174 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



deep, I expect most of the honey will 

 drain off from them in a very short 

 time. When we used a barrel they 

 piled up so deep, and there is such a 

 weight there, that they are packed so 

 solid in the bottom that the honey 

 drains off very slowly. After they 

 have drained a day or so in the tank 

 then I may run them through the un- 

 capping melter and get out what little 

 honey there is left." 



Here at Flint we had about a barrel 

 of cappings. We allowed them to stand 

 and drain several weeks, then melted 

 up the cappings with a very simple 

 melter. It was only a piece of galvan- 

 ized iron turned up at the sides and 

 back end, and joints soldered. No 

 water was used. The arrangement 

 was mounted on bricks over a burner 

 of our gas kitchen-stove. The hopper 

 was kept full of cappings which melted 

 rapidly and honey and wax ran off into 

 a tub. We secured 40 pounds of wax 

 and 60 pounds of honey. I think the 



honey was probably heated hotter than 

 it would have been in a melter encased 

 in water. The honey was very thick, 

 fairly waxy, was darkened in color, and 

 given a very decided waxy taste. Well, 

 no, I don't know as it could really be 

 called a waxy taste ; it reminded me of 

 caramel and was decidedly pleasant. I 

 sent a sample of it to a customer who 

 inquired about honej', offered it to him 

 at eight cents, and he took it quick. 



I have had high hopes that a capping 

 melter would yet prove a success, but 

 it seems that most of the large pro- 

 ducers of extracted honey are adopting 

 the large uncapping tank, allowing the 

 honey to drain a few days, and then, 

 later, in some season of leisure, run 

 the cappings through a melter. This 

 plan reduces the amount of melted, or 

 heated, honey to the minimum, and it 

 can be sold to bakeries, or to some one 

 who likes the waxy flavor — and there 

 are such. 



Flint, Mich. 



A Cheap, Novel and Effective Honey Strainer Made from 

 a Roll of Wire Cloth. 



CAREY W. REES. 



•^Jl BELIEVE that at last I have 



Jl learned how to make the best 

 and simplest honey strainer ; 

 one that costs only a few cents. It is 

 one that has served me well, straining 

 both thick and thin honey; receiving 

 the honey from the extractor as fast 

 as I could extract it with no clogging 

 or running over. 



I work alone, and do not uncap and 

 extract very fast, and my strainer is 

 very small. 



For the base I use a quart fruit can, 

 but it will not have to be made large 

 to receive and strain the honey as fast 

 as any machine will extract. 



I also think it will strain the thickest 

 honey as fast as extracted. 



To make this strainer, use a half- 

 gallon tin bucket. If the upper edge 

 has a rim, unsolder the rim so that 

 the inside is smooth and even. The 

 bucket or can must be straight and not 

 flaring. Then get a piece of galvanized 

 wire cloth, the kind that is used for 

 door and window screens. The wire 

 cloth should be about 12 or 14 inches 

 wide. Roll up the wire cloth until 

 there are about seven thicknesses of 

 wire; then place one end inside of the 

 can or bucket you have prepared for 

 it. Now take some cappings and press 

 them into the middle of the wire coil 

 until the can it is in is about half 

 full, or, perhaps, nearly full, when the- 

 strainer is ready for use. If one 



