Aug-. 16, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



515 



tion ; my former remarks were by no means intended a.s a 

 wholesale disparagement of it ; I merely asserted, and now 

 unhesitatingly re-assert, that we are deluded in assuminff 

 that the bees rapidly stretch, or elongate, presumably by 

 tugging at or " drawing out " the side-walls; and as Mr. 

 Dadant's own evidence incontestably proves that they do 

 no such thing, but that they break the thick, stubby walls 

 down and "remodel " them, I consider my contention un- 

 assailable. If the bees first break down the thick, stubby 

 side-walls we give them— as so great an English authority 

 as Mr. Samuel Simmins affirms they do— and reconstruct 

 the walls with the same wax— as so great a French and 

 American authority as Mr. Dadant says they do — I fail to 

 see how my contention can otherwise than hold good, viz.: 

 that we are deceived in our estimate of the economic value 

 of foundation, /. €., as affording a saving of time and labor 

 to the bees, and also, consequently as to its pecuniary value. 

 Carefully and intelligently conducted experiments, such as 

 made by " Sage-Brush," are bound to prove that the saving, 

 or gain, by its use is not proportionate to its cost. One 

 would reasonably suppose that as well as the bees utilize 

 the wax, which they have laboriously to detach first from 

 the stubby walls (and which costs us SO cents per pound) for 

 building out their comb, they would be prepared to use 

 plain, unembost wax, placed in handy shape within easy 

 reach (and costing only 25 cents per pound) for the same 

 purpose ; in that case all we would need to furnish them 

 with would be the septum, or base, but the benefit would 

 really be so slight compared with even the smaller cost of 

 this, that it would be preferable to leave them to find all 

 their own material. 



While expressing "great regard" for that patient, 

 careful, and highly intelligent observer, Mr. Simmins, Mr. 

 Dadant sneers at statements of mine, which are really only 

 re-echoes of those made by the same Mr. Simmins. For in- 

 stance, in allusion to my remark that " cargf ul experiments 

 have conclusively demonstrated that it takes less than six 

 pounds of honey to make a pound of wax," Mr. Dadant con- 

 temptuously asks, " Pray who made those car^?// experi- 

 ments ?" Well, the gentleman for whom he professes a 

 great regard made some of them. And as his observations, 

 which decided the ratio of honey consumed by the bees to 

 the production of a pound of wax, will, I am sure, be found 

 highly interesting to the majority of our readers, I shall 

 make no apology for giving in full a recital of the method 

 whereby Mr. Simmins arrived at the conclusion above 

 stated. 



" My experiment," says Mr. Simmins, " was conducted 

 in a large flight-room, SO feet by 10 feet. A swarm of nearly 

 three pounds weight was made up and given frames, with a 

 line of wax as a starter to each. I determined to avoid the 

 complication that would arise if brood were produced, but 

 at the same time it was necessary to have a fertile queen 

 presiding, or the bees would not work to the best advantage. 

 The new combs were therefore removed every three days, 

 and tho occasionally eggs were to be seen, no food was con- 

 sumed in their production other than that fed to the queen. 

 The removed combs were placed behind the division-board, 

 and were emptied of their contents by the bees, again to 

 be used in filling fresh frames. Thus, without extracting, 

 the combs were taken away perfectly dry, with the exception 

 of the three last built ; and to make sure of wasting none 

 of this remaining honey, the combs containing it were run 

 down in a vessel with no added water. The bees had access 

 to both pollen and water while building, and from six 

 pounds of honey fed to them they gave d^i, ounces of clear 

 wax, with a balance of IS ounces of honey left over. If I 

 say an even pound left I shall be nearer the mark, as the 

 bees had the means of loading themselves much more 

 heavily than when the swarm was made, as they were then 

 forced to consume what they had before commencing to 

 build. Five pounds, therefore, giving that quantity of wax, 

 it would be supposed that it takes 12 4/S pounds of honey 

 to give a pound. 



" But our experiment is not yet completed ; the bees had 



to live during the 20 days taken to carry it out. Being in a 

 confined area during autumn, when the weather was far 

 from being as warm as could be desired, the expense of 

 production would be very much more than when new combs 

 are built in the hight of the season. The bees did not get 

 on so fast, especially as the be^,t combs were removed in 

 time to prevent the production of brood, and towards the 

 last the supply of honey became very limited. 



" To get at the cost of living, after removing the last of 

 the combs and balance of the honey, the bees were given 

 just one pound of honey in a feeder arranged so that they 

 would not get it fast enough to go on building. After the 

 fourth day there were six ounces left; but here is a little 

 diflHculty : They could not require 10 ounces in that time, 

 and on removing the feeder with balance of honey, and giv- 

 ing four empty combs, they put about two ounces into the 

 cells. This would still leave eight ounces consumed, or two 

 ounces per day while in active flight. Then for the 20 days 

 we have 40 ounces consumed to preserve life, which de- 

 ducted from the five pounds leaves two pounds eight ounces 

 actually used in producing the 6 '4 ounces of wax ; thus, to 

 produce one pound of wax 6 2-S pounds of honey would be 

 consumed.. 



" When the cost of living was carried out, the bees were 

 reduced about one-third, so that two ounces per day should 

 be within the mark. In the hight of the season, with 

 everything favorable, it is only reasonable to say that the 

 cost of production is really much less, and probably less 

 than five pounds of honey are consumed in actually produc- 

 ing one pound of wax." 



Is not that sufficiently satisfactory, Mr. Dadant ? It 

 certainly does not agree with your statement that " it takes 

 from 7 to IS pounds of honey to produce a pound of comb 

 in the very best circumstances." But let us hear what Mr. 

 Simmins has further to say about "comparative cost," /. e., 

 of natural and artificial comb : 



"In the course of the experiment," continues Mr. Sim- 

 mins, "I found that about eight standard frames (14 inches 

 by 8>^ inches) of new comb will give one pound of refined 

 wax. It is surprising what a large amount of refuse is left 

 after melting the most beautifully white combs, so that the 

 actual weight of wax obtained is much less than that of the 

 original combs. Observe this : One pound of wax costing 

 the producer less than one shilling and sixpence [36 cents] 

 fills eight frames with finisht comb. To do this with foun- 

 dation 1'3 pounds of that article is required, costing in hard 

 cash at the least two shillings and sixpence [say 60 cents] 

 for the base only ; to this the bees add considerable of their 

 own production before the combs can be completed ; mak- 

 ing the total cost much over three shillings [say 7S cents]. 

 Facts are stubborn things, and can not be ignored." 



So much for the very careful experiments of Mr. Sim- 

 mins. 



In regard to my assumption (really that of Mr. Simmins, 

 from whose book I learnt it) that the secretion of wax goes 

 on in the hive, and that the scales are therefore wasted 

 where foundation is used, Mr. Dadant emphatically states 

 that " this is not so, as there is always a necessity of wax 

 for lengthening the comb." It is rather difBcult to know 

 whether he herein denies that the secretion of wax goes on, 

 or only denies that " it is wasted." If he admits that the 

 secretion of wax goes on, then — in the case, at least, of the 

 Nebraska man's foundation, which is warranted to have 

 "enough wax in the side-walls to enable the bees to finish 

 the combs without any additional wax " — there is bound to 

 be a waste ; and it was really the advertised claim of this 

 foundation maker that, in the first place, set my thoughts 

 and my pen agoing. 



Mr. Dadant concludes his very lame attempt to refute 

 my statements by suggesting that I should first make ex- 

 periments, and not write until I have done so. But why 

 should I masquerade as an expert and make experiments, 

 when far abler men than myself, such as Mr. Simmins, of 

 England, and Mr. "Sage-Brush" — whatever his proper 

 patronymic may be — in California, and scores of others 

 have already done, so ? And what would be the good, as 

 far as trying to convince Mr. Dadant goes, when he, rather 



