THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW- 



97 



We began using them when we used the 

 2-lb. section that was two inches wide, and 

 found their use of great benefit. Then we 

 used a 4^4 x -li^ section that was 1% inches 

 wide and wider, and still we found it neces- 

 sary to use separators ; but after we began 

 to use the 4I4 x i}^, 7 to the foot, we found 

 but little use for them. 



The greatest reason for leaving them off, 

 was they made so much more unnecessary 

 work. In all our shipping honey no com- 

 plaint was ever made to us of bulged combs. 



We found that if the starters were put in 

 true in the center and the bottom ends of 

 the starters pointed to the center of the bot- 

 tom bars of the sections, we generally got 

 straight sections. 



If any wereba dy bulged, they were sold at 

 home. The worst bulged went upon our 

 own table or were sold at the house, and 

 those slightly bulged went to ou^ hv^me 

 groceries ; and we have sold year after year 

 to the same commission man in Chicago, 

 who made no complaint of our honey, and 

 some of it had to be packed with care in the 

 same position in which it came out of the 

 hive, or two slight bulges would come to- 

 gether, causing breakage. 



Too much stress is laid upon its becoming 

 "injured and unsightly before being soid," 

 for if one buyer injures a comb by pulling 

 it out and scraping it, so that it breaks, he 

 will not be likely to do so again, and will 

 caution his clerks, or the clerks will be like- 

 ly to learn the lesson of carefulness in hand- 

 ling honey the same as the producer does. 

 At any rate, there has never been a year but 

 what we could have sold much more honey 

 than we had to sell, and some years more 

 than twice the amount, aud that buiit with- 

 out separators. 



Uur home grocery men who buy of us from 

 year to year learn to handle it carefully, so 

 as not to scrap the bulged side (a section is 

 seldom bulged on both sides), and when 

 wrai)ped up in paper the bulged side can be 

 kept uppermost. For my own table I prefer 

 a bulged comb, as it looks so fat and gener- 

 ous. Combs built between separators look 

 so lean and thin, especially the small sec- 

 tions of an inch and a-half to an inch and 

 three-quarters wide. 



It is a little more trouble to pack them for 

 shipment, but when we are packing them we 

 generally are not rushed, and as it takes less 

 time to scrape a section that has been built 

 without a separator, because we can wedge 



them up tighter together, we .an on the 

 whole prepare them for shipment just about 

 as quickly. 



The expense of separators is no small 

 item, and if we can do just as well without 

 them, produce honey that sells readily, Mr. 

 Axtell and I can see no reason why we 

 should use them. 



In the use of tin separators we often cut 

 our hands in handling, both in the hives and 

 in scraping the wax oft' the tin, which was 

 one unpleasant feature of tin separators. 



RosEViLLE, 111. Feb. 18, 1891. 



Bee-Keepers' Review. 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 



w. z. HUTCHiNsofi, Ed. & Pfop. 



Terms : — $1.00 a year in advance. Two copies, 

 $1.90 : three for $2.70 ; five for $4.00 ; ten, or more, 

 70 cents each, i£W° The Review is stopped at 

 the expiration of the time paid for. 



FLINT, MICHIGAN, APRIL 10, 1891. 



Jacob t. timpe writes that his offer of 

 free queens and papers will be withdrawn 

 twenty days after the date of this issue of 

 the Review. 



Articles, upon "The Introduction of 

 Queens," are yet on hand from W. J. Ellison, 

 .1. H. Larrabee and " Rambler." If anyone 

 else has an idea to offer upon the suject, 

 now is the accepetable time. 



Mb. and Mrs. E. R. Root are rejoicing 

 over the adveint of an eight-pound boy. 

 Grandpa Root, yes, and I guess all the rest 

 of " Rootville," is rejoicing with them. Lee- 

 land Ives, is the baby's name. 



That the new smoker put upon the mar- 

 ket by Bro. Hill of the Guide, is a good one, 

 I feel just as sure as I can be without having 

 put it to actual use month after month in 

 the apiary. I shall try it the coming season 



A Bee-Keepees' Convention will be held 

 in Ionia, Mich., May (Ith. Special atten- 

 tion will be given to the exhibition of hives, 

 bees, fixtures, etc. The editor of the Review 

 expects to be present and read a paper on 

 "Increase, its Management and Control." 



