THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



173 



lar attraction is the drum department. 

 The head-wagging, whistling, step- 

 keeping crowd cares httle for the 

 piccolo, or fife, or trombone or cor- 

 net players ; they are admittedly 

 important contributions to the gen- 

 eral effect, but are regarded as sub- 

 ordinate to the drums, and the cen- 

 tre figure of the drum department 

 is the uncomfortable, irritable look- 

 ing personage, who, tottering at an 

 unnatural angle, thwacks upon the 

 vellum of the big drum. We believe 

 that the majority would rather play 

 the big drum than swagger at the 

 head of a column in a commissioned 

 officer's uniform. 



But there are big drums outside 

 military or other bands. There are 

 men in all assemblies or communi- 

 ties who make themselves heard, 

 and command attention, much in 

 the same way as the big drum of a 

 band. A big drum who taps gently, 

 and who does not take more than 

 his fair share of space, would be un- 

 worthy of his position. Other men 

 may have powerful instruments, but 

 they must be kept in check, mod- 

 erated, adapted to surrounding cir- 

 cumstances ; but the big drum is 

 bound by no laws or considerations. 

 He has a big part to play, and if the 

 other parts cannot keep up with him 

 so much the worse for them. Better 

 a loud big drum and feeble accom- 

 paniment, than a loud accompani- 

 ment and feeble big drum. What 

 the other performers of the band are 

 to the orchestral big drum, the rank 

 and file of a social assembly are to 

 the big drum of the convention." 



It has been my privilege during 

 my bee life experience to attend a 



number of Bee Conventions, each 

 ^of which, I think, had at least, one 

 /ng drum. It is generally a little 

 difficult at the outset to get under 

 way with discussions, as the rank and 

 file usually seem diffident or reluc- 

 tant to begin the music, but soon the 

 big drum with the usual time beat 

 comes to the rescue, and with deep 

 resonant sounds strikes up the old 

 time march, and away they go. The 

 little pipers and players on small 

 pieces fall into line, and pipe away 

 the same old, worn-out tunes, among 

 which are : " How shall we winter 

 our bees? " ''■ How shall we market 

 our honey?" "Comb foundation;" 

 " A standard frame ; " Stimulative 

 feeding;" "Dollar queens," etc. 

 Oh ! for some Mozart or Han- 

 del among our beeniasters who will 

 compose some new harmony, that 

 will contain martial music that the 

 veritable big drummer can master, 

 so that we may learn to march abreast 

 of the times, even if we must be led 

 by the pompous beater of the vellum. 

 We were glad to notice that the 

 N. E. Convention were constrained 

 to notice the question of tariff as 

 proposed by the new treaty with 

 Spain. Why? It touches home. 

 We fail to see any mention of revers- 

 ible frame (as yet) ; perhaps when 

 we see the full report it may be there. 

 I tell you, gents, there is more in 

 that new idea than many of you 

 reahze. Get the big dru/nmer to 

 practise on it. I think I see, too, 

 a cloud in the distance (not yet big- 

 ger than a man's hand) hovering 

 over a Pond, that is going to let fall 

 some big drops by and by, that will 

 i^^^come fertilizers to our Queens 



