78 Advice to Beginners in Bee-Keeping, [may, 



outdoor purposes, the gain would amply repay any expense 

 incurred in erecting necessary plant for proper seasoning. 



Preservative Methods. — The common methods are painting, 

 tarring, and charring, but the work should never be done until 

 the timber is seasoned. 



The cost of painting rough outside jobs is prohibitive, but 

 work, such as dressed paling, gates, &c, erected in places where 

 people are liable to come in contact with the woodwork, is 

 better painted than tarred. Tarring is the most common method 

 employed in preserving outside rough woodwork. Gas tar 

 should be kept for some time before using as it improves by 

 keeping. Charring is very useful for preserving posts, as it 

 forms an outer coat of charcoal which is immune from the 

 attacks of insects and fungi, and is almost indestructible when 

 placed in the ground. The disadvantages of charring are a 

 loss of wood and cracking ; the charred parts should be tarred 

 over, thus plugging up the external cavities of the wood, and 

 preventing the entrance of air and water. 



Thomas Bewick. 



ADVICE TO BEGINNERS IN BEE-KEEPING. 



The keeping of bees, both for pleasure and profit, is, happily, 

 much more frequent now than thirty years ago, when the advent 

 of cheap sugar had nearly driven from the country markets the 

 coarse honey gathered by the old straw skep system. This increase 

 of bee-keeping has been brought about by the perfecting of the 

 modern frame-hive, which enables the home of the bee to be laid 

 open to view, and provides means whereby the stores can be 

 taken, fit for immediate use, without injury to the bees or their 

 owner. 



For any one desirous of becoming a bee-keeper the first step 

 is to get a bock on apiculture and study it. There are many 

 now fr^m which to choose, but the following may be recom- 

 mended : "Modern Bee-Keeping" (price 6d.), published^ by 



