372 COMB FOUNDATION. 



the hive, the bees readily discover the imposition and show 

 a decided preference for pure foundation. 



The most common adulteration of crude bees-wax is 

 made with tallow. Luckily, this is easily recognized by 

 the soft, dull appearance of the cakes. The smell of tallow 

 is also noticeable in freshly broken fragments. 



687. The machines used for thin foundation should not 

 be the same as those used for brood founiation. The lat- 

 ter, made on a light wall machine, would be too weak to 

 stand the weight of the bees, in a full-sized brood frame, 

 and would not contain wax enough for the bees to build 

 their comb ; for it is a remarkable fact that the bees ' ' thin 

 out" their foundation to a certain extent and make it con- 

 siderably deeper out of the same material. When it has 

 been made, with a thin hose and a heavy wall, the bees draw 

 it out more readily into comb. 



On the other hand, foundation for surplus (719) must 

 be made as light as the finest machine can make it. to avoid 

 what is called the "fish-bone," a central rib found in the 

 honey-comb that has been built on too heavy foundation. 

 There is no "fish-bone," if the proper grade has been 

 used, and even an expert in comb-honey hesitates in decid- 

 ing whether the base is natural or artificial. 



At the present day, nearly every section (721) of comb- 

 honey that is sold, has been built on such foundation. The 

 daintiest and most fastidious ladies can have no objection 

 to it, and on visiting a well-managed foundation shop, they 

 declare that the tender sheets are " nice enough to eat." 



689. To prepare the wax sheets, we use soft wood boards 

 I of an inch thick, bathed in tepid water. They are wiped 

 with a sponge, and dipped in melted wax, two or three 

 times. The lower part of the board is then dipped in cold 

 water, when it is turned bottom side up, and the other end 

 is treated in the same manner. After the board has been 

 put in water to cool for a little while, it is taken out ; its 



