64 DR. miller's 



all the combs are very crooked, you may consider it as a box- 

 hive. 



Q. How do you get straight combs built? Last year I used 

 full sheets of foundation. The frames were wired with four hori- 

 zontal wires. Almost every one "buckled" between the wires, and 

 they are a bad lot of combs. 



A. I wonder if you didn't depend entirely on the wires. The 

 foundation should be fastened securely to the top-bar, either by 

 means of the kerf and wedge, or, what some think better in a 

 very dry climate, waxing the foundation to the top-bar; that is, 

 running melted wax along the edge of the foundation on the top- 

 bar. But you will probably have less sagging of foundation if 

 you use foundation splints that are described fully in this book, 

 as well as in the book, "Fifty Years Among the Bees." 



Combs, Weight of. — Q. How much will ten frames of empty 

 combs weigh, new and old, size 175^x9j^, top-bar one inch? How 

 much wax will ten combs produce, if rendered? 



A. They vary very much with age. A weighing just made 

 shows ten old ones weighing 13j^ pounds. I have no new ones to 

 weigh, but they would be much lighter. Ten average combs will 

 yield from l}i to 2yi pounds of wax. 



Concrete (See Cement.) 



Corn Flower. — Q. Do bees gather nectar from corn flowers? 



A. Yes, if by corn-flower you mean the flower Centaurea Cy- 

 anus. If you mean the tassels of Indian corn, I think they get 

 only pollen. 



Cotton.— Q. There is a large amount of cotton near Phoenix. 

 Does cotton in Arizona yield much honey? 



A. Cotton is a good honey plant in the southern states, and 

 likely, also, with you. 



Cottonwood. — Q. Is Cottonwood lumber good for beehives? 

 Is basswood? 



A. Both are bad for lumber for hives. 



(J. Do bees gather much honey from the blossom of the Cot- 

 tonwood tree? 



A. I think not; if your cottonwood is like the Cottonwood of 

 Illinois. 



Covers. — Q. What kind of a cover do you use? 



A. j\ flat cover with a dead air-space covered with zinc or 

 tin. The upper and the lower parts are each of three-eighths inch 

 stuff, with the grain running in opposite directions, separated by 

 strips or cleats three-eighths inch thick. 



