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THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



are well attached to the wood, rather than 

 the reverse. Mr. Greiner is right in say- 

 ing that the use of full sheets of founda- 

 tion is a great aid in securing the at- 

 tachment of combs to the wood. This is 

 one advantage in the use of foundation. 

 Right here let me say that a section in 

 which comb is built naturally, with no 

 help from foundation, unless it may be a 

 small starter, is more likely to be well 

 filled than one partly filled with founda- 

 tion. 



I presume that the majority of people 

 would admire the appearance of worker 

 comb above that of drone comb. To me 

 there is a peculiar, rugged beauty about 

 a well filled section of drone-comb. If 

 the section is not well filled the comb has 

 a more ragged appearance if of the drone 

 variety than one partly filled with worker 

 comb. I doubt if consumers would ob- 

 ject to the appearance of drone comb — if 

 many of them would even notice its ap- 

 pearance. Some objection of which I 

 know not would have to arise to induce 

 me to use foundation in the sections sim- 

 ply because the bees would build drone 

 comb in them if allowed to build combs 

 naturally. The editor says that naturally 

 built drone-comb-honey will be more 

 "gobby" than worker comb built from 

 foundation. My experience will not 

 allow me to agree with this. As I said 

 last month, the walls of naturally built 

 drone-comb may be thicker than those of 

 worker comb, but their character is far 

 different. For my own eating, give me 

 naturally built drone-comb-honey to that 

 of worker built from comb foundation. 



In regard to the building of drone 

 comb in the sections when starters only 

 are used, an established colony would be 

 almost certain to build drone comb be- 

 fore it has swarmed; unless it had a great 

 abundance in the brood nest; which is 

 something that we bee-keepers do not 

 find to our advantage. A newly hived 

 swarm, or a colony that has swarmed 

 and possesses a young laying queen, 

 would be less likely to build drone comb. 

 Mr. H. R. Boardman could probably 



give us as much information as any man 

 upon this subject of producing honey 

 with naturally built combs. Will he 

 please write an article for the Review on 

 this subject ? 



The majority of people prefer comb to 

 extracted honey; and in this case I am 

 with the majority. There are reasons 

 why comb honey is more palatable. One 

 is that it is almost always well ripenedj 

 But, even when extracted honey is well 

 ripened there is a difference. As Mr.. 

 Root says, it seems to lose some of its 

 delicate aroma; although I dcubt if there 

 is so very much in this when it is imme- 

 diately sealed up. I must agree with Mr. 

 Greiner that liquefied honey loses, in a 

 degree, its fine taste. To me it has a 

 sort of cooked taste. Next comes this point 

 of eating the wax with the honey. Wax 

 does have an aroma or a taste which, min- 

 gled with that of the honey, gives a com- 

 bined taste that is different from that of 

 honey alone. In the eating of extracted 

 honey such a large quantity of sweetness 

 is brought in contact with the organs of 

 taste all at once as to overtax them, so to 

 speak. In eating comb honey there is a 

 gradual breaking down of the cells, the 

 honey is released in small quantities, and 

 the "sweetness long drawn out" is not 

 only poetical but really real. 



I notice that at the Omaha convention 

 this matter of the digestibility of the wax 

 received quite a little attention. It is 

 true that the wax is indigestible, but those 

 are in error who imagine that because wax 

 is indigestible its consumption in comb 

 honey is attended with injurious results, 

 or that it is in the least unwholesome. 

 Some fifteen years ago Prof. Hasbrouck, 

 in the Bee-Keepers' Magazine, explained 

 most fully the philosophy of this subject; 

 and, although it has been copied before in 

 the Review, it was several years ago, 

 and I believe it will bear repeating. 

 The Professor said: — 



So much is said now-a-days by such in- 

 fluential men as King, Dadant, Jones, 

 and many others, to "boom" extracted 

 honey, that it seems necessary that some- 



