1898 



GLEANINGS IN bee; CULTURE 



47 



to be deducted from above full-price sections, 

 are: Uanzy sections, 75 at 12 cts. ; 4'/4 sections, 

 232 at lU cts. Nearly half of those produced 

 were light on account of being slotted sections, 

 with closed corners of course. My full sec- 

 tions of 4 '4 have sold at 13 cts. for white 

 clover, and I'Iyi for fall, I furnishing cartons. 

 My D. sections, glazed, white clover, 20 cts.; 

 fall, IC) cts.; no cartons. Glass costs I's cts. 

 each section. The 4 '4, 7 to foot, weighed 

 from 14 to 15)4 oz.; the D., 15 to 1()>4 oz. 



The record of my best colony, hived May 7 

 (a swarm from a colony which produced 82 

 sections last year), is as follows : 



White clover, 24 sections, 7 to foot, 



slotted, weighing frouiLi'/o tol6oz., 



extra well filled, but with a little 



hole iu each lower corner, I hold 



at 15c, $ 8 fiO 



White clover, 73 D., sold at 20, 14 (iO 



Fall honey, 59 D., sold at l(j, 9 44 |27 t)4 



I draw the conclusion from these records, 

 that, were I compelled to sell at the same 

 price as the square, I should still be ahead. 

 You see by the above that my total product is 

 1211 sect ons, with 80 lbs. extracted from un- 

 finished sections. 



I have found that a large swarm will pro- 

 duce better results in a ten-frame hive on eight 

 frames, with full sheets of foundation, and 

 dummies on each side, than any other way. 



Mountain View, N. J., Dec. i. 



[This looks like heavy testimony in favor 

 of the Danz)^ section; but, hold on! The honey 

 in the tall sections was produced with the 

 cleated separators (or fences), and that in the 

 square ones in the plain solid separators. This 

 would account in part for the better filling, 

 and in part for the better price, but not en- 

 tirely. It can hardly be questioned that the 

 tall sections, apart from considerations just 

 mentioned, bring a higher price, otiier things 

 being equal, else why should such bee-men 

 as Capt. Hetherington, Doolittle, Morton, 

 Taylor, and lumdreds of others, who began 

 using them, keep right on with them ? They 

 would not do it to be odd, nor for the fun of 

 it, surely. It must be because there is more 

 money in them. Now, I am not saying that 

 4x5 (Danzy), or that 3^^8x5 (Hetherington's), 

 or oy.^oY?, (Doolittle's), or 334x434: (Mor- 

 ton's), or 35/sx5, is just the size, but there 

 seems to be something in a taller than broad 

 section. — Ed.] 



THE PETTIT SYSTEM OF PRODUCING COMB 

 HONEY. 



Perforated Dividers versus Slatted Dividers. 



BY S. T. PETTIT. 



Ed. Gleanings : — A number have expressed 

 a desire to know how I succeeded the past sea- 

 son taking comb honey with my new system. 

 I may say that, with me, the system had pass- 

 ed the experimental stage before giving it to 

 the public ; that is, I had for years tested it so 

 fully that there was no reason for doubt about 

 the advantages claimed for it; and the success 

 of the past season was of the most gratifying 



nature. The crop was large, the finish beauti- 

 ful, even to the last surface outside all around. 

 I regard the system as away ahead of any 

 thing brought out yet. I have no monetary 

 interest in recommending the system, but I 

 should like those who try it to follow instruc- 

 tions. But believing it profitable to have the 

 dividers offer as little obstruction as po.ssible 

 to the free and easy movements of the bees, 

 and to know just how large holes the bees will 

 respect and not bulge the combs nor build 

 burr-combs in them, I used a large number 

 this year with Ss-inch holes, each divider hav- 

 ing 122 holes; and I am pleased to say that 

 those with 's-inch holes gave the most grati- 

 fying results every way; and, without a doubt 

 in my mind, the crop was not only better but 

 larger also than it would have been by the old 

 way, because the bees work to better advan- 

 tage when properly distributed. It stands to 

 reason that they can do more when not crowd- 

 ed together in each other's way, and some 

 waiting for a chance to work, when there is 

 lots to do all around at the outside sections. 



THREE- EIGHTHS- INCH HOLES PREFERABI.E 

 TO SI.ATS. 



I believe any one who has witnessed the 

 wonderful proce.ss of comb-building, and then 

 reflected upon how the bees proceed like a sin- 

 gle individual, instead of separately, as the 

 colony really is a congregation of thousands 

 of individuals, will come to the conclusion 

 that the fewer obstructions in the cluster the 

 better. 



1 never witness this inspiring thing — comb- 

 building — without being filled with wonder 

 and admiration; the process moves so smooth- 

 ly and harmoniously along that the little crea- 

 tures seem under an inspiration. Now single 

 out one bee and observe how it bites and pinch- 

 es and builds the new comb. Now see anoth- 

 er bee coming with a new white scale of wax 

 in its pincers, touch the first one from behind, 

 which moves right out of the way, and the 

 other takes her place and puts the flake on the 

 jagged edge of the new cell, pinches it fast, 

 shapes, molds, and fashions it into wonderful- 

 ly delicate and beautiful comb; and very soon 

 another bee with another flake of wax comes 

 along, and in turn takes the place, and so the 

 process goes on over the different points of 

 the new comb. 



Well, this is what I am driving at : I can 

 not help believing that the divider that offers 

 the least obstruction possible to the free and 

 easy movements of the bees is the one that 

 will give the best results. If it be composed 

 of prett}' wide slats, and the bees have to 

 crawl through narrow passages, their interests 

 and energy will in no small degree be weaken- 

 ed ; and in many cases the bees, instead of 

 working cheerfully on, will set themselves at 

 gnawing to enlarge the passages, or to daub- 

 ing propolis or stain, and then you will have 

 Moe-begone sections enough. Now, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, may 1 suggest that it will not cost very 

 much to set up a gang of bits and have the 

 thing just right ? I doubt if a ^-inch hole 

 will ever be improved upon ; the bees walk 

 right through them with no effort at all. They 



