JUNE 15, 1914 



455 



straight, and free from tendency to warp, 

 supported on legs, and having at its lower 

 edge a shelf for nails, tacks, and tools. The 

 various cleats and angle irons are so located 

 as to furnish support at the right places, 

 and not interfere with threading the wire, 

 and yet hold the frame firmly without any 

 springs or other contrivances. The various 

 parts have been outlined with white to show 

 them more plainly. The board is stained 

 dark for the sake of the eyes, and, inciden- 

 tally, wires are seen more easily. 



The frame is put into the jig with the 

 bottom-bar up, and the unnailed end to the 

 left. The reel of wire is conveniently at 

 hand with the looped end of the wires to- 

 ward me. A loop is seized, and the wire 

 pulled out. 



When the ends are almost free the other 

 hand grasps the wire close to the ends, and 

 both ends are started through the middle 

 pair of holes; for as long as one's head is 

 tipped to one side, it is as easy to start two 

 wires as one. 



The ends are then seized with the other 

 hand, both wires pulled across, and the 

 process repeated at the other end of the 

 frame. 



As the wires are drawn snug, the upper 

 one (that nearest the bottom-bar) is drop- 

 ped while the other is laced back through 

 the holes next to the top-bar, and then the 

 other wire is treated likewise. As the end 

 of the latter is drawn through the last hole, 

 it is made fast about the two headless nails 

 on the lever at the right by wrapping, as 

 one wraps a rope about a cleat. Then a 

 2y2-oz. tack is put at the top and bottom 

 opposite the ends of the angle irons, as in- 

 dicated, and these tacks driven in, because 

 the wires are to be wound firmly about 

 them. The lower end is wound completely 

 about the nearest tack twice — that is, three 

 sweeps of the hands; m.ore is too much; less 

 is not enough; the wire cut, and the tack 

 driven home. T cut the wire before driving 

 the tack, as I do not appreciate sharp points 

 of wire which are left if cut after driving. 

 I use and prefer cutting-pliers rather than 

 scissors, as they are handier, and one is less 

 likely to cut the wire at some other place at 

 the same time. 



The wire is now ready for tightening. 

 The lever at the right (which is to save 

 fingers rather than for power) is siezed by 

 the right hand and pulled firmly to the 

 right, while the left hand " walks up " the 

 wires in the frame much as shown in the 

 dealers' instructions for tightening wires. 

 The first wire is pressed down, then the 

 second, then the third, while the lever takes 

 care of the fourth and all of the slack. The 

 process is repeated three or four times. 



The left-hand end-bar is thereby pulled 

 in at the free end one-half inch, until it 

 rests against the cam, as shown in No, 5. 

 The wire is pulled from the nails on the 

 tightening lever, drawn snug, wound about 

 the upper tack, cut, and the tack driven 

 home. The handle actuating the cam is then 

 moved until the end-bar is out to its place. 

 The cam handle (a springy piece of iron) 

 is caught behind a nail placed for the pur- 

 pose, and the free end of the bottom-bar is 

 nailed. 



All the wires sing when struck, like the 

 string's on a banjo. There is no stretch nor 

 give to them under any load they will get 

 while combs are building, and the frame is 

 absolutely square. They are ready to hold 

 foundation properly. 



It has been asserted that the lowest wire 

 will be the tightest; but the difference be- 

 tween it and the others is not appreciable. 

 The description is necessarily long, but the 

 actual work is rapid. Rarely is a wire brok- 

 en ; but when one is, it is cut out and a new 

 one put in. Never try to mend or piece it. 



As to time used in the operation, I nail 

 and staple 35 to 45 frames an hour. Wind- 

 ing and stretching the -wire for fifty frames 

 takes about five minutes. Wiring from the 

 time a frame is picked up until it is laid on 

 the finished stack is just 1^2 minutes, and I 

 regularly do 30 an hour*, including stretch- 

 ing wire, moving finished work, and getting 

 a fresh stack at hand. 



I have seen no process to equal it in 

 results, and very few to approach it in ease 

 and speed. I am now nearly half through 

 the third thousand fixed by these methods. 



Putting foundation into such frames is a 

 swift and easy matter, and will be explained 

 and illustrated in another issue. 



Providence, R. I. 



AKE BEES ATTRACTED BY THE COLOM OF BLOSSOMS? 



BY JAMES A. GREEN 



The article on the color sense of the bee, 

 page 106, is extremely interesting to me. 

 The experiments narrated therein seem to 

 prove fully that bees have at least some 



perception of color. But I cannot agree 

 with the author when he concludes with the 

 statement, " The old theory that the colors 

 of flowers are designed to attract the in- 



