THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



65 



even if it is better, is it euough better to pay 

 for the extra work of makiug 'i 



I think the shape of the cell has something 

 to do in the matter. A cell with the bottom 

 perfectly shaped and the side walls simply a 

 round rim of wax is my ideal. The Dunham 

 comes the nearest to this. 



[How about the Given — this is its descrip- 

 tion to a dot. — Ed.] 



But let us consider how bees draw out 

 foundation. The first thmg done is to thin 

 the base of the coll to their ideas of proper 

 thickness, which seems to be so thin that the 

 outlines of a bee may be seen through it. 

 How is this done ? By cutting away the wpx 

 and allowing the chips to drop to the bottom 

 of the hive, and I think it is done' on both 

 sides simultaneously but of this matter it is 

 hard to know, for a bee will work for per- 

 haps a minute on one side, and then run 

 away ; whether she goes to the opposite side 

 to work it is hard to tell. ~ These chips of 

 wax which are cut off are not necessarily 

 wasted, for a bee finding one of them on the 

 bottom board seems as much pleased as a 

 boy would be if he found a nice mellow ap- 

 ple, and she seems to be in a hurry to put it 

 to use by adding it to the comb commenced, 

 doing it in the same way as a wax scale is 

 added. 



After the bottom of a cell is thinned to 

 suit these cunning architects they commence 

 on the side walls and by biting and pulling 

 seem to pull out the extra wax into sides of 

 the cells. But whether drawingout founda- 

 tion or building natural comb there is always 

 a thick broad rim at the top of the cell, be it 

 only just started or nearly finished. Why is 

 it ? What is that broad rim for ? 



[I suppose it is to give strength to the 

 walls.— Ed.] 



I suspect if honey were coming in very 

 rapidly, and comb room needed right away, 

 much of this thinning and drawing out would 

 be changed into simply putting on wax scales 

 and making comb as soon as possible. But 

 of this I am not sure. 



I have proved by experience that the thin- 

 nest foundation does not leave the least 

 "fish bone" in the honey. Foundation 

 made of wax that is reasonably soft and that 

 will cut about 100 full sheets for pound sec- 

 tions to the pound is about right. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I have given you my ex- 

 perience for twelve years in making founda- 

 tion and wax, and working' with bees but find 



there are so many things I do not know that I 

 am almost ashamed to send it in, however, 

 there may be something worth printing. 

 Ithaca, Wis. Feb. 17, 1894. 



Wax Manipulation and Foundation Making. 

 —The Effect of Using Heavy Founda- 

 tion in Sections. 



M. H. HUNT. 



EESWAX comes to the manufacturer 

 of comb foundation in various shape 

 colors and conditions as to cleanli- 

 ness. The first operation is sorting it for 

 the different grades ; the lightest colored be- 

 ing used for the finer grades. All has to be 

 refined ; the cleanest cakes always contain- 

 ing some foreign matter. This operation 

 helps to even up the wax in color, which adds 

 much to the appearance of the foundation. 



To refine it we put it into a wooden tank 

 with water, and melt it by steam, and when 

 all is melted, it is covered very closely, and 

 allowed to settle. .J ust before it is too cool 

 to dip, it is carefully taken out, down to the 

 sediment. The wax left with the refuse is 

 scraped and put in the next lot for refining. 

 If the tank, is properly arranged, the wax 

 will stay in the liquid form ten to fourteen 

 hours, whi:h is sufficient time for all impu- 

 rities to find their way to the bottom. 



The next operation is the remelting in a 

 large double copper tank ; the steam heating 

 the water surrounding it is what melts the 

 wax. A faucet 'ets it run into the dripping 

 tank, also surrounded by water, and kept at 

 the right temperature by steam. The faucet 

 in the copper tank is eight inches from the 

 bottom, so that if any sediment should re- 

 main, it has a chance to settle. An exceed- 

 ingly fine screen is placed over the hole lead- 

 ing to the faucet in the copper tank, so that 

 nothi g but the pure wax can find its way 

 into the dipping tank. Great care has to be 

 exercised to keep all the hard substances out 

 of the wax when sheeting, as a little nail or 

 anything of like nature, would spoil the 

 rolls. 



Then comes the dipping, and taking all in 

 connection with it, it is the most difficult 

 and important manipulation in making good 

 comb foundation. If the wax is too hot or 

 too cold, the sheets are spoiled, and if the 

 temperature is right, and the sheets are not 



