384 A Modern Bee-Farm 



keeper ; especially as its benefits are most felt during the 

 trying time of early Spring, dispensing as it does with 

 early feeding with syrup. 



" Unique Scheme to get Drawn Combs for 

 Sections." — "Gleanings in Bee-Cullure" for Oct. isth, 

 1902, p. 866, shows us another American away behind. 

 Says he — ^" At the proper time I take away one, two, or 

 three frames of brood ... and replace them with 

 frames containing starters, etc. I use this comb in the 

 sections .... Should there be eggs in this drone 

 comb, leave it to cool for a day or two, and they won't 

 hatch." 



Now it happens that Simmins' Non-swarming plan was, 

 and is, founded upon drawn combs in sections. His 

 pamphlet of 1886 (16 years earlier) was circulated largely 

 in the States, and the sentences above will be found 

 therein, almost word for word — and more important items 

 relating thereto as well. 



But why go backwards ? After getting new combs for 

 the current season drawn out for sections, from thin sheets 

 of foundation in the brood nest over it, from starters under 

 it, with and without feeding, over a period of many years, 

 I have now given up all these old methods in favour of 

 working the combs directlj- into the divided section-holders 

 and placing the three sets of halved sections upon these 

 new combs without any further trouble in fixing. 



Glass rail sections were used by the author prior to 1880, 

 with split top rails, and grooves down each inside of the 

 uprights. 



V-grooves substituted as a so-called " improvement " 

 upon my plain-cut 3-side-slit sections are detrimental in 

 practice, and necessitate the foundation resting upon the 



