FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 



145 



from It, so that the stream from it can easily be directed 

 mto the grooves. A fountain syringe works nicely 



Before wetting, the box oi sections should be stood 

 so that the sections are on end. and then jolted heavily 

 so as to make the grooves correspond the whole depth 

 ot the box. After the sections are wet thev swell imme- 

 diately, making them fit too tightlv in the box to be got- 

 ten out without much difficulty, the boards are torn off 

 one end of the box, and after the sections are taken out 

 the boards are nailed on again, if it be desired to preserve 

 the box. 



FOLDIXG SECTIOXS. 



Sometimes I put sections together mvself, but gen- 

 erally some boy or girl does the work unless my wife be 

 pressed into service. The operator seated at the ma- 

 chine (Fig. 57) has a pile of sections laid at a convenient 

 height at her left hand, the sections piled so that ends 

 correspond. As fast as the sections are taken from the 

 press they are neatly piled in order on a board at the right 

 of the operator. (I know that some throw the sections 

 indiscriminately into a basket as thev leave the press, and 

 It seems this ought to take less tim'e, but I think in the 

 long run my way saves time.) It is desirable that the 

 board upon which the sections are piled should be light 

 as no great strength is required, and sometimes several 

 thousand folded sections will be piled up ahead, and 

 It IS pleasanter to handle the light board. A dummy or 

 almost any board will answer, but oftener wood-zinc 

 queen-excluders are used. One of these is of such size 

 that there may be placed upon it side by side three rows 

 of sections with ten sections in each row' Upon these are 

 placed three other rows, break-joint fashion, with nine 

 sections m each row, and this piling up mav continue till 

 the upper rows contain four or less each. 'Generally the 

 piling goes no higher than to have six sections in the 

 upper rows, making 120 sections a board-full. As fast 

 PS one board is filled another takes its place, and the filled 

 board is piled up, unless Miss Wilson is putting in foun- 



