FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 141 



of pulling the pieces apart, for with the hot knife there will 

 always be at least a little melting together at the edges. Of 

 course the cutting must not be done when the foundation is too 

 cold, or it will be more or less broken. 



Cutting foundation in a miter-box with a corrugated bread- 

 knife was highly commended. I tried it, and was quite pleased 

 to think it made faster work, although hardly such exact work. 

 Then I timed it by the watch, and was surprised to find that it 

 took more time than the old way. 



When the boardful is cut I take a super with a bottom in 

 it, gather up and put into it 48 bottom-starters, also the 48 top- 

 starters, making these last in a neat pile. 



Instead of using a single rule, I have for some time 

 preferred to have a rule for every cut, making a saving of 

 lime. Take seven rules and lay them on the board on the proper 

 places for cutting. On the ends of the rules, at each side, lay 

 a thin strip of wood 15 inches long or longer — a one-piece 

 section without the grooves does nicely — with one end of each 

 strip tight up against the end-stop. Now nail together in this 

 position, clinching the nails. You will use this with the other 

 side up, the rules above, the side-strips below (Fig. 61). Of 

 course the guide-nails are not needed with this arrangement. 

 In the picture three of the rules appear all right, but the other 

 four, which are very close together, look as if they were all one. 



The cutting-board rests on a little work-table (Fig. 62), 

 which is quite convenient for this and other purposes. 



The sections being folded and the foundation cut, we are 

 now ready for putting starters in the sections. This is the work 

 of Miss Wilson, and she is an expert at it. After trying a 

 number of foundation-fasteners, I have found nothing with 

 which I can do better work than with the Daisy fastener. 



DIVISION OF LABOR. 



I may remark in passing that when I speak of doing things 

 it does not always mean that I do such things personally, for 

 it may be that some one else does the work entirely. But when 

 any new implement is to be used or new plan tried, I first care- 

 fully study it up and try to learn just how it ought to be used, 

 and then I instruct the one who is to make a specialty of that 



