1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



127 



and down than sidewise, almost the exact pro- 

 portion of a 4x5 section. How much the in- 

 stincts of bees are modified by the use of foun- 

 dation I can not say. 



Another advantage of this size of section is 

 that it has a larger comb surface, and will 

 weigh a full pound, while not as thick by yi 

 inch as the 4%x4]4 section weighing the same, 

 and this may be its strong point. 



Will the evolution of the honey-box bring 

 the plain section into general use ? I believe 

 it will. One dealer in Washington told me he 

 would pay three cents per pound more for the 

 4x5 plain-section honey than for the old-style 

 sections. Indeed, I was offered two cents per 

 pound more, for 5000 lbs. of clover honey, to 

 be delivered next fall, than I have been re- 

 ceiving of late for my best grade of honey, if 

 put in plain 4x5 sections. In New York I in- 

 quired of Mr. Segelken for his plain-section 

 honey, that I might compare it with that in 

 old-style sections. He said he had very little 

 left in plain sections, as such lots were picked 

 up first by retail dealers, who preferred them 

 to the old-style sections. I found the same 

 true in Albany, N. Y., where I stopped to look 

 over the honey. As these retail dealers are 

 not in the supply business I thought their 

 opinions worth recording. 



I believe the honey-section of the future is 

 likely to be tall rather than square, and thin 

 rather than thick, and plain rather than old- 

 style, as such seems to best suit the instincts 

 of the bees and the demands of the honey- 

 trade. 



Middlebury, Vt. 



[There is, perhaps, one factor referring to 

 the 3*8x5 and 4x5 size of section that you 

 have not taken into consideration. As you 

 will recall from sections you saw while here, 

 the cross-cleat, or that portion of the fence 

 bearing against the uprights jof the section, 

 has a good deal to do with the filling of the 

 section itself. All supers sent out last season, 

 taking sections 3^x5, had cleats on the fences 

 l /z inch wide. On the other hand, all supers 

 taking the 4x5 had cleats on the fences only 

 % inch. The width of the cleats alone might 

 make all the difference between the filling of 

 the two classes of boxes. This difference be- 

 tween the wide and narrow cleats was so mark- 

 ed that we have this year decided, as you may 

 remember, to make cleats on all our fences 

 narrow instead of wide, as last season. 



But aside from the matter of width of cleats 

 to fences, it is possible that the 4x5 section 

 has some advantages distinctly its own. Read 

 R. C. Aikin's article, just following. 



As we make supers to take both kinds of 

 sections, 4x5 and 3^x5, it does not make a 

 picayune's difference to us which we sell. 

 They are both supposed to hold a pound ; but 

 the larger one is only l^g inches thick while 

 the other is \y z inches. 



I am not at all surprised that you found a 

 decided demand for honey in the plain sec- 

 tions in the markets you visited, and that you 

 found that such honey would bring a higher 

 price. Some of my friends have thought that 

 I was over-enthusiastic, and made stronger 



claims for the sections a year ago than subse- 

 quent developments would warrant. Dear 

 me ! I was not prophesying, but telling only 

 what bee-keepers of long experience had told 

 me. It is no little satisfaction for me now to 

 see those same statements verified by so care- 

 ful and conscientious an observer as yourself. 



It is no little regret to me that we are un- 

 able (and it would be unwise if we could) to 

 publish all of the unsolicited testimonials in 

 favor of plain sections. The evidence we have 

 already given ought to be sufficient. But 

 there are always some who will be doubting 

 Thomases, even then, for " none are so blind 

 as those who will not see." 



Here is the article from R. C. Aikin, that I 

 have taken from the Pi ogressive Bee-keeper. 

 With what is said above by Mr. Crane it comes 

 in very nicely. — Ed.] 



TALL VS. SQUARE SECTIONS. 

 Why the Former are Better Filled out. 



BY R. C. AIKIN. 



[I have known that the tall sections seemed, 

 apparently at least, to be filled out a little bet- 

 ter than the square ones, under the same con- 

 ditions ; but I never knew all the reasons why. 

 Friend Aikin has offered the best explanation 

 of any thing I have seen. The italics are 

 mine. — Ed.] 



I favor a section 4x5 inches, and to stand on 

 end, or 5 inches deep. Such a section will 

 finish nicer than a shallower one. About 20 

 years ago I used a section 5x6, made of four 

 pieces, the sides about 1% wide, and the top 

 and bottom bars enough narrower to make the 

 bee-entrances. Since those days I have had 

 more than 100,000 4^x4^ sections filled, and 

 never were the latter as nicely finished on the 

 average as were the former. The reason, how- 

 ever, was not all in the size, but was largely 

 due to the construction of the section. Those 

 5x6 sections were sawed out and of four pieces 

 (to be nailed), the top and bottom the same 

 width their entire length, or the same in width 

 as the thickness of the comb in the section. 

 The more modern one-piece sections have the 

 bee-entrances scored out so tops and bottoms 

 are narrow in the middle part, but round out 

 to the full width of the sides when within x / z 

 or }( of an inch of the corner. The top-bar 

 that is just as wide as the thickness of the fin- 

 ished comb that is attached to it is much 

 easier for the bees to finish to. Just look at 

 any modern one-piece section of honey, and see 

 how the finish is worked out even with the nar- 

 row part of the section top, but dubbed or 

 rounded off ivhen it conies to the wide part, 

 and you will at once comprehend that the top 

 narrow its entire length will finish the nicer 

 of the two. 



Before the adoption of the 1-lb. section by 

 bee-keepers I used many larger sizes, and I be- 

 lieve I know that the larger ones made as be- 

 fore described finished nicer than the 1-lb. 

 size. In addition to the better finish caused 



