eepeps 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Horiey Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR. 



w. z. HDTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



e 



VOL XII, FLINT. MICHIGAN, MARCH 10, 1900, NO, 3. 



/ >] rA HE PRODUCTION OF EX- 

 TRACTED HONEY WITH 

 EICxHT-FRAME, LANGS- 

 TROTH HIVES. BY HARRY 

 LATHROP. 



While my specialty has been the 

 production of fancy comb honey, I have 

 always extracted 

 some every year 

 since I began 

 keeping bees, 

 about 17 years 

 il;o, and at pre- 

 sent I have two, 

 2-frame, Cowan 

 extractors in use, 

 one for each of 

 my apiaries, and 

 if I establish 

 another yard, I 

 expect to purchase another machine; for 

 I want the extractor always at hand ready 

 for use. Speaking of extractors, I would 

 not trade my two-frame Cowan machines, 

 as made by the A. I. Root Co., for any 

 four-frame machine I ever saw. They 

 work so easily, and I think one person 

 can extract with them as rapidly as 

 another can uncap the combs. There is 

 a much disputed question among bee- 

 keepers as to which pays better, the pro- 



duction of comb or of extracted honey. 

 The extracted-honey-man will tell you 

 that he has no expense after getting es- 

 tablished, except for the purchase of bar- 

 rels to put the honey in; and then he 

 can produce so many more pounds per 

 colony of extracted than he can of comb; 

 on the other hand, the one producing 

 comb honey has to buy sections, founda- 

 tion, and shipping crates every year, etc. 

 The comb honey expert will reply that 

 he can produce nearh' as many pounds 

 of comb honey as the other can of ex- 

 tracted; that by getting all fixtures pre- 

 pared ahead he can attend to as many 

 colonies as the other can, and, besides 

 getting a better price for his product, he 

 gets well paid for the sections as they are 

 weighed in with the honey when sold; 

 that he is willing others should believe 

 extracted honey production to be the 

 most profitable; thereby leaving him a 

 clearer field. I will not attempt to de- 

 cide which has the better argument, but 

 will state my conviction, which becomes 

 stronger with experience, that, for the 

 average bee-keeper, the best plan is to 

 combine the production of both comb and 

 extracted in the same apiary. I want to 

 be prepared to work for comb honey when 

 all conditions are just right; and then, 

 when conditions change, work for ex- 



