118 



AMERICAN BEE lO'JENAL 



Feb. 21, 1901. 



It should also be conveniently arrang-ed to get combs into 

 and out of, having the uncapt combs where the crank-man 

 can reach them easily. I have my uncapping arrange- 

 ments to the right of the extractor, and just far enough 

 avpay that there is room between it and the box that re- 

 ceives the capping-s to have a rack or hive to receive the un- 

 capt combs. I herewith present photographs of these fix- 

 tures as I have them set in my honey-liouse. The combs to 

 be uncapt are to the right of tlie knife-pan, and when un- 

 capt are past to the left to a receiving rack right close to 

 the crank. This rack does not appear in the picture because 

 it is down behind the capping-box. Immediately to the 

 right of the capping-box and hanging on or attacht to it, 

 is a small trough-like vessel containing water in which the 

 knife lies when not in use. A small oil-stove keeps the wa- 

 ter hot. A hot, wet knife cuts better than a cold, dry one. 



The bottom of the capping-box is prepared with an in- 

 cline to one point where is an outlet, and above this is a 

 false or secondary bottom made of wire-cloth of 4 or 5 

 meshes to the inch, galvanized wire just like the extractor 

 screens. The cappings drop upon this screen and drain 

 thru to the outlet and the honey passes off at once. 



Just beneath the uncapping-box, and extending from 

 under it to the left clear to the extractor, is my strainer- 



I 'ncappnit; Honey. 



box. This is made of lumber about a foot wide, using 4 

 pieces, two of them 6 feet long and the other two about 20 

 inches. The short pieces or ends are gained into the sides 

 about I'i inches from the end, the gains about 's-inch deep 

 and about ' s inch narrower than the thickness of the end 

 pieces that are to go into them. The ends of the end 

 boards are then beveled down this 's. so that when the box 

 is put together, and driven and thoroly nailed, the joint be- 

 comes tight and will leak neither honey nor water. A pre- 

 caution may be taken by putting white lead or linseed oil 

 in the groove or gain before putting together ; this makes 

 a closer joint and prevents decay. 



The bottom of this box I make of galvanized iron or 

 of tin. The box can be made any size desired — I have 

 made two or three of different sizes, usually the width to 

 correspond to the width of the tin or iron that is to make 

 the bottom, and as long as desired. The metal for the bot- 

 tom should be enough larger than the outside measure of 

 the box, so that it will project beyond the wood 's too /li) 

 inch, this projection to be turned up and pounded snug up 

 against the lumber, after the iron is nailed on. The metal 

 is laid on the box and nailed with tlathead 1-inch or S-pennj' 

 fine nails, driving them about every inch. Do not drive the 

 nails in a straight row, but zigzag them or alternate, one 

 near the outer side of the board, and the next near the in- 

 ner side, just so there is no danger of missing the wood. 



After it is nailed, take a strip of about ~>, or one inch thick 

 — you can make these by ripping out from the edge of a 

 board. Nail this strip over the metal bottom clear around, 

 using about 6 or X penny nails and driving right thru the 

 metal into the edges of the sides and ends of the box. 



These strips are not really needed to hold the bottom 

 on — they serve another purpose. You see, if you should 

 till your box with honey and attempt to lift it, or have it set 

 in such a way that there was no support under the bottom, 

 the weight would sag the bottom more or less, the sides 

 springing in as the bottom sagged. After these strips are 

 nailed on — the box being mouth down, of course, while you 

 are doing the nailing — you really have a little box just the 

 depth of the thickness of the strips. Now cut one, two, or 

 three strips as long as the inside width of the bo.x, and \)'z 

 or 2 inches wide, and the same thickness of the strips 

 nailed around. These strips are to be just long enough to 

 drop in tight across the bottom between the rim strips, and 

 nailed thru the rims into their ends, nailing from the out- 

 side. These cross strips put in tight give the bottom a 

 strong tension and prevent any sag. The rim and strips 

 also support the bottom just their thickness from whatever 

 set upon, and shield the tin or iron from being dented or 

 bruised from any hard substance beneath. 



This strainer-box also has a sub or false bottom made 

 this way : A wooden rim or frame is made of strips about 

 1 inch by 1 '4 , and one or more strips of the same size and 

 length as the ends put across spaced equidistant from the 

 ends. Upon this frame is nailed a sheet of galvanized 

 wire-cloth such as is used in the extractor-baskets. This 

 screen is then placed in the box, being in its outside meas- 

 ure just scant the inside of the box, and rests on little 

 cleats nailed to the sides of the box 2 or 3 inches above the 

 bottom. On this false bottom or screen, spread a piece of 

 cheese-cloth that is big enough to cover the whole top of 

 the screen and reach up and lap or hang over both sides 

 and ends a little, and you have a very good and complete 

 strainer. When the cloth becomes clogged, remove and 

 wash it. Larimer Co., Colo. 



Bee-Keepe.rs and Bee-Supply Dealers. 



An Inquiry Into a Matter of Equity, in the 

 Court of Public Opinion. 



BY "COLORADO." 



I WILL restate the proposition because I failed to convey 

 the exact point to the dealers in my first letter, on page 

 69. At any rate they did not get my idea fully. 



THE OUESTION. 



The excellent and only safe rule of buying bee-supplies 

 for cash enclosed with order affords unequal measure of 

 protection, of justice, of equity, to the two parties to the 

 transaction. The rule makes the seller absolutely safe, but 

 leaves the buyer to carry numerous risks — risk of error in 

 count, risk of unsafe packing, risk of error in cutting, risk 

 of destruction en route, risk of misreading or misappre- 

 hending the order, and other risks. Can the dealers and 

 buyers devise a rule that will be equally fair, and equally 

 protective to both parties ? 



THE .^.RC.UMENT. 



I am not prepared to offer a substitute. But I am study- 

 ing the question. , 



Dadant says no rule can be laid down. I fear this is 

 true. But this view is not creditable to our intelligence. 

 Most of the dealers drop into a discussion of giving credit 

 to buyers. To this extent they misapprehend the point of 

 my query. Plainly, there should be no credit. The only 

 route to right prices is under a spot-cash rule. 



I do not ask you, Mr. Manufacturer, or Mr. Dealer, to 

 surrender an ounce of the protection that you have. But I 

 want an equal share with you. 



If the buyer parts with his cash weeks before he gets 

 his goods, the rule is not a spot-cash method for the buyer. 



Experience has taught me something about writing or- 

 ders. If I instruct the dealer to fill my order within a cer- 

 tain time, or else return the inclosed remittance, I invari- 

 ably get prompt attention. Otherwise I may wait indefi- 

 nitely, altho the dealer may have my cash. We buyers of- 

 ten fail to state our wants clearly. 



Commercial honesty — I mean the ethical code govern- 

 ing business men — is superior to individual honesty. I 



