320 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



cau be, to have it as nearly as possible imme- 

 diately in front of me. As the pressure neces- 

 sary to close the section is much greater than 

 that used in operating the plate, I put the folder 

 to the right, that the right foot may operate 

 the lever (7) in closing the section. 



I think all will see at a glance the manner of 

 handling the section while putting on the foun- 

 dation. The little blocks at either end of the 

 table are so placed that, when the section is 

 shoved to one end, it is just right for the bot- 

 tom starter; and, shoved to the other end, just 

 right for the top starter. 



The illustration I have prepared for this is 

 not just as I have my machine, and not what it 

 should be. The machinery I use in operating 

 the plate and folder is not all shown. It would 

 require two or more engravings to show it all. 

 This, however, shows the manner of getting 

 the foundation on and the section closed, which 

 is what I wish to write of here. To illustrate 

 in detail, so that one may copy exactly in build- 

 ing such a machine, is rather beyond my skill 

 as a draughtsman, and no doubt more than the 

 editor would care to have engraved. 



As for the work of this machine, it is first 

 class. When it is operated rightly the fasten- 

 ing is so perfect that the foundation will part 

 somewhere else before it will let loose from the 

 wood. 



The only difficulty is in getting the section 

 closed without injuring the fastening by 

 springing the top by the heavy pressure needed 

 to set the dovetailing, or by allowing the sheet 

 of foundation to lop over when neither soft nor 

 hard. It requires some pretty good judgment 

 to handle it just right, and something that is 

 very hard to tell. 



The reason for putting foundation in before 



folding is because of the difficulty of getting 

 the fingers in to hold the foundation when the 

 section is folded. I had intended to devise 

 something to hold the foundation, and to cut 

 off the required length, though up to this time 

 I have never had the time to accomplish it. 

 These things might be developed 

 faster if some inventive g nius could 

 receive the proper stimulus; but as 

 it now is, the man who invents 

 some good thing is usually more of 

 a benefactor than benefited. I have 

 been told— but can not say as to the 

 truth of it — ihat some manufactur- 

 ers of large nutans and extensive 

 works keep one or more experts in 

 their establis-ha-enis, whose duly it 

 is to study out belter metljods and 

 improvements. 



Thai bottom starter is a grand 

 thing. I have ju-^t read in the 

 American Bee Journal some of Ed- 

 itor York's experience in getting a 

 lot of broken-down comb honey. 

 The total shipment was 3300 pounds, 

 and 5.50 of that broken down— almost 

 one-fourth of it. I have had a little 

 break down myself, but I know it 

 is possible to have sections so firm 

 that nothing short of smashing the 

 case would break the honey loose from the sec- 

 tion. I have had some such, and know whereof 

 I speak, and know that bottom starters are a 

 great help in getting such. There should 

 always be a bottom starter, whether only start- 

 ers be used or full sheets. 



The producer of comb honey for the general 

 markets can not afford to do any half-way 

 work. There must be no foundation pulling 

 down in the section, and there must be no 

 breaking down of the finished product in the 

 case. I know what it is to have fine plump 

 finished sections, and I know what it is have 

 such poor finish that I hardly dared to hold the 

 section sidewise for fear the honey would drop 

 out of its own weight. I must say that our 

 honey is put on the market in a crude way, and 

 especially is this true of the extracted product. 

 Loveland, Col. 



[I agree with you that the heated-plate plan 

 gives a much better fastening, and I may add 

 the work is more rapidly done. While some 

 prefer two machines in one (folding the section 

 and fastening the foundation) we prefer two 

 machines— one for each operation. We find 

 the two are more rapid, simpler, and cheaper 

 than any combined machine we have ever op- 

 erated; and we have tried a good mauy. We 

 have never tried the Aikin machine, and, of 

 course, are not prepared to speak of its mprits. 

 — Ed.1 



If you would like to have any of your friends 

 see a specimen copy of Gleanings, rrutke known 

 the request on a postal. %viih the address or ad- 

 dresses, and we will, with pleasure, send them. 



