Decbmbbk, 1921 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



751 



this way to better advantage than one I 

 found that, working alone, I could fold the 

 sections, fasten the foundation, and put the 

 frames of sections into the supers at about 

 the same rate that sections handled indi- 

 vidually can be put into the supers after 

 they have been folded and filled with foun- 

 dation by another on a combined machine. 

 The reason for this is that the sections are 

 handled individually only once (as they are 

 folded and dropped in place over the 

 blocks), the greater speed in the actual 

 work of fastening the foundation, and the 

 fact that the sheets of foundation all swing 

 clear of the sides of the sections, none of 

 them binding and needing the edges melted 

 off with a hot knife to prevent buckling. 



Working alone I found with this appara- 

 tus I could fill 100 supers, each holding 24 

 sections, in 10 hours. This includes fold- 

 ing the sections, fastening the foundation, 

 putting the sections into the supers, and 

 piling the filled supers away. With one 

 helper to fold the sections and drop the 

 sheets of foundation in place, it was much 

 easier to put up 200 supers in 10 hours than 



This, of course, was fastening the founda- 

 tion only, the folding and handling of the 

 sections, as well as dropping the sheets of 

 foundation in place, being done by others. 

 There is no wasting of wax when the fas- 

 tening is properly done, the melted wax on 

 the edge of the knife being wiped off on 

 the edge of the sheet of foundation if the 

 knife is withdrawn immediately after 

 touching the wax each time. After a sea- 

 son's use there was not a drop of wax to 

 be found on the fastener anywhere. Supers 

 were hauled to the out-apiaries, many of 

 them being stood on end in the load, and 

 there was no trouble from foundation drop- 

 ping out. 



If a bottom-starter is needed, the full sheet 

 of foundation can first be fastened to the 

 bottom-board of the section, then cut where 

 desired, and the larger sheet fastened to the 

 top-bar of the section. Some method for 

 cutting off the bottom-starter while the 

 sheet is in place can, no doubt, be worked 

 out by which all four sheets in each frame 

 can be cut at one operation. When this is 

 done the lining-up movement of the frames 

 would need to be such that the 

 foundation projects beyond the 

 sliding platform at both top and 

 bottom. It is not necessary to 

 touch the foundation , to line up 

 the sheets, this being done for all- 

 the sheets at once, by moving the 

 frames. In our locality bottom- 

 starters are of no advantage 

 when this method is used. 



Some may ask why such speed 

 is desirable in putting up sec- 

 tions, since the apparatus for fas- 

 tening foundation is in use but a 

 few days in the year, but since 

 as much can be done in one day 

 with this device as in two days 

 by other methods, one day out of 

 two is saved and can be used in 

 doing something else. If it re- 

 quires 10 days by the old method 

 to put up enough sections to hold 



, -^ r.- V, the season's crop, and five days 

 The foundation is pushed squarely against the hot knife, which , , . ai „ i there is a clear 



is instantly withdrawn, while the melted edge of the foundation t)y t^ns metlioa, tnere is a Clear 

 is pushed again.st the wood, the sliding platform moving with gam of five days in the seasou S 

 the foundation. work, which in my own case hap- 



pens to be one-sixth of the time I 

 to put up 100 when working alone. This is have been able to devote to my apiaries each 

 twice as many as two of us have ever been year. Again, instead of putting up sections 

 able to put up in the same time when using far in advance of the time they are needed, 

 any other foundation-fastener. With sev- the sections and foundation can be taken 



eral boards and enough help so that one 

 person could fasten foundation continuous- 

 ly, not having to stop to put them into the 

 supers, handle any foundation, or pile the 

 supers away as they are filled, one person 

 can easily fasten the foundation in 1500 

 sections per hour. In this case it is neces- 



fresh from the boxes and put up as the bees 

 need them. Knowing that two persons can 

 prepare 200 supers for the bees in 10 hours, 

 there is no reason for worrying about giving 

 the room fast enough. 



Now if some one will devise some simple 

 apparatus which will enable us to scrape, 



sary to have two irons, one on the flame grade, and pack twice as many cases of 



while the other is in use. In fact, I found comb honey per day as is now possible, the 



that I could fasten the foundation at the handling of comb honey will no longer be 



rate of over 2000 per hour for short periods. burdensome. 



