GLEAxXIXGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



Some of the thintjs that friend Thompson has 

 given favor my side, and some favor his own. 

 So far as these last relate I will let them stand 

 on their own merits. I simply desire to call 

 attention to the fact that there seems to be a 

 disagreement among those interested in the 

 sale of the Rietsche press. Tlie manufactur- 

 ers themselves give rather indefinite figures as 

 to how much per hour their press will make. 

 For instance, in the article above they say 

 that 150 sheets per hour are made ; but there 

 is no reference as to the size of the sheets. It 

 is hardly fair to assume that a large sheet 

 could be made as rapidly as a small one, as in- 

 timated in friend Thompson's next to the last 

 paragraph ; but I have found something defi- 

 nite myself from a dealer who sells Rietsche 

 foundation-pr.-sses in Australia. His adver- 

 tisement appears in the Australian Bee Uiil- 



three or four pounds per hour we can hardly 

 figure on more than 20 or 2") lbs. as a day's 

 work. Then the bi'ittleness of the article after 

 it was made would be somewhat a,^ainst it. 



Mr. Thompson is laboring under the disad- 

 vantage of having never used one of the 

 Rietsche presses. If he will pay the cost of a 

 late machine we will pay the cost of transpor- 

 tation ; and I would suggest that further argu- 

 ment be deferred until such a time as he shall 

 have actually tested the machine so that he 

 will not have to depend upon what some one 

 else says. My arguments all along have been 

 based on our own experience with a Rietsche 

 press. When we bought it our intention was 

 to make some arrangement to put it on the 

 market if it should prove to be a good thing. 



If it shall yet turn out to be a great help to 

 a Cc-rtain class who can iitt afford to pay higii 



NIVER .A.ND HIMSELF. — SEE EDITORIAES. 



letin. In referring to the Rietsche press he 

 says : 



" Foundation may be made at a very slight 

 cost of labor ; capacity. 3 to 4 lbs. per hour." 



This cuts the estimates down that friend T. 

 has been making, just about a half ; and I am 

 more inclined to believe that this is actually 

 the capacity of the machine, because these fig- 

 ures are just about what we were able to se- 

 cure with the press we have. This advertise- 

 ment appears in the August 2-lth issue, and 

 doubtless referred to late machines. 



If three or four pounds of foundation per 

 hour is all that can be made from an U. sized 

 Rietsche press, I can not by any combination 

 of figures, allowing the operator S2.00 a daj' 

 for his time, see huw any great saving could 

 be effected over factorj'-made foundation. At 



freight rates, let alone the cost of ordinary 

 foundation, we as manufacturers of supplies 

 would be very shortsighted if we did not sup- 

 ply such customers with these hand machines. 

 I am open to conviction ; and I believe friend 

 Thompson is also, and that he will test the 

 machine fairly, because his article above shows 

 a spirit of fairness and a desire to get at the 

 truth.— Ed.] 



VALUE OF CLEATED SEPARATORS. 



Comb Honey " as Straight and Smooth on its Sur- 

 face as a Planed Block of Wood." 



BY JULIUS TOMLINSON. 



I have just been reading your Oct. loth is- 

 sue, and was particularly interested in the 



