and Us Economic Management. 



7S 



CHAPTER XI. 

 FOUNDATION, 



I HAVE been using this word while some of my readers may 

 not as yet known what the article is. The two or three 

 frames illustrated, showing the same in the centre, will convey 

 some idea as to its use. It is really pure beeswax, and the sheet 

 is first obtained by dipping nicely planed pine boards into the hot 

 wax, the plain sheet thus made is afterwards passed between 

 rollers, which are so engraved as to give the wax the exact form 

 and appearance of the natural mid-rib of all comb as the bees 

 make it when left to their own devices, except that the comb 

 foundation made by man gives the base of a more perfect, because 

 more regular, comb than the insects produce. The foundation is 

 gauged to the size of worker cells (five to the inch) ; therefore 

 drone cells, and consequently drones, are excluded, while our 

 combs are as flat as boards. 



According to the thickness of the sheet required, whether for 

 thin super foundation or for use in the stock frames, so many dips 

 have to be made before the wax is peeled from the boards. Of 

 these two or three sets are required on hand standing in water, to 

 give time for cooling and saturation. 



There are a number of machines in use such as the Pelham, 

 Root, Dunham, Given, Van Deusen, &c. Of these the latter 

 gives the most beautifully finished foundation I have seen, but 

 being flat bottomed, the bees appear to waste much time in con- 

 verting to the natural base ; though it must be acknowledged that 



