THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



55 



YOUR PRESENT BUSINESS. 



It May Be the Best Business for You. 



A business with a beautiful, fasci- 

 nating- exterior, is often filled with 

 trials and perplexities. To many men 

 some other business than their own 

 seems more attractive. To me, the 

 commercial traveler, well-dressed, well- 

 fed, well-paid, traveling about the 

 country, inay seem to be leading a life 

 of pleasure. Passing- my window and 

 seeing- me busy at my desk, one of the 

 "knig-hts of the g-rip" might envy 

 "that fellow with his snug- little busi- 

 ness right at home. ' ' And so it g-oes ; 

 but the most sensible advice that I 

 have seen on this subject comes from 

 a writer in the Four Track News. He 

 saj^s: 



"The average man thinks ever}' 

 other business better than the one in 

 which he is engag-ed. Sometimes he 

 is so sure of it that he makes a change, 

 and then comes to a discovery. He 

 finds that the new business, which at 

 long rang-e looked so rosy, has a full 

 complement of thorns, not altogether 

 different from those which beset his 

 old occupation. Instead of indulging'- 

 in such day dreams aboutother people's 

 affairs, men would make more pro- 

 gress by employing their spare time in 

 nipping the thorns that annoy them. 



WIRING BROOD-FRAMES. 



Some Reasons why the Wires Should not 



be Drawn so Taut when Heavy 



Foundation is Used. 



Naturally, most of us suppose that 

 the tighter we draw the wires in wir- 

 ing brood-frames, the better. Mr. F. 

 Greiner, of New York, thought so, and 

 made some experiments that seemed to 

 prove that he was correct in his con- 

 clusions. He reported them to Glean- 

 ings. Editor Root explained why he 

 thought Mr. Greiner's experiments 



turned out as they did, and also gave 

 reasons why the wires maj' be made 

 quite taut with light foundation, but 

 should be more loose with the heavier 

 makes. As the season when bee-keep- 

 ers ought to be wiring their brood- 

 frames is now here, it may not be 

 amiss to give Mr. Root's advice. He 

 saj's: 



Whether or not you should draw 

 your wires taut will depend on the 

 weight or heft of foundation used. 

 Wax 8 or 9 sheets to the pound will 

 buckle in the drawing out if the wires 

 be drawn taut. Sheets 6 or 7 feet to 

 the pound will draw out into good 

 combs as fiat as a board, whether the 

 wires be drawn taut or not. But a 

 tight wire will not beg'-in to stand the 

 strain of one drawn moderately loose. 

 The reason of this is obvious. If it is 

 stretched to half its breaking strain, 

 a little more strain will break it, like 

 a slam or bang in an extractor. If 

 there is no strain on the wire, and it 

 is drawn tig^ht enough to take out all 

 the slack, and a little more, it is easy 

 to see that it will stand a great deal 

 more strain than if it be drawn up 

 more nearly to the breaking-point. 



But there is another factor to be con- 

 sidered. The tig^hter the wires are 

 drawn the heavier the foundation re- 

 quired. I believe it is possible for one 

 to use a very light grade of wax by 

 using wires drawn to the proper ten- 

 sion — not too taut. Foundation 8 or 9 

 feet to the pound is certainly cheaper 

 than 6 to 7 feet; and if looser-drawn 

 wires will stand a greater strain, and 

 if you get as good comb with lighter 

 foundation, you are saving in yoxiv 

 pocketbook and getting good and 

 stronger comb. 



Some six or seven years ago I con- 

 ducted a series of experiments in this 

 matter of wiring and the degree of ten- 

 sion that could be placed on the same. 

 At first I drew mv wires tight, and 

 put in heavy foundation, or what we 

 then called "medium brood." All 

 went well. Later on I used the same 

 tension of wiring, and used light 

 brood. Then the trouble began. The 

 foundation buckled or bulged in 

 between the wires slightly — not seri- 



