242 



For defending their homes, they have 

 proved to he the most vigorous, watch- 

 ful, and strongest of all races." In con- 

 clusion, Mr. Hilbert says: "For the 

 purpose of improving the blood of other 

 races in crossing them, the Cyprians are 

 the most valuable of all races." So far, 

 all other reports agree with the above 

 with the exception of one point, which 

 is their disposition. While some say 

 they are crosser, others find them as 

 gentle as Italians. 



Having now reviewed the different 

 races of bees, I will give my conclu- 

 sions in regard to what I think the most 

 desirable "cross" of the different races 

 for practical bee-keeping, and will say : 

 Mate the gentle Italians with the vig- 

 orous Cyprians. 



If from some queen-breeders we can 

 get pure Italians, and from others pure- 

 Cyprians, we will have the best mate- 

 rial for the future bee of America, and 

 it only remains for us, by intelligent 

 breeding, to incorporate the two into 

 one fixed race. 



Fort Plain, N. Y. 



Read before the N. E. Convention. 



Comb Foundation and Its Uses. 



MRS. F. DUNHAM. 



Bee-keepers at the present day 

 scarcely need to be told what comb 

 foundation is; though its general use 

 can be dated back but a few years. 

 Even as late as the seasons of 1876 and 

 1877 only a few used it in any quantity ; 

 and of those few approved of it, while 

 many condemned its use altogether. 



Writers have given us a minute his- 

 tory of. the original invention of foun- 

 dation, and to Heir Mehring or F. Weiss 

 be accorded the great honor. It is an 

 easy thing to improve an invention, 

 after a great mind has originally 

 thought of and demonstrated its prac- 

 ticability. 



We have many ways of making foun- 

 dation though there are but four kinds : 



1. That with the base of the cell in 

 natural form, with a mere outline of 

 the wall between the cells. 



2. That with the base flat, with wires 

 inserted, and the walls well formed for 

 the brood comb, while that for surplus 

 honey has no wire. 



3. That with the base of natural shape, 

 a-nd walls brought up to form even sur- 

 faces, while at the joining of the cells 

 there is a triangular portion of wax, 

 which adds strength. 



4. Foundation with walls on one side 

 only, and a comparatively flat surface 

 on the other. 



A few years ago all efforts were 

 turned toward keeping drone comb 

 down ; that is, preventing the bees from 

 building it, or by cutting it out after 

 being built, and one of the strongest 

 arguments against artificial division of 

 colonies, which now we find so essen- 

 tial, was the liability of bees to build 

 drone comb under certain conditions, 

 which it was then almost impossible to 

 guard against ; and much labor was 

 spent upon a matter to which we give 

 no thought to-day, for the reason that 

 it is only necessary to give bees full 

 frames of worker foundation to insure 

 there being no drone comb built in the 

 hive. 



And it is difficult to estimate the im- 

 portance of this matter, for, with the 

 ability to control the rearing of drones 

 given us, we can hardly see any limit to 

 the improvement of such qualities as 

 we demand in a queen and her progeny, 

 viz.: docility, prolificness, honey gath- 

 ering, and disinclination to swarm. 



And, again, how we labored to have 

 the bees build straight combs. The 

 apiarist who could say : " I have 100 

 colonies of bees, and not one crooked 

 comb among them," was looked upon 

 as a wonder of industry ; for it repre- 

 sented days and months of unremitted 

 care, attention, and hard work. Now it 

 is nothing, straight combs are a cer- 

 tainty, with a free use of foundation. 



As before said, there are several 

 methods of making foundation. The 

 wax must first be formed into sheets, 

 where rolls or presses are used ; and 

 there are also a number of ways to sheet 

 wax, of which I will mention the three 

 best : Smooth boards, thoroughly water 

 soaked, are dipped into melted wax, 

 and then into warm water, the operation 

 being repeated till the sheet is thick 

 enough. Or a wooden cylinder is used, 

 which revolves in the wax ; this reduces 

 the labor of sheeting it very materially, 

 and, lastly, metal plates are dipped into 

 the hot wax and then into ice water. It 

 is of course unnecessary to add that 

 the last is the most expensive method. 

 The sheets so formed are dipped into a 

 preparation of slippery elm or starch 

 water (some use soap, but it should be 

 borne in mind that- the bees dislike 

 soap), and then carried through the 

 rolls of a foundation machine, to give 

 them the desired impression of either 

 style of foundation before mentioned, 

 with one of which wires are deftly in- 

 serted. To prevent the wax sticking, 

 it is necessary to brush the rolls well 

 with the solution used. 



There is also a very ingeniously- 

 formed press, in which sheeted wax 

 laid on a brood frame already wired is 



