honey as cheaply as possible ; how are 

 we to do this, if we must buy founda- 

 tion in large quantities V The low price 

 of honey will not warrant large expen- 

 ditures of money, even for so valuable 

 an article as coniib foundation." Pause 

 a moment, gentle reader. Do you re- 

 member when the dairy farmer began 

 the experiment of feeding bran to his 

 cows to increase the quantity of his 

 products ? Although the object sought 

 was attained, many good people shook 

 their heads and said : " It's too expen- 

 sive, and will not pay." But to-day the 

 dairyman who feeds most heavily makes 

 the most money. Just so it will be with 

 the apiarist. 1 venture this prediction : 

 The man who rightly uses the most comb 

 foundation, will realize the largest 

 profit. 



I have given you in general terms my 

 ideas of the value of foundation. In 

 my next I propose to give practical 

 directions how to use it, in order to se- 

 cure the best results, 



South Haven, Mich., March 17, 1879. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Fastening Combs— Wax Extractor. 



A. B. MASON. 



While in the north-western part of 

 the State last April, I attended the 

 meeting of the North-western Ohio 

 Bee-keepers' Association, held at 

 Napoleon, and I called upon Mr. Pray, 

 of Delta, and saw a, to me, new arrange- 

 ment for holding combs in the frames 

 when transferring, and it is so much 

 better than anything that I have seen 

 before, or read of, that I want your 

 readers to know of it. Take wire about 

 the^ize of a common knitting needle 

 or a little larger and cut into pieces as 

 many inches long as the frame is high 

 from top to bottom. In cutting off 

 make the cut slanting so that the ends 

 will be left pointed and sharp. Then 



bend each end like this, i 1, making 



the bends at such distance from the 

 ends that the points will drive into the 

 center of the edge of the upper and the 

 lower pieces of the frame. They are 

 much better than strings or sticks, for 

 they are small, and can be bent to touch 

 the combs just where it may be needed, 

 and if it is put over capped brood, and 

 the capping is not bruised, the brood 

 will not be disturbed by the bees, and 

 it is not often that they will eat the 

 comb from under the wire as they do 

 from under sticks. The bees will till 

 the cells with honey, and cap it right 

 over the wires, completely hiding them 

 from the sight, if neglected and left on. 

 I hardly think any one will use sticks 



or strings again after once using the 

 wires. Sometimes in handling combs 

 we let them fall and the comb is broken 

 from the frames and these wires being 

 always on hand, the damage is soon 

 repaired. 



I have also a simple wax extractor, 

 made under my direction by a tinner, 

 at a cost of $1.00. Mine is 9 inches 

 high, &% inches across the top, inside, 

 and d}4 inches across the bottom, just 

 large enough to fit in the top of a kettle 

 on the cook stove. There is a wire in 

 the top to stiffen it, and ears, and a bail, 

 to it. The bottom is left open. The 

 inside piece for holding the comb is 8% 

 inches across the top, outside, so as to 

 fit inside the top of the outer part just 

 described, with the top turned out all 

 round so as to hang in the other and 

 keep in the steam. This inner part is 

 6 inches deep and 1% inches across the 

 bottom, which is punched full of small 

 holes, as are also the sides for about % 

 its height. I think that this lower part 

 would be better if made of perforated 

 tin, for it would be finer and act more 

 like a strainer. Under this, and inside 

 the can is set a basin to catch the 

 wax as it runs from the holes. The 

 basin rests on some short strips turned 

 in from the bottom. It might easily be 

 tixed with a tube or faucet to let the 

 wax run out intoanotherdish. A cover 

 from one of the kettles on the stove just 

 tits the top, and keeps in the steam. This 

 setting on a kettle partially filled with 

 water, and kept boiling, melts the comb. 



Springfield, O. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Too Much Honey. 



O. CLUTE. 



A letter recently received from a bee- 

 keeping friend says : " I do not know 

 but so much honey will be produced 

 that it will not be worth raising." The 

 same idea has had a more or less clear 

 expression in communications to the 

 bee-papers, and in discussions in con- 

 ventions. 



Is there any real foundation for this 

 fear? Is it at all probable that the 

 amount of honey will be so largely in 

 excess of demand that prices will fall 

 below the point at which it can be 

 grown with a fair profit v To all who 

 depend on bee-keeping for a livelihood, 

 in whole or in part, this question is one 

 of great importance. It is, therefore, 

 worth while to consider it. 



1. It is to be borne in mind that 

 honey is not a perishable product. It 

 is not at all injured by keeping itduring 



