ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



127 



making- it easy to carry for out-apiary 

 work. 



Tilie practical absence of troublesome 

 moving parts. 



A set of knives' that will uncap only 

 honey that can be extracted. 



The entire separation of the detached 

 cappings. 



An easy and rapid method of feeding 

 the com.bs throug'h the machine. 



Simple and effective guides and ad- 

 justments. 



L. R. FERGUSON. 



Mr. Holtermann — With reference to 

 the spacing, I believe we are going to 

 work more and more on this principle 

 of moderately wide spacing; I don't 

 believe it pays to put aiine frames into 

 a tw^elve-frame super. Tihe wider you 

 space, the more sure you will be to 

 uncap; I don't believe it is a good 

 plan to allow those comtos to remain 

 wide; when I uncap, I S'have it down 

 to normal, because if you don't do that, 

 you have very deep cells, and bees 

 don't care to begin on that as well as 

 a shallow one; as they put honey in it, 

 they build out; I sihave that down to 

 about normal, and then tttie bees' will 

 use tttat cell, if anything, a little more 

 readily than if deeper; they will add to 

 it. The secretion of wax is in part 

 voluntary; you will give the bees an 

 opportunity to add to that. I use the 

 staple in the top-bar. The difference 

 is, I use the staple only on one side. 

 If this is the top-bar (illustrating), 1 

 use the staple on tlhis sdde, and on this 

 (the other end), but not on both sides. 



Mr. Anderson — ^I use them on both 

 sides; if you have it only on one side, 

 you have twice as long a staple; that 

 is, on this machine. 



Mr. Holtermann — That machine would 

 suit me. 



' ' Mr. Baxter — My bees are not fhat 

 kind of bees; don't work that way; 

 they put tbeir honey in the bee-cells'; 

 I always get lots of wax. Mr. Dadant 

 kYiows, for I sold him over five hundred 

 pounds of beeswax; my bees produce 

 wax, and honey, too. 



Mr. Holtermann — What is your 

 spacing? 



Mr. Baxter — I have nine frames in 

 eleven-frame ibrood-chambers. 



Mr. Holtermann — ^I used eleven to 

 twelve. 



Mr. Cavanage — I would like to know 

 if any of the bee-keepers her© ever 

 observed the 'bee putting honey in one 

 of tihose deep cells — about like you 



would have them, in a ten-frame super 

 with eigiht combs? I would like, to 

 know if you have seen the bee deposit 

 honey in one of those deep cells? 



I>r. Miller — I never have; I never no- 

 ticed it; I never thoug'ht of that point. 

 The honey is put in there, Dut in wftiat 

 position would the bee have to get into 

 to put honey in the bottom of 

 on© of those deep cells? It would 

 be almost impossible for a bee 

 to reach into a very deep ceU. 

 With other spacing, with eight 

 combs in ten-frame super, we would 

 not have as deep cells as that; 

 tihe point is very well taken; there is 

 a question there; I would like to hear 

 from some one who has had experience. 



Mr. Wiheeler— I have no answer to 

 that question. I know the bees put 

 honey in those deep cells; I have seen 

 honey placed in those cells, and have 

 used those thick frames myself for 

 years, but I don't use them any more. 

 I changed to a narrower frame, similar 

 to the one on that machine. I changed 

 my old wide-frame comb-honey supers 

 to extracting supers; I find they give 

 me the best satisfaction; I can tier 

 them up as higlh as I want to. I 

 would not have a deep frame for ex- 

 tracting super, under any consideration. 

 I would not have a wider one than 

 eight or nine frame. I don't think they 

 cap them over; I don't think the bees 

 like them; that is my impression, 

 from what I saw last summer. The 

 bee would prefer to start on founda- 

 tion, and build tihe wax right frem 

 the start. They have acted that way 

 with me this year. 



Mr. Holtermann — Did you have a 

 very slow flow? 



Mr. Wheeler — Well, yes, a moderate 

 flow; sweet clover flow. 



Mr. Holtermann — Then that makes a 

 difference. 



Mr. Macklin — ^I would like to have 

 Mr. Ferguson tell us what a machine 

 like that would cost. 



Mr. Ferguson^ — If I were to figure my 

 time, $50.00 or $75.00 apiece for what 

 I built so far. And I put in a good 

 deal of extra time on tihem, but, so far 

 as the cost would be, were they to be 

 manufactured and put on the market, 

 that would be a matter of guess work. 



Mr. Huffman — ^Don't you know about 

 what? 



Mr. Ferguson — I would guess, $20.00; 

 that, of course, depends upon Kow 

 many could be sold; if made and soli 



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