MAY 15, 191^ 



305 



SOUTHERN IDAHO AND EASTERN OREGON 

 CONVENTION 



Shaking Foundation out of the Paper in which it is 

 Packed 



BY E. F. ATWATER 



Tlic annual convention of the Southern 

 Idaho and Kastern Oregon Beekeepers' As- 

 sociation was held at Caldwell, Idaho, Feb. 

 !), 1912. There was a very good attendance 

 of representative beekeepers, owning, in the 

 aggregate, many thousands of colonies. 



Perliaps nothing particularly new or val- 

 uable was brought out in the discussions, 

 although the need of thoroughness in the 

 eradit-ation of foul brood was particularly 

 emphasized. 



The oflicers of the association for the year 

 1912 are shown in front of the group, seated. 

 President, W. H. Pennington, the second 

 from the right, is as practical a producer of 

 extracted honey as any man in the north- 

 west. \'iee-president J. E. Lyon, long-time 

 comb-honey expert of Longmont, Col., now 

 of Idaho, is seated at the left (his daughter 

 next to him), while at the right is R. D. 

 Hradshaw, who is, i)erhaps, not behind the 

 late E. W. Alexander in the successful op- 

 eration of huge apiaries of 500 colonies and 

 upward, in a single yard. 



REMOVING PAPER FRGIM PACKED FOUNDA- 

 TION. 



One of the most tedious tasks that fall to 

 the beekeeper is removing paper from foun- 

 dation. Personally I have never seen any 

 reason for the sheet of paper that goes with 

 each sheet of foundation, unless it may, 

 perhaps, serve to prevent breakage by im- 

 parting a certain cushion-like quality to the 

 l)ile of foundation within the box. Certain- 



ly I have shipped and received several hun- 

 dreds of pounds of foundation not so paper- 

 ed, without loss. 



But as the makers of the improved pro- 

 cess foundation will paper it, a quick meth- 

 od of removing the paper is greatly to be 

 desired, and such a method the writer orig- 

 inated several years ago, and has used since 

 then with much satisfaction and saving in 

 time. Perhajis the cuts and description 

 will render it clear. 



A pile of the double-papered sheets of 

 surplus foundation is taken in both hands, 

 as shown in Fig. 1, and shaken lightly, 

 when the sheets in the lower part fall out. 

 Now the lower part of the paper (now free 

 from foundation) is seized and the remain- 

 der of the foundation shaken out as shown 

 in Fig. 2. The foundation, free from paper, 

 is now lying on the table, with the paper 

 remaining in the hands, as shown in Fig. 3. 

 The foundation must be cool, but not so 

 cold as to break or crack easily. I see no 

 reason why a similar method could not be 

 used with brood foundation, if the makers 

 would only make the paper about nine 

 inches wide, so as to provide a place where 

 it could be held while shaking out the 

 foundation. 



It is only fair to admit that I find some 

 foundation that can not be freed from pa- 

 per in this way— perhaps due to the fact 

 that it has been packed so tightly in the 

 box, or while too warm, so that the paper 

 adheres tightly to the wax. Surplus foun- 

 dation should never be papered by wrap- 

 ping or folding each alternate sheet in jia- 

 per, as has been done by some makers; for if 

 packed by that plan, then there is no way to 

 remo\e the paper except by the slow and 

 tedious hand process, one sheet at a time. 



Meridian, Idaho. 



Wholesale method ol reniovine paper from foundation. 



