1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



341 



bility is no guarantee against imposi- 

 tion. Those who have been induced to 

 consign to strangers the product of 

 their hibor, have, in most cases, form- 

 ed resolutions of a private and iron- 

 clad nature. Further warning in their 

 case is unnecessary. This suggestion 

 is tendered in behalf of those produc- 

 ers who have not yet been victimized. 



The interests of a journal and those 

 of the fraternity which it represents 

 are the same. Upon each depends the 

 success of the other, hence the import- 

 ance of integral co-operation. Our 

 readers are invited to send in reports, 

 notes of their experience, or items of 

 general interest relating to bee keep- 

 ing, from any source. Our mutual 

 benefit would surely result from such 

 general exchange of notes and ideas, 

 and any information or advice upon 

 practical bee keeping, which our ex- 

 perience enables us to impart, will be 

 given with pleasure when solicited by 

 readers of the Bee Keeper. 



A WELSH RIP. 



Every nation has a Rip Van Winkle of its 

 own, but tiie Welsh story of Kip is unique. 

 He is known as Taffy ep Sion. One morn- 

 ing Taffy lieard a bird singing on a tree 

 close by his path. Allured by the melody, 

 he sat down until the music ceased ; when 

 he rose, what was his surprise at observing 

 that the tree under which he had taken his 

 seat had now become dead and withered. 

 In the doorway of his home, which, to his 

 amazement, hfd also suddenly grown older, 

 he asked of a strange ol.d man for his parents 

 whom he had left there, as he said, a few 

 minutes before. U{)on learning his name 

 the old man said, "Alas I Taffy, 1 have often 

 heard my grandfather, your father, speak 

 of you, and it was said you were under the 

 power of the faries and would not be releas- 

 ed until the last sap of that sycamore had 

 dried up. Embrace me, my dear uncle, for 

 you are my uncle — embrace your nephew." 

 Welshmen do not always perceive the humor 

 of this somewhat novel situation of a youth 

 — for Tatfy was still merely a boy — being 

 hailed as uncle by a gentleman perhaps 

 forty years his senior. — I). C Macdonald in 

 December Lippincotfs. 



(From American Bee .Ii)urnal). 



IMPROVEMENTS IN BEE-OULTURE 



1!Y KKNEST R. ROOT. 



1 have divided ray subject into two 

 parts — namely, recent improvements 

 that have been adopted ; second, the 

 improvements not yet adopted, but 

 which give promise of great value. 

 Owing to lack of time I will merely 

 allude to the first named. Among 

 these I would mention self-spacing 

 frames, formerly used by comparative- 

 ly few bee keepers, but now being gen- 

 erally adopted. Reversing honey-ex- 

 tractors, improved workmanship in 

 bee-hives, and especially in sections. 

 Sections of. two years ago look very 

 crude compared with the perfect prod- 

 ucts of today. 



Turning to the second half of my 

 subject. What devices or ideas give 

 promise of value for the future ? The 

 use of drawn, or partly-drawn combs 

 in the production of honey comes to 

 my mind. You will remember our 

 late friend, INIr. B. Taylor, of Forest- 

 ville, Minn., has been a strong advo- 

 cate of the use of drawn combs in sec- 

 lions leveled down by the comb level- 

 er. You will remember he raade the 

 statement that unfinished sections he 

 considered were his "best stock in 

 trade" — the more of these the better. 

 Those that contained honey were some- 

 times extracted but generally placed 

 out in the yard for the bees to clean 

 out. Where great numbers of these 

 sections were scattered out at a time 



