THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY. 
503 
room for the queen by extracting the honey, is 
equally valueless, as the bees will refill the combs 
the first thing they do.’’ Be it noted it is worthless 
for the production of comb honey. All this points to 
the extreme importance of having, as far as possible, 
the brood-nest — z>., all the brood-nest combs — a block 
of brood before the sections are put on, and, in 
addition, the giving to our section crate, as far as 
practicable, an appearance of one that has already 
been adopted, when its adoption is all but a certainty. 
The most trivial matters will sometimes determine its 
acceptance, and in my early days of bee-keeping I 
made it a practice to pour and splash syrup about 
within every super, the moment before putting it 
over the hive : a few, rushing aloft to clear up sweets, 
joined by a larger contingent, just playing at follow- 
my-leader, frequently started operations which con- 
tinued to a successful issue. 
At the close of the honey harvest, unfinished, and 
in consequence, unmarketable, sections remain on 
hand. These, when extracted (page 480), become 
most valuable stock, and, placed in the first given 
sectioh crate, either alone or in combination with those 
carrying foundation, will put us almost on a par with 
those working for extracted honey. The advantage, 
however, brings a difficulty. The combs will preserve 
the start they have over the foundation, and serious 
bulging will follow unless the now necessary separators 
are used in the crate. No cause for great regret this, as 
they are desirable under almost all conditions, although 
perfectly straight combs are obtainable without them 
(see pages 184 and 461). The Canadian narrow sec- 
