136 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



of them will break in folding. The joints of these are wet in a 

 somewhat wholesale manner. If they are crated in such a way 

 as to be favorable for it, the whole crate of 500 are wet before 

 being taken from the original package, one side of the crate 

 being removed so as to expose the edges of the sections. If the 

 crate is not of the right kind for this, then the sections are 

 taken from the crate and put in the proper position in an 

 empty crate lying on one side with the top and one end removed. 

 Of course the sections do not lie flat, but on their edges, the 

 grooves of each tier corresponding with the grooves of the other 

 tiers, so that a small stream of water poured into the grooves at 

 the top will readily find its way clear through to the bottom. 

 If necessary the sections must be wedged together, so there will 

 be no room for water to get between them only at the grooves. 



A pint funnel is specially prepared for the work. A 

 wooden plug is pushed in from above, projecting below two 

 inches or less. The lower end of the plug is whittled to a point, 

 and either by means of a bad fit or by means of a little channel 

 cut in one side of the plug, there is just leak enough so that 

 when the funnel is filled there will be a continuous fine stream 

 of water running- from the point of the plug. Holding the 

 funnel in one hand I pour into it boiling water from a tea-kettle 

 held in the other hand, at the same time holding the funnel so 

 that the stream from the point of the plug shall be directed into 

 the grooves, moving the funnel along just fast enough so that 

 the water shall be sure to go clear through to the bottom. Cold 

 water will not work well. 



A plan I like better is to have a vessel of hot water some- 

 what elevated, with a small rubber tube running from it, so that 

 the stream from it can easily be directed into the grooves. A 

 fountain syringe works nicely. 



Before wetting, the box of sections should be stood so that 

 the sections are on end, and then jolted heavily, so as to make 

 the gTooves correspond the whole depth of the box. After the 

 sections are wet they swell immediately, making them fit too 

 tightly in the box to be gotten out without much difficulty. The 

 boards are torn off one end of the box, and after the sections 

 are taken out the boards are nailed on again, if it be desired to 

 preserve the box. 



