142 lORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



SIZE OF STARTERS IN SECTIONS. 



Foundation for sections comes from the factory in 

 sheets large enough to fill several sections. At different 

 times the sheets have been of different sizes, but for some 

 time past they have measured T,Jixi^y2. This size is 

 just right to make four top-starters 3% inches deep, and 

 four bottom starters ^-inch deep. Occasionally a bot- 

 tom-starter of this depth makes trouble by lopping over, 

 but not often, and a shallower starter is more likely to be 

 gnawed down by the bees. Moreover, I think the deeper 

 the bottom-starter the more promptly the two starters are 

 fastened together. 



With two starters of this size in a 4.% section, there 

 should be a space of % inch between the two if it were 

 not that the space is made larger by the melting away of 

 the edges of the starters when they are put in the section 

 (Fig. 60.) 



CUTTING FOUNDATION. 



I have one time and another used different plans for 

 cutting. A simple way, and one that is quite satisfactory, 

 is the following: Take a board 18x12 inches or larger; 

 on one end nail a block as a stop for the ends of the sheets 

 of foundation to rest against, and on one side nail four 

 blocks about 2^4 inches long as stops for the one edge 

 of the foundation to rest against. It is well also to nail 

 one of these 234 -inch blocks on the other side near the 

 stop at the end, so as to make a space of yjs inches in 

 which the ends of the foundation shall be confined, other- 

 wise the foundation has a disagreeable habit of sluing ofif 

 to one side when the first cut is made at the other end. 

 Of course these stops are to be nailed on the upper surface 

 of the board and not on the edges. The two blocks that 

 are nailed nearest the end-stop are to be tight against it, 

 the others at such intervals as to allow for cutting- the 



