THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



67 



re-meltJng than in the pressure put upon it. 



Although this may be a diversion from 

 the main subject, allow me to put in a plea 

 against the cleaning of wax with acids. If 

 anj'thing will " make grease out of but er " 

 as relating to wax, the using of sulphuric 

 acid will be the worst factor. Root saw us 

 using it for our worst residues and from that 

 recommended it for all purposes in render- 

 ing wax. It is emphatically a mistake. 

 There is no need of this, for just as good wax 

 may be rendered without its use and sulphu- 

 ric acid removes all good flavor and all es- 

 sential oils, rendering wax more brittle, 

 tougher (?) and less acceptable to the bees. 



In conclusion, I will say : Jus' as soon as 

 your inventors give us a machine that will 

 make foundation more regularly satisfac- 

 fory than the mills, we will agree to give you 

 foundation made on that machine, but in 

 ;iew of the fact that for the past ten or 

 iweive years a good article of rolled founda- 

 lion has given entire satisfaction both to 

 l.oney grower and consumer, while the press 

 ■vas set aside, we shall await further and 

 more extensive expeuraent before changing 

 . ur mind on the subject. 



Hamilton, 111. Feb. 17, 1894. 



Some Facts Begarding Flat Bottom Foun- 

 dation. 



JUSTUS VAN DEUSEN. 



IRIEND HUTCHINSON :— In Decem- 

 ber Review, page 354, you can't see 

 why the Give press is not used for 

 surplus foundation. You might ask P. H. 

 Elwo:)d. He has a Given pres-i but uses the 

 flat bottom foundation for surplus and says 

 it is all right. If I were to guess I would as 

 soon think of clothing this generation with 

 the product of the old spinning wheel and 

 hand loom as to use the press for surplus 

 foundation for the bee-keepers of the world. 

 We commenced making foundation late in 

 the season of 1879. Our first season was 

 largely experimental. In 1880, one of our 

 first orders was for three tons from a prom- 

 inent maker of foundatio a d editor of a 

 bae journal, he furnishing the wax. Since 

 then o iT orders have often run up to six or 

 seven hundred pounds a day and hav been 

 promptly filled. Time was when the canal 

 boat and stage coach, making three to eight 

 miles an hour, satisfied the traveling public. 



They now want forty to sixty or even a hun- 

 dred miles an hour. There is the same dif- 

 ference in speed between the press and rolls. 

 To be sure and have surplus comb honey free 

 from fish bone, use no surplus foundation 

 heavier than twelve square feet to the pound. 

 When nectar comes in slow, bees may thin 

 foundation in a measure, but with a flush of 

 honey they are very apt to extend the cells 

 without thinning the foundation. The only 

 safety is in using fouud^^ti n twelve square 

 feet to the pound if you would be free from 

 the objectionable heavy centre which leads 

 to the impression that comb honey is adul- 

 terated. The use of foundation seven to ten 

 square feet to the pound for surplus honey, 

 has injured the reputation of comb honey 

 about as much as the use of glucose has in- 

 jured the repute of extracted honey. As a 

 matter of economy seven pounds of founda- 

 tion, twelve square feet to the pound, will 

 fill as many sections as ten pounds of foun- 

 dation seven to ten feet to the pound, both 

 being fifty cents a pound, a saving of one 

 dollar and fifty cents is made on every ten 

 pounds of foundation used. The flat bottom 

 foundation from its thin, clean, uniform 

 make, has given more general satisfaction 

 in use than any other foundation. The 

 shape of the cell wall from the flat bottom 

 machine is decidedly superior to the cell wall 

 from any other machine, and wliether honey 

 comes in fast or slow the center is not ob- 

 jectionable to the general consumer. Foun- 

 dation made from the same sheeting will be 

 just as hard made by the press as by rolls. 

 Sheeting from our domestic yellow wax will 

 be a little softer than if made from a light 

 selected southern wax. The consumer pre- 

 fers the latter color and we have paid from 

 one to three cents a pound extra for such 

 selection. As bright, practical men have 

 failed to supply the market with surplus 

 foundation from the Given press, it might be 

 well to get friend Hasty at it (.January num- 

 ber, page 21) — to enable him to judge where 

 the bee comes in. The measurements re- 

 ferred to start with natural om"^, which is 

 not a foundation. Then com ■ three sam- 

 ples from the Given press, which ire not to 

 be had in the market. Then comes the flat 

 bottom foundation which stands A No. 1 of 

 the available foundations on order. Am 

 very glad to have friend Taylor test the dif- 

 ferent makes of foundation, both for the 

 surplus and brood ; but woul 1 like to have 

 him get the flat bottom foundation from us 



