14 
Bulletin 54. 
thickness of the comb in the case of the latter. Comparing with the 
two thickest samples of comb on the “1898” deep-cell foundation, 
either of which is thinner than the “1899” sample, we notice that 
the latter is, nevertheless, considerably lighter in weight.! 
If we compare the sample of comb 1.31 inches thick on the 
“1899” deep-cell foundation with the samples of natural comb 
measuring 1.33 and 1.35 inches respectively, we find a good mar¬ 
gin of difference in favor of the natural samples, although they are 
somewhat thicker than the example on foundation. 
These comparisions bring us again to the conclusion that, of 
the samples of foundation that we have studied, the thin and extra 
thin super, and the “1899” deep-cell foundations, are far the best for 
the production of a comb to compare in quality and lightness with 
natural comb. 
* Now, if we examine columns four and five we shall see that 
the increased weights of the examples of comb on artificial founda¬ 
tions were due more to the extra wax in the cell walls than to the 
increased amount of wax in the midribs in cases of the heavy foun¬ 
dations, but not in cases of the thin arid extra thin super, or “1899” 
deep-cell foundations. I will call attention to a few examples and 
the reader may compare others. 
Beginning with the heaviest foundations first, it will be seen 
that the comb cells in the sample one inch thick weighed 11.50 
grains, against 7.50 grains in the case of the natural comb of the 
same thickness. In case of comb one inch thick on medium brood 
foundation, the cells weighed 11.00 grains to the square inch. 
Take the samples of the same kinds of comb that are .75 of an 
inch in thickness and the weights of cell walls are, for natural comb, 
4.70 grains; for comb on medium brood foundation, 6.65 grains; 
and for comb on very heavy foundation, 7.80 grains. It will also 
be noticed that the two samples of comb on “ 1898” deep-cell founda¬ 
tion that were less than .75 of an inch thick had cell walls that 
were considerably heavier than the natural comb that was of that 
thickness. 
If we combine the two samples of medium brood comb, one 
measuring 1.30 and the other 1.20 inches thick, we shall have an 
average of a sample 1.25 inches thick, the cells of which weigh 12.81 
grains to the square inch. Comparing this with the weights of the 
cells of the natural comb samples of the same thickness, we find 
it exceeds the heavier by 2.31 grains, and is almost one and one-half 
* In “ A, B, C of Bee Culture,” p. 67, Mr. E. B. Weed is reported to have dis¬ 
covered “That in ordinary foundations upon the market, there was too much wax 
in the base (midrib) and not enough in the wall; that whenever the base is 
thicker than the bees make it they will rarely take the trouble to thin it down; 
but, no matter how thick the wall, they will invariably thin it down to the thick¬ 
ness of the natural.” Both these statements need to be much modified, accord¬ 
ing to the experiments here reported. 
