THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



deavoring to sift the wheat troni the chaff, 

 although A'ou are generally very successful 

 at this. 



As is usual with me each winter, I am 

 building air castles in regard to the com- 

 ing season's work, but whether the}' will 

 be more than air castles, only the future 

 will tell. One more thing which occurs 

 to me in regard to the securing of bright 

 yellow wax. I have f round from careful 

 experiments that many a lot of fine wax 

 has been spoiled or very much darkened 

 by allowing the water in which it is melted 

 to boil together with the wax. What 

 chemical change this produces is beyond 

 me, but that it does make a difference is 

 beyond dispute. 



Providence, R. I. Jan. i, 1898. 



PLAIN SECTION'S AND SLAT-SEPARATORS. 



They are Severely Condemned by one who 

 has tried Them bv the Thousands. 



JAMES HEDDON. 



To Truth's house there is a single door, 

 Which is Experience.— B/i y/4/?D TAYLOR. 



[N this paper 

 ^ for October, 



tv _ and more c o n - 



*"* '*' f r s p i c u o u s 1 }■ in 



'*'■ Cj 1 e a n i n g s for 



November 15, we 

 find cuts and des- 

 criptions of two 

 claimed steps in 

 advance, which I 

 have been taught 

 in my experience, are radical steps back- 

 luard. I refer to sections without spaces, 

 and cleated separators, called "fences. " 

 Having been one of the original inven- 

 tors of sections (whether prior or not, I 



don't know ) I thoroughly tested, as I be- 

 lieve, the spaceless sections. One year, I 

 used 5000 of them, opening the spaces with 

 thick separators, and I have relics of 

 them yet about ni}- home apiary. They 

 became things of the past, wholly because 

 sections with bee-spaces, that is, with 

 tops and bottoms narrower than the up- 

 rights, are ninch superior to them, at 

 ever}' step, from the surplus case to the 

 consumer. 



Bro. Root tells us that he believes these 

 two features are improvements, although 

 tried and laid aside by several foremost 

 honey producers. He says that the times 

 were not right for them, but he doesn't 

 take the time to tell 7i'hy. He cites us to 

 electric railway inventions in an early day, 

 and their later adoption, after said inven- 

 tions had been perfected and made prac- 

 tical, and public conditions had changed, 

 while no change of conditions has taken 

 place to make the worthless, spaceless 

 section of 20 years ago, a thing of beauty 

 and joy forever to day. Mr. Root de- 

 clares that he is sincere in his convictions, 

 even if the change is specially adapted to 

 large supply houses with special machin- 

 er}'. ( We now refer to the cleated separa- 

 tors. ) I call this cleated separator a 

 a miserable glue-trap that will vex the 

 bee-keeper 1)eyond all other implements 

 of the apiary. I am not without some 

 early-day experience with that also. 



It seems too simple to discourse upon 

 the reasons ichy; it is inconceivable to me 

 that there can live any practical honey- 

 producer who can not see a dozen rea- 

 sons at a glance. 



Spaceless sections are a nuisance in the 

 case, in the shipping crate, and every 

 other place. And cleated separators are 

 worse, if possible, as compared with the 

 standard varieties of to day; and I am 

 willing — yes, anxious — to stake my repu- 

 tation as a bee-keeper, upon that fact. 



It seems to me that these costly errors 

 grow out of the fact that there is nothing 

 of any special worth to write about, that 

 has not been chewed over and over again, 

 hence, the old errors must be taken up so 



