1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



919 



was, most of them bulged badly, requiring 

 cleated separators in the case. But this lot of 

 sections averaged nearly 17 ounces, being the 

 heaviest of all. The total average section 

 weight (two apiaries) was l-l-j ounces. The 

 average of the plain sections was not quite 13 

 ounces. 



A neighbor, who used 7-to-the-foot sections 

 without separators nearly altogether, produc- 

 ing 800 cases, averaged 145 ounces to the sec- 

 tion, wilh very few bulged. That scheme 

 looks more promising to me than plain sec- 

 tions and fences. The 7-tothe-foot section is 

 really a narrow section ; and whatever influ- 

 ence that degree of narrowness has in secur- 

 ing straight combs, we may get from it ( with- 

 out lowering our present average weight) by 

 discaniing separators ; and by discarding sep- 

 arators we get combs almost as close to the 

 straight-edge, laid across, as those produced 

 with fences. And if we do want sections as 

 light as the plain ones, we can make inset 

 sections still narrower, say \y-i inches, and be 

 still more likely to get straight comb^. I 

 think the editor missed the point in quoting 

 Mr. Hutchinson's editorial on narrow sec- 

 tions, for the l>^-inch plain section with 

 cleated fences is little more to be compared 

 wilh leally narrow sections than is the 1 "/s- 

 inch section wilh plain separator. Wilh ihe 

 cleats, it is \\ inches in width, making only .}^ 

 inch difference. It is the fence separator, only 

 that makes straightness in its case. Well, if 

 we can get straight combs by using narrow 

 sections, which will be no lighter than plain 

 sections have proved to be, and get them well 

 filled by attending to the ff^undalion and the 

 strength of colony, and get more sections in a 

 case, why, then narrow inset sections without 

 separators are clearly superior in promise to 

 plain sections and fences, because we don't 

 know but we may get just about the same re- 

 sults, with the relief from the work, bother 

 and expense of separators thrown in. I think 

 I should even experiment with open-sided 

 narrow sections, if necessary, before dropping 

 the notion. 



So far we have had no experimenting lately 

 published thrit has been worthy of the name. 

 Both kinds of sections compared should al- 

 ways be in the same super. 



Spaced plain sections without fences may 

 give good results in fdling, but the adjust- 

 ment is an unsolved problem. Mine varied 

 too much, in spite of all I could do ; and I 

 fancy that, unless the distance from center to 

 center is I yi inches or less, they will bulge. 

 That meaiis pretty narrow sections. 



Gluing of fences is a failure. I shall have 

 to go all over my fences with nails. About 

 one-third dropped off one lo five cleats. 



Montrose, Col. F. L. Thompson. 



[In the American Bee Journal, last April, 

 page 22-5, there appeared an article from Mr. 

 Thompson, condemning plain sc-ctions and 

 fences, and it is but natural that the writer's 

 prejudice (unconscious no doubt) should now 

 be rather against than ybr them. He omits to 

 give us one very important point; namely, the 

 exact construction of the fences tie used. 



Mr. T. says there was no experimenting 

 worth the name, and that both kinds of sec- 

 tions compared sliould be in the same super. 

 That is exactly the way Mr. Crane conducted 

 his experiments, he tells me, and yet the re- 

 sults are as he states in this issue. 



As to Mr. Weed's statement that Danzen- 

 baker was particular to have his foundation 

 come clear out to the wood, that was a mis- 

 take for which I am partly responsible. Mr. 

 Danzenbaker explained at the Omaha conven- 

 tion that he did not want foundation to come 

 clear out to the wood, and that he was no ad- 

 vocate of such practice; j',; inch was as close 

 as he cared to go. Thus falls one of Mr. 

 Thompson's main props. 



Mr. Thompson says, again, "It is really 

 amusing to see all of those so-called testimo- 

 nials smirking at one another across the 

 page." This is almost as unkind as it is un- 

 warranted. 



As to glue being a failure, it was only stich 

 with Mr. Thompson, I take it. There is a 

 great difference in glue, and even with good 

 glue it takes experience to get good results. 



PLAIN SECTIONS CONDEMNED IN THE CANA- 

 DIAN BEE JOURNAL. 



A short time ago the editor of thta journal 

 asked for the loan of certain engravings from 

 our catalog. The favor was freely granted ; 

 but we were a little taken l)ack when, in his 

 issue for December, those same cuts were used 

 as a boomerang on the goods they represented. 

 W^e did not quite think the courtesy would be 

 reciprocated in that waj'. However, it is all 

 right. Intelligent, honest criticism, which I 

 believe Mr. H. intended to give, we aie glad 

 to meet, no matter how or when it comes. 



In a general way Mr. Holtermann sees no ad- 

 vantage in plain sections ; in fact, came out 

 against them a year ago. He thinks the fences 

 will be more difficult to clean, " because," he 

 says, "surely the fence separator with three 

 spaces between the wood or bars, and five up- 

 right posts, can not be scraped more readily 

 than a thin plain board. . . Bees are more apt 

 to propolize in the angles and corners of the 

 fence." This is all true enough ; but Mr. 

 Holtermann overlooks the fact that only the 

 upright cleats, or that part that actually 

 comes in contact with the sections, needs to 

 be scraped. Actual experience (and I have 

 seen cleated separators eight or nine years old) 

 goes to show that cleaning more is time wasted. 



He thinks it reasonable that the open sep- 

 arator would be an advantage; but in the tests 

 he made, he says the advantages were not as 

 apparent as he thought they would be. This 

 may be all very true; but, as I have elsewhere 

 pointed out, the experience of one bee-keeper 

 one season proves nothing very much either 

 way. It is the experience covering a series 

 of years, and from different bee-keepers, that 

 should really decide the matter. I have had 

 only one season's test, and that was very 

 favorable ; but I have never mentioned it 

 before. I rely, for my information, on the 

 experience of others, covering years. 



In another place Mr. Holtermann seems to 

 gather the impression that I said that the bees 



