OR, MANUAI< OF THE APIARY. 3S7 



made no hit in practical bee-keeping. Mr. Weed uses types 

 for the cells, and so the cells must be exactly alike. 



Thb prbss for foundation. 



Mr. D. A. Given, of Illinois, has made a press (Fig. 169) 

 that stamps the sheets by plates and not by rolls, which, for a 

 time gave nearly, if not quite, as good satisfaction as the 

 improved roller machines. This shuts up like a book, and the 

 wax sheets, instead of passing between curved metal rollers, 

 are stamped by a press after being placed in position. The 

 advantages of this press, as claimed by its friends, are that 

 the foundation has the requisites already referred to, par 

 excellence, that it is easily and rapidly worked, and that 

 foundation can at once be pressed into the wired frames. 

 Rubber plates have also been made, but as yet have not won 

 general favor or acceptance. Plaster of Paris molds made 

 directly from the foundation are made and used satisfactorily 

 by some excellent bee-keepers. At present I think the press is 

 little used. The roller machine seems to have quite displaced 

 it. Mr. Root says this is because it is slow. Yet he thinks 

 the press gives the most perfect foundation. All of the im- 

 proved machines give us foundation of exquisite mold, and 

 with such rapidity that it can be made cheap and practical. 

 As Mr. Heddon says, the bees in two days, with foundation, 

 will do more than they would in eight days without it. Every 

 one who wishes the best success must use foundation, often in 

 the brood-chamber, and always in the sections, unless nice 

 white comb is at hand. Whoever has 100 colonies of bees may 

 well own a machine for himself, though it usually pays better 

 to purchase. The specialist can make nicer foundation than 

 the mere amateur. 



HOW foundation is made. 



The process of making the foundation is very simple. 

 Thin sheets of wax, of the desired thickness, are pressed 

 between the plates or passed between the rolls, which are made 

 so as to stamp either drone or worker foundation, as desired. 

 Worker is best, I think, even for sections. The only difficulty 

 in the way of very rapid work is that from sticking of the 

 wax sheets to the dies. Mr. Heddon finds that by wetting the 



