146 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



FOLDING SECTIONS. 



Sometimes I put sections together myself, but generally 

 some boy or girl does the work unless my wife be pressed into 

 service. The operator seated at the machine (Fig. 67) has a 

 pile of sections laid at a convenient height at her left hand, 

 the sections piled so that ends correspond. As fast as the sec- 

 tions are taken from the press' they are neatly piled in order 

 on a board at the right of the operator. (I know that some 

 throw the sections indiscriminately into a basket as they leave 

 the press, and it seems this ought to take less time, but I think 

 in the long run my way saves time.) It is desirable that the 

 board upon which the sections are piled should be light, as no 

 great strength is required, and sometimes several thousand 

 folded sections will be piled up ahead, and it is pleasanter to 

 handle the light board. A dummy or almost any board will 

 answer, but oftener hive-covers are used. One of these is of 

 such size that there may be placed upon it side by side three 

 rows of sections with eleven sections in each row. Upon these 

 are placed three other rows, break- joint fashion, with ten sec- 

 tions in each row, and this piling up may continue till the 

 upper rows contain four or less each. Generally the piling 

 goes no higher than to have six sections in the upper rows, 

 making 153 sections a boardful. As fast as one board is filled 

 another takes its place, and the filled board is piled up, unless 

 Miss Wilson is putting in foundation at th« time and is ready 

 for a fresh boardful of sections. 



SIZE OP 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 3% x 15%. This size is just right to make four 

 top starters 3% inches deep, and four bottom starters % inch 

 deep. Occasionally a bottom-starter of this depth makes trou- 

 ble 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 start- 

 ers are fastened together, 



