 the top-bar of each frame, precisely as the 

 brood foundation was fastened, after which 

 I put small drops of beeswax along the edge 

 of the groove as a reinforcement. This is 

 not necessary with every frame, as some of 

 the wedges are thicker than others. After 

 the foundation (thin or extra thin) is secure- 

 ly fastened I have no more trouble from 

 sagging or wjirping than with brood foun- 

 dation. 



I presume I had better saj' the foundation 

 used was the Weed patent. Success having 

 crowned 1113' efforts last year, I concluded 

 to try it oil a larger scale this year. I 

 didn't get the Weed foundation (not fully 

 appreciating its superiority), and conse- 

 quently my experience this year was quite 

 on the other extreme. After I had stayed 

 this foundation with wedge and beeswax, 

 the weight of the bees would tear the foun- 

 dation in two. It would warp and fall 

 down after the cells were '4 inch deep. 

 Such a mess! I was thoroughly sick of mj' 

 trade. Notwithstanding my "bad luck" 

 this season, I am quite certain that, unless 

 full sheets of foundation are required, the 

 Weed super foundation will do all right. 



There is, however, one serious objection 

 to using super foundation for the brood- 

 frames. It is this: Unless there is a brisk 

 honey-flow (brisk enough to keep the bees 

 busy) they have an idle habit of gnawing 

 holes through the midrib of the foundation. 

 This makes pop-holes in tlie combs, as the 

 bees will never repkice tlie septum ihey 

 have gnawed awaj'. 



I heartily sanction what Mr. Whitnej' 

 sa3's in regard to farmer bee-keepers using 

 the thin foundation. If the apiarist can't 

 give the bees the attention they need he had 



