178 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



This stick I laid between tlie before mentioned 

 cleats, which were nailed near the corner of the 

 lap board, and placing- upon it the top piece of a 

 section, pressed down the sides, thus opening- the 

 groove. The tit was so snu}<, that it was held open 

 by the cleats, and I then put the fdn. into the 

 groove, holding- it in place with the left hand, while, 

 with the rig-ht, I slipped out the beveled stick and 

 pressed the section top down Hat. Then taking in 

 each hand a side piece, I put them loosely into the 

 dovetails and put on the bottom, taking no pains to 

 make a close lit, as that would come afterwards. 

 Then, taking a pocket knife which was kept lying 

 on the lap board with the large blade open, I slipped 

 tlie end of the blade under the section, and pried it 

 up, and piled it with others ready to be framed. 

 Of course, I kept constantly on the lap board a pile 

 of fdn., also of tops, of sides, and of bottoms. 



For putting the sections into the frames, I had a 

 -Very simple arrang-ement by which a frame was 

 placed against a solid wall, 8 sections placed before 

 it with their edges .iust started into the frame, and 

 then a follower, so fitted that it could not fail to run 

 true, with a single push, sen^. the sections home to 

 their place, and at the same time, tightened all the 

 dovetailed joints that had been loosely put together. 



I found it quite important, to put the right edge 

 of the fdn. in the groove of the section top. If you 

 >vlll look upon a piece of fdn., holding it si> that 

 only the edge can be seen by your eye, you will see 

 that two of the edges (on opposite sides) will appear 

 corrugated or waved. At first I put into the 

 grooves only the straight edges, and if the knife 

 had cut in a particular part of the line of cells, the 

 fdn. was held in the section all right; hut, if the cut 

 varied a fraction of an inch from that place, the 

 fdn. was thinner, and would drop out of the section. 

 I also found that the fdn. would not always hang 

 true, but was apt to slant toward one side. I sup- 

 posed this made no difference, as I thought the 

 bees, by their weight, and the weight of the honey, 

 when the fdn. became warmed up, would make it 

 hang plumb. This I found not to be the case; for 

 the bees filled out the sections, with the fdn. wall 

 hanging to one side, just as when first put in. Then 

 I noticed the difference in the edges, and put the 

 waved edge in the section groove, and found them 

 to hang plumb without dropping out. I think 

 you have stated that, if the top be split in two at 

 the groove, it will hold just as w';'ll: Init my experi- 

 ence has not verified this. If I split apart a top, I 

 only feel safe in usini? it, Viy putting into the groc)\e 

 an edge of fdn. doubled together. 



Of my 134 colonic^, I expect to run the larger part 

 \rlth sections this year, and shall be very thankful 

 for any suggestions. I shall want to put together 

 several thousand sections, and it seems to me. I 

 make very slow work. I wish I co\!ld tell you just 

 how many I can put together in an hour. How 

 many do your hands put together? Last year I used 

 no separators, but think I nuist have some this year. 

 My frames are 18 inches long, and the tin for sepa- 

 rators 30 inches: shall I cut two inches olT the tin. 

 or bend over an inch at each end upon the side of 

 the frame? What kind of nails are best for nailing 

 the separators on the frame? B. Lunbereh. 



Thanks for your liints. I have thought of 

 an arrangement siniihir to the one you men- 

 tion for bending the to]) pieces b:ick to let 

 in the fdn., but objected to it, because I 

 thought it unnecessary machinery, and tlie 

 small boys and girls that I employ, would be 

 sure to have some ])ortion of their machine 

 lost, or out of order. Besides, after severai 

 days practice, doing the same thing over 

 and over, they acquire great celerity, in all 

 these various kinds of iiandiwin-k. After 

 tliey get used to it, they will open the groove 

 across tiie knuckle of tlie fore linger, as giv- 

 en ill the ])rinted directions, and jiut the 

 sections together very ('uickly. It is only 

 the older and most ex])ert hands, tluit caii 

 put up 4 in a minute, as I liave mentioned 

 111 tile directions. We do not take pains to 

 liave them all iiang straight down, but put 

 tlie hive in the sun. where the wax will get 

 pretty warm, and they very soon hang as 

 straight as a wilted cabbage leaf. It will not 



do to let them get too hot. The same is 

 I true with fdn. in the frames. At tirst we 

 I made the groove that holds the fdn., with 

 I too thick a saw ; now we have one that cuts 

 [ just a thin slit, and if the wax is quite warm 

 I and soft, as you mention, it will never drop 

 out. If the toi)s get so dry that they are 

 I brittle, dampen them a little with a sponge 

 , on the back side when spread out on a table, 

 j and they will not break. 

 I I would cut off the surplus tin, until you 

 have enough left to fold over and make an 

 edge of about i or 3-32 ; fold it a little more 

 than square, and then lay it on a table, with 

 the folded edges up ; lay the frame on it, 

 hook the tin over one end, and then, with 

 the Hat palm of the hand on the tin to hold 

 it to the table, spring in the other end bar. 

 This, if the tin is cut and folded just right, 

 will strain the tin enough, to take out all 

 waves or bulges. The drawing on page 57, 

 Feb. No., will make it all plain. The sepa- 

 rators can be used witliout nailing at all, 

 but after some experience with loose ones, 

 I have come to the conclusion that they 

 make additional loose pieces to look after, 

 and put in place, and that loose ones are not 

 to be tolerated. We use a f brad for nailing 

 them on, 2 at each end. 



f /j^ %f€M^nir 



[This department is to be kept for the benefit of 

 those who are dissatisfied; and when anji:hing is 

 amiss. 1 hope you will "talk right out." As a rule 

 we will omit names and addresses, to avoid being 

 too personal.] 



vi^ AM very much dissatisfied with the fdn. you 

 5|; sent me. First, I wanted the fdn. nne inch 

 —^ thick; I did not order the 1-lG inch fdn.. nor did 

 I want it. That you sent me, we all consider as 

 useless goods, for bees, in this part of the world, 

 and would not have it as a gift under any circum- 

 stances or conditions. 



You lailed to send it by express, as directed. 

 When it arrived, one box was broken badly, th'^ 

 other one hud two brakes on it, and every sheet of 

 fdii. was broken to fragments; though, it 1 had 

 ordered by the mail, that would have all been right, 

 as I know the mail pitches and slings things any 

 wav. 



If your purpose was to trap me, or to send mo an 

 April-fool you have done it. Should Gleanings 

 stoji coming, I will not be surprised. J. M. K. 



Ala., April 3Tth, 1878. 



Why, my friend, we would none of us fool 

 you. for anything in the world; besides, we 

 are all too busy, and hurried, in getting 

 your goods ready, to even think of any such 

 thing. I have had one of the clerks hunt up 

 yoiu- letter, and you do not say a word about 

 fdn. an incli thick ; if you had done so, I do 

 not know what we should have done,, ior 

 none of us ever heard of such a thing. You 

 (7/(7 ask for, and almost insist on, white wax 

 fdn., altliougli I have told you inevery price 

 list, that it is much inferior to the yellow. 

 Til is was why it broke in the mails, during 

 cool Mandi weather when you ordered it. 

 To the other charge, that we sent it by mail 

 wlien you ordered it by express, I shall have 

 to )>Iead guilty. The letter was brouglit me, 

 and after giving it careful consideration, I 



