200 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



October 



cups, 3-4x3-4x5-8 thick. To prepare 

 them for grafting put some nice clean 

 wax or foundation in the sun, until 

 soft. Roll up a little wad of wax, 

 force it into the 7-16 hole and press the 

 forming stick into it, using a slight 

 twisting motion. Make the depression 

 5-16 deep. 



Dipped cell-cups (a la Root) can be 

 pressed into the blocks if so desired, or 

 the holes may be filled with melted 

 wax and set away until needed. 

 When, by setting them in the sun the 

 cups may be formed as before. 



The cut "A" shows such a square 

 wood cell-cup, after being accepted and 

 completed by the bees. Notice the 



port for our open top holding-frame 

 (This support was invented by Mi 

 Thos. Chantry, of Cal.) 



The space below bar "C" may b 

 filled with comb or a board may b 

 cut to fill the space, as preferred. No\ 

 fill in the open space (3-4x17) betwee 

 the 1-4x1-2x17 5-8 bars, with wood eel 

 cups, waxed ready foa.' grafting. TL 

 cups hang by the projecting brae 

 which you have driven into each blaii 

 cell-cup, about 1-8 inch below the tc 

 of the cup. Place the holding fran 

 and cups in your cell-starting color 

 and remove the cups, one at a tim 

 graft, and replace. This puts each ce 

 as soon as grafted, in the care of tl 



head of a brad projecting 3-16 inch 

 from the side of cell cup. 



For a perfect cell holding frame get 

 out two end-bars of usual length and 

 full 3-4 inch wide, by 5-16 thick. Two 

 inches from the top of each end-bar, 

 nail in a bar 3-8x7-8x17, as shown at 

 "C." Instead of a top-baf, nail on each 

 side at top of frame, a strip l-4xl-2x- 

 17 5-8. Nail on a bottom bar, or not, as 

 desired. Attach to each end-bar an 

 8-d finishing or a 6-d casing nail, bent 

 as shown at "D," and better shown at 

 "E." The point "F" is driven through 

 the end-bar, and a small staple is set 

 straddling the nail, and driven through 

 the end bar and clinched. Thus we 

 have a perfect non-propolisable sup- 



bees, instead of waiting for an en 

 stick of cells to be grafted. Ther< 

 no need to remove a fi'ame when 

 want cells, simply roll back the q 

 and draw as many as desired. 



For those who prefer to g: 

 an entire stick of cells at once I h 

 another plan, which I have found g< 

 Get out a stick scant 1-4 thick x3-4 

 Drive through it, every 3-4 of an h 

 3-8 inch fine, sharp-pointed, wire n: 

 Now on top of the heads of these ni 

 nail on a strip 3-8x3-4x17 and cli 

 the three or four nails passing tbro 

 both strips. In the ends of the 

 stick cut sawkerfs as shown at ', 

 These bars may then be hung ij 

 frame having staples in the inner si 



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