1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



147 



THE HOME OF THE HONEY-BEES. 



SWARTHMORE'S SCRAPER. 



BY HARRY LATHROP. 



In the old town of Medina. 



In the good old Buckeye State, 

 Close nestling in the suburbs. 



By the city's very gate. 

 Is another busy city. 



There shaded by the trees. 

 You ask its name ? I answer. 



Tis •The Home of the Honey Bees." 

 And there are others in that dty. 



Besides the bees as well : 

 There are many busy workers ; 



Now listen while I tell. 

 There is "A. I. Root,'' the veteran; 



■V^'hose persistence long ago 

 ■\S'as the verj- "Root" and center 



Of the business, you should know. 

 Now this " Root" had won a maiden. 



Her eves were clear and blue, 

 A helpful wife and p>artner. 



■Whose heart was always true. 

 As a tree by waters planted. 



And watered from above. 

 This man took root in "Ernest" 



With purpose bom of love : 

 And branches spread around him. 



Of the trees he loved so well. 

 ■W'lth little -Rootlets" coming. 



In his heart and home to dwell. 

 God's blessing rested on him. 



A veteran long ago. 

 Although he signed "a novice," 



The bee-menall well know 

 That he lead in even." effort. 



Improvement fast to bring. 

 And ne'er secured a patent 



Upon a single thing. 

 In keeping of the bees 



And making of the hires, 

 "With planting of the trees. 



So ordered they their lives. 

 The business grew apace. 



Large buildings then were made. 

 And in that cosy space 



Foundations firm were laid. 

 The bee- had pretty queens. 



The hives had sweetest honey. 

 The girls, while in their teens. 



Helped earn some honest money. 

 There's much of love and beauty still 



Within that busy mart. 

 And th" honey-bees among the trees 



Still plav an active part. 

 There are 'roots of trees and trees with roots, 



.\nd trees from roots all free : 

 But the root that bears the choicest fruit 



Is the only root for me. 

 A great and useful business grew 



From that one little plant ; 

 I would describe if I had words. 



But then, vou know. I can't. 

 This plant, well ' Rooted, "has taken "Root." 



And now it bears a tree 

 Whose product goes to all the earth, 



To aid the little bee. 



THE BEE-KEEPER'S LIFE. 



BY HARRY LATHROF. 



The beauty of life for men who farm 

 Will not compare with that of ours 



Who find among the hives of bees a charm 

 Of sweetness drawn from many flowers. 



It ought to make us better far 



Than swine-herds might exp>ect to be. 



Unless our spirits prove to be at war 

 With Nature as her charms we see. 



These living wonders make us feel 

 How ignorant and small we are. 



And bring us down before the Lord to kneel. 

 Lest we his perfect work should mar. 



Then let us reverence in each heart 



The works of God we see while here. 



And labor with a will to do our piart 

 As faith and dutv make it clear. 



.A Tool for Freeing the Propolis, and Brace and 



Burr Comb from the Top-bars of Brood and 



E.xtracting-Fraraes at One Stroke. Without 



Danger of Hacking the Wood. 



BV SWARTHMORE. 



The scraper is simply a piece of hardened 

 steel, ground along- its upper edge like a 

 shear, and notched at one end to the depth 

 of one inch to permit scraping' and separat- 

 ing the -wax from the propolis in an auto- 

 matic manner. It has t-wo holes near its 

 lower edg'e for bolting' the blade firmly to 

 the bench, uncappingr-trcr.eh. or tank. 



mnL 



'■ i3^.\RTHM0RE zSCRAPER, 



.H N 



CB 



^B 



From S to S is the scraping surface for removing 

 propolis from top of bars. 



N. notch: H. scraping surface for removing ■wax 

 from sides of bars. 



B, B, holes for bolting blade to bench. 



The ground edg-e of the blade is indi- 

 cated by shaded lines, and. when attached 

 to the bench ready for use. the shear edge 

 of the scraper from S to S is visible. Only 

 a portion of the bench, box. or tank is cut 

 away or notched to match the notch X in 

 the scraper, so as to permit scraping- the 

 wax and burr-comb from the sides of top- 

 bars without turning- the frames. 



S-WARTHMORES SCRAPER ATTACHED. 



B, box for holding scrapings. 



D, division-board for separating wax from propolis. 



S. scraper bolted in place. 



F, frame in position for scraping. 



N. notch for scraping sides of bars. 



To scrap>e a frame, grasp it in both 

 hands at either end of the top-bar, close to 

 the side-bars, and draw it firmly across 

 the shear edge of the scraper at S. which 

 removes the propolis from the top of the bar 

 and drops it into its proper compartment to 

 the left of the division-board. 



Now pass the comb into the notch X, and 

 draw it in such a manner that the side of 

 the top-bar comes in contact with the shear 

 edge of the blade at H (see first drawing . 

 which will remove all burr or brace combs 



