198 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



EXCEPTIONTAI,LY TROUliLESOUE OASES. 



The sections may fall that quarter of an inch with their 

 own weight, and they may not go down at all without urgent 

 coaxing. If the honey was stored with a rush in the early part 

 of the season, there will be yery little gluing, and the sections 

 will come out easily. The later in the season, and the slower the 

 storing, the more gluing, and the more trouble. If there is a 

 lot of glue, and if it is warm, stringy, and sticky, it must be 

 humored a little. It can hardly be jerked loose suddenly any 

 more than if it were nailed; but if it is allowed time enough the 

 weight of the sections may be enough to bring them down. Of 

 course a little insistence will hasten matters to some extent, but 

 it seems to be a matter of principle with that kind of glue not 

 to let go too suddenly. Sometimes I take a super of that kind 

 and place it low enough to sit down on the push-board, and then 

 let it take its time. When I feel it give way under me, I give 

 up my seat, unless I continue matters a little longer by taking 

 hold of Ihe super at each end and lifting up while still sitting 

 on the push-board. 



WHEN THE GLUE IS BRITTLE. 



Sometimes the glue is brittle, especially if quite cold. The 

 case is then quite different. Sitting on it all day would do no 

 good, unless one is heavy enough to bring down the whole thing 

 suddenly. If pushing down with the hands on the push-board 

 produces no effect, I pound with the fist on each corner enough 

 to make the start. Then lifting on the super at each end with 

 the fingers, I push the sections out of the super l)y pushing 

 down on the push-board with the thumbs (Fig. 77). 



After the first start is made, perhaps the super is at once 

 lifted off without any trouble, and perhaps further coaxing is 

 needed, and the super must be treated somewhat as one treats 

 a refractory bureau-drawer. I lift on each end alternately, 

 holding down the push-board with one hand and lifting with the 

 other, then with both hands lift oil the super (Fig. 78). 



This sounds a little as if it were hard work getting sections 

 out of supei=;, because I have spent so much lime taUdng about 



