68 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



as he got the other samples direct from the 

 makers. The sample of flat foundation 

 tested, if made by us, was not less than a 

 year old and may have been much older, ex- 

 posed to the air and dust of the oifice or work 

 shop. I don't wish to forestall opinion on 

 our patent wired foundation for brood 

 frames, but will assure you that it is self sus- 

 taining and cannot have a cell stretched in 

 making or in use, as tested up to seventeen 

 inches square for extracting. All other 

 foundation for brood made with rolls is 

 liable to be stretched both in making and in 

 use to such an extent as to unfit it for worker 

 brood and when put on wired frames does 

 not remedy the defect. 



Spkout Bkook, N. Y. Jan. 29, 1894. 



High Side Walls Can be Made on a Press 

 But it May Not be Advisable.— One Rea- 

 son Why Given Foundation Went 

 Out of the Market 



E. T. FLANAGAN. 



( DIT( )R Review, Dear Sir, In reading 

 friend Foster's article in the February 

 ^ Review, I found several errors to 

 which I wish to call attention. He certainly 

 never made foundation on the Given press 

 or he would not have said that '' To impress 

 a whole sheet of wax at one stroke, and ef- 

 fect as near an approach to natural comb as 

 was possible with rollers, would require a 

 pressure too great to be practicable." The 

 highest side walls I ever saw on foundation 

 were made on a die that was manufactured 

 under my special instructions, and for the 

 very purpose of having higher side walls 

 than could be made on any roller machine. 

 This die I used for years : unfortunately it 

 was stolen from me a few years ago, a loss 

 I have not yet been able to repair, as I do 

 not know now where any Given dies are 

 made. 



And when he says it ts "impossible to 

 make the septum as thin, and at the same 

 time force the displaced wax into the side 

 walls, as narrow, and as high, by means of 

 plates, as can be done with rollers," I know 

 he is again in error, for I owned one of the 

 very first and one of the very last presses 

 made by Mr. Given and his successor. To 

 show I am not alone in what I have stated 

 (and I can bring scores of others to corobor- 



ate the foregoing) and in proof of what I 

 here state ; I will say that I bought and used 

 one of friend Foster's moulds for making 

 foundation, and that I disposed of it to Mr. 

 Wm. Little, of Marissa, Hi. As the moulds 

 broke, or wore out, he, from time to time, 

 procured of me sheets of Given foundation 

 to make new moulds from ; this he did for 

 years. I can vouch for Mr. Little as being 

 a well posted, first-class apiarist, a close ob- 

 server and a conservative, careful, reliable 

 man. Hear what he says : 



" Makissa, 111., Feb. W, 1S94. 

 E. T. Flanagan, Esys., UelleviUe, 111. : 



Deak Fkiend : — itours of l^th inst., at 

 hand. You are right in regard to my pur- 

 chase from you of a Foster foundation mould 

 10 years ago, which I am still using, and 

 upon the good points of which I could write 

 a book. 1 have tried sheets of foundation 

 made on ilie various machines and have been 

 using the Given foundation in making my 

 plaster of Paris moulds tor the very reason 

 that 1 found it having tlie hiyhesl ■wail^ of 

 all the various kinds of foundation. The 

 last mould that I made I have used three 

 seasons, making many thousands of sheets 

 with it and still the mould is in good order 

 and 1 will use it next year. 1 liave also ex- 

 perimented with the Given foundation and 

 other makes in the hives when conditions 

 were favorable and uniform, and I have 

 found invariably tliat tlie bees would work 

 out the Given foundation first. I consider 

 it the best foundation made as far as my ex- 

 perience goes. Wm. Little." 



Another error, in my opinion, is that the 

 Given press and dies was invented to wire 

 frames of foundation. This may have been 

 one of the objects in view, but from the tenor 

 of the correspondence held with Mr. Given 

 when bringing out his invention, this was 

 not the primary point. 



And when he says " the whole surface of 

 the sheet of wax must be released from the 

 die simultaneously," it is proof positive to 

 me that he knows but little of the Given 

 press or how to work it and if in error on 

 several imporant points : why not in all ? 



[I presume that Mr. Foster was speaking 

 in a comparative way, meaning that a much 

 larger surface must be released at once on 

 the press than with the roller process. I do 

 not think that he really meant that the whole 

 surface must be released simultaneously. — 

 Ed. J 



I have used in the sections starters of Giv- 

 en foundation as thick as what is termed 

 ''medium brood" foundation, side by side 

 with extra thin foundation made on the 

 roller machines, and could see no difference 

 whatever in the finished product, no " fish 



