THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



— Keep sections in some place where 

 tliey will not become too dry. If too 

 dry they are apt to break when , being 

 put together. 



— When once put up sections should 

 be placed in the holders. This will pre- 

 serve their shape and keep them clean 

 till they can be used. 



— Experience has shown that sections 

 in which a new piece of foundation has 

 been placed are much more acceptable 

 to bees than those that have combs in 

 them left over from the previous season. 



— One pound sections are as small as 

 most beekeepers care to use, yet there 

 is a demand for smaller ones by some 

 dealers. They -call for what they term 

 an under-weight pound. The idea is 

 to sell 14 ounces for a full pound. Not 

 exactly that either. A section that 

 weighs about 14 ounces can be bought 

 by the pound, while it is sold by the 

 package. The purchaser has. an idea 

 tliat he is getting as much honey for 

 fifteen cents, as some other dealers 

 charge twenty cents for. 



SKCTION HOLDERS. 



— Get the latest style. 



— If possible have them just the size 

 of the brood-chamber you are using. 



— Use w^ood separators as they are 

 much better than metal of any kind. 

 Tin is too cold and slippery. 



— A section holder with capacity of 

 24 one-pound sections is about the right 

 size. 'Tis just the thing, however, for 

 an 8-frame brood-chamber, 



— Have all section-holders so con- 

 structed that there will be a bee space 

 between bottom of section and top of 

 frame. A bee space \ inch is full large. 



— The bottoms and tops of section 

 holders should be just alike, as it is of- 

 ten necessary to tier up, and tiering is 

 not practical without continuous passage 

 ways dirough the section holders. 



— Reversible section holders are the 

 things all should use. When sections 

 are reversed bees fosten the combs to 

 all sides of the wood, thus securing the 

 honey firmly in the box. 



— A section holder that does not pre- 

 serve the sections clean and white is 

 worthless. It is an easy matter to con- 

 struct them rigiit. Such cases save the 

 beekeeper the trouble and time that 

 ^vould have to be spent in scraping and 

 cleaning the sections. 



FOUNDATION. 



-Use it. 



— Get the best brands. 



— Try the Van Deusen flat-bottom 

 brand. Read what J. Van Deusen says 

 about it elsewhere in this issue. 



■ — If you use full sheets of wired foun- 

 dation in brood frames, by all means 

 trv that manufactured by Van Deusen & 

 Sons. 



— Foundation properly made and of 

 pure beeswax if used in full sheets ought 

 not to stretch or sag. Thin foundation 

 is unfit for brood combs. Don't use 

 it. 



— For sections no foundation can be 

 made too light. It requires some little 

 experience to manufacture a good qual- 

 ity of foundation suitable for sections. 

 Heavy foundation in sections spoils the 

 quality of the best honey. 



— A small V-shaped piece of founda- 

 tion is about all that is needed for start- 

 ers in sections. However, all do not 

 agree with the Api on this point. There 

 is no objection to filling the sections if 

 one can afford to use it. 



— There are several machines adver- 

 tised for fastening foundation in sections. 

 As to their utility there is no question. 

 None have ever been tested in the Bay 

 State apiary, and we cannot speak from 

 experience. Something of the kind is 

 needed in a large apiary. 



