se 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



whereas a bungler can put the dovetails to- 

 gether just right. 



Mabengo, 111. Jan. 21, 1891. 



[Yes, Doctor, the surface of the tin radiates 

 heat, but it can radiate no more than comes 

 to it through a piece of metal (the separa- 

 tor), the conducting power of which is rep- 

 resented by the edge of the end of the sepa- 

 rator. I have used a few separators, but I 

 have never noticed any of this "drawing 

 back" of the bees away from the tin. I 

 watched with interest to see if you were go- 

 ing to say you had seen such action on the 

 part of the bees. I am yet in doubt on this 

 point. You ask me " to think hovt it will be." 



All the hives I ever had were made by my- 

 self from nicely seasoned lumber. They 

 went together nicely and squarely; were 

 kept painted, and they stayed square ; and / 

 ask for no better joint. But then , I am not 

 everybody. — Ed. ] 



Separators Don't lessen the Yield, but 



They are an Expense From Which 



There is no Cash Returns. 



E. L. TATLOB. 



|0 THE question of using or eschewing 

 separators I am more inclined, than 

 upon almost any other question relat- 

 ing to apiculture, to say, with Dr. Miller, 

 "I don't know." 



I use hundreds of cases without separa- 

 tors and hundreds with them, both of wood 

 and tin and each plan is so satisfactory that 

 I am quite disinclined to give up any of 

 them. 



With the extended experience I have had I 

 have been unable to find any indication that 

 one method has any advantage over the 

 others in the matter of the amount of honey 

 secured. 



If the question were solely as to the point 

 of financial profit — economy of money and 

 time — I should clearly be compelled to de- 

 cide against separators, but we all have our 

 little weaknesses in the matter of taste. 

 Fine appearance, satisfaction and comfort 

 always count to some extent. Every one 

 would sacrifice something to produce what 

 " suits " him, so I am unable as yet to de- 

 cide that way. 



The advantages of cases without separa- 

 tors lie principally in their greater compara- 

 tive cheapness, the greater rapidity with 

 which sections may be put in and taken out 



and in the greater amount of honey which 

 sections so filled will contain. The first 

 cost is only about one third of that of single 

 tier cases with wide frames and tin separa- 

 tors and about one-half of that of cases 

 with T tins and separators. 



The first cost, to one who has some sur- 

 plus funds and who is certain that he shall 

 want to use the cases till they or he wears 

 out, is not so important, but to one whose 

 purse is slender, or who is not certain that 

 he will remnin long in the business, or that 

 he may not soon want to throw them aside 

 for a new kind, the question of cost becomes 

 a grave one. 



T cases have the advantage only of per- 

 uj t ting the use of separators and thereby of 

 securing combs of superior straightness, but 

 with single tier cases holding wide frames 

 with separators there is the additional ad- 

 vantage of better protection to the sections 

 against staining and propolis at times when 

 they must be left on the hives a consider- 

 able length of time to be finished. 



This case, if the sections and the wide 

 frames be properly made — time and money 

 aside — is perfection. The sections are eas- 

 ily cleaned, are as white as new, and are 

 very rapidly crated. The combs are per- 

 fectly straight, fill the sections better than 

 those produced in any other way, and if the 

 honey flow be good are nearly as heavy as 

 those produced without separators. An- 

 other remarkable advantage is that the pro- 

 portion of partly filled sections is very much 

 less. The bees follow the frames begun on, 

 out to the ends, before spreading out lateral- 

 ly when the honey flow is not abundant, so 

 that three or four frames are sometimes en- 

 tirely filled while those outside are scarcely 

 touched. 



The drawback to these beautiful sections 

 is that I can discover no appreciable addi- 

 tion to the wholesale selling price. 



There are some who complain that with- 

 out separatoi's they cannot produce combs 

 sufficiently straight to readily crate. I can- 

 not understand it. I have produced many 

 tons without separators, and almost every 

 section was crated. Except that a little 

 more time and care are required, there is no 

 difficulty. 



In conclusion, I think the whole matter 

 may be correctly summed up in a word. 

 For profit alone use no separators ; if 

 straighter combs are desired use the T super 

 with separators ; if the eye and the taste are 



