SUPERS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT. 113 



two hives glass supers of pure honeycomb, weighing 

 respectively logi and 112 pounds net. As examples 

 of what skilful management can do such results are 

 invaluable, but for commercial purposes large supers are 

 a great mistake. This was sensibly brought home to my 

 mind at the two Crystal Palace Exhibitions in which I 

 had a large share of the management. Many magnificent 

 supers there shown were all but unsaleable, because of 

 their size. No private person cared to buy half a hundred 

 weight of honeycomb, and dealers avoided it, for the 

 reason that it could not be retailed economically, . in 

 consequence of the waste and mess when cut. The 

 Americans had discovered this flaw in Bee culture before 

 we did, and seeing this, I immediately took steps to 

 import and introduce to English Bee-keepers examples 

 of sectional supers, which have been readily adopted 

 by advanced Apiarians. English hive-makers, in manu- 

 facturing sectional supers, have almost invariably over- 

 looked some of the chief advantages of the American 

 patterns, notably their weight and cost. The former 

 should be so small that the supers may be weighed with 

 the honey, and elicit no comment from the purchaser. 

 Strength and fine workmanship are quite secondary 

 considerations, as they are never intended' to be used 

 twice. At the Bee Shows of 1878 many of these sectional 

 boxes were shown filled with beautifully clean honey- 

 comb, and wherever they appeared found ready pur- 

 chasers at high prices. So well was this fact demon- 

 strated, that Bee-masters are pretty well agreed that 

 the days of large supers are past, and a new era opened 

 for all those who are ready to move with the times. 

 The enterprising Yankees so quickly awoke to the fact 

 of England's short-comings in regard to marketable 

 honey, that before four months had elapsed from this 



