40 



THE AMERK'AX BEE-KEEPER 



March 



are scattered uniformly among those 

 having the foundation starters. The 

 only drawback when so working will be 

 that the sections will not contain all 

 worker comb, or present quite as fine 

 an appearance, nor the combs be at- 

 tached to the wood of the sections quite 

 so firmly, as where the foundation in 

 full sheets is used; still, very little dif- 

 ference will be made in the selling price 

 for lack of the full sheets of foundation. 

 Again, if I thought it best to hive my 

 n£w swarms on frames filled with foun- 

 dation, so that wired frames filled with 

 worker combs would be a certain re- 

 sult, which is a thing greatly to be cov- 

 eted, then I would use only starters in 

 the sections as above. 



When a prime swarm issues, they go 

 forth, as a rule^ with wax already se- 

 creted in their wax-pockets, so that 

 they may at once commence to build 

 combs in their new home, and if the 

 new home is already supplied with all 

 the necessary combs this wax is wasted, 

 or, what is often the case, worse than 

 wasted, it being added to the foundation 

 already in the sections, so that, instead 

 of drawing out the side walls of the 

 foundation they build with their own 

 wax the cells of the combs, thus leav- 

 ing the foundation in the sections. the 

 same as it left the mill. This causes 

 the grumbling we have heard so much 

 about, regarding the "fishbone" in sec- 

 tion honey. Now, where I hive swarms 

 on full combs, or frames filled with 

 foundation, I use only starters in the 

 sections, and find that the bees will 

 build the combs in the sections while 

 they are drawing out the foundation be- 

 low, and thus a saving is made. But, 

 as a_ rule, unless we are very short in 

 the family, I prefer to fill the sections 

 with foundation, that I may have hand- 

 some salable sections of honey, and 

 use only starters of foundation in the 

 frames below, having the starters in the 

 frames, say from one to one and one- 

 half inches wide. By contracting the 

 brood chamber to so few frames that a 

 part of the swarm is forced at once into 

 the sections, the bees go to work there 

 storing honey and drawing out the 

 foundation, while during the same time 

 they build all straight worker comb in 

 the frames, so that by the time the 

 frames below are filled with comb and 

 brood the sections will be nearly com- 

 pleted also. In this way there is no 

 detraction from the amount of section 



honey, so far as 1 can see; and we have 

 worker combs btiilt that are nearly or 

 quite as perfect as those from founda- 

 tion. 



Borodino. N. Y., Jan. 30. 1902. 



The Ethical Side in Apiculture. 



(By Bessie L. Putnam.) 



ONE OF the most impressive fea- 

 tures of bee journalism is the 

 geniality and good will of the 

 guild. While there are bright sallies 

 of wit, they are almost always of the 

 good-humored class which leaves no 

 sting. Criticisms, differences of opin- 

 ion there may be. but rarely of a caus- 

 tic nature. Rivalry there may be, — to 

 produce the largest yield, the best hon- 

 ey: but not to injure the trade of an- 

 other. There is a mutual feeling of 

 sympathy and interest. The pleasures 

 of one are shared by all; a misfortune 

 sheds its shadow of depression through- 

 out the apiary world. 



A pleasant illustration of this wide- 

 spread bond of friendliness came recent- 

 ly on the occasion of the marriage of 

 the "Hutchinson twins;" and the event 

 was recorded with scarcely less person- 

 al interest by the various exchanges 

 than by the Bee-Keepers' Review, in 

 the sanctum of which it had so much 

 of significance. It is safe to say that 

 from almost every home in the land 

 where a bee journal is read have gone 

 forth, mentallv. the best of wishes to 

 the two new homes. 



Old-time contributors have given 

 through the various mediums not only' 

 valued experiences but glimpses of 

 their own personality. And it is one 

 in which kindliness, gentleness, and pa- 

 tience are dominant characteristics. 



So wide spread are these traits that 

 we feel impelled to seek a more explicit 

 explanation than mere co-incidence. 

 There is a natural sequence in all 

 things; and if we but analyze the quali- 

 ties which make the good apiarist, con- 

 template the phases developed by his 

 thoughtful life, it is not difiticult to un- 

 derstand why he is also a good citizen. 



Systematic study of his little charges, 

 patience, punctuality, neatness, gentle- 

 ness are indispensable. Routine work 

 may apparently succeed for a time; but 

 the perplexities and emergencies sure 

 to come up sooner or later call forth 

 originality of tlunight and a thorough 



