1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



489 



improved bee culture largely in many 

 places, and also for having conducted for 

 many years a valuable periodical called the 

 Bee-keepers' Magazine. 



Ernest, in some of his foul-brood-inspec- 

 tion rambles, ran on to the two hives shown 

 in the picture, at the residence of Mr. J. N. 

 Delong, of Homerville, Medina Co., Ohio. 



A NEW AUTOMATIC CAN-FILLER. 



A Practical Device for Filling Five-gallon Cans 

 Without Shutting off the Stream of Honey, 



BY W. C. EVANS. 



Those who have any amount of honey to 

 run into five-gallon cans will find my auto- 

 matic device very useful. I have no patent 

 on any part of my outfit, and any one who 

 wishes may make one of them; or, better 

 still, get one made at some factory where 

 the parts can be built more accurately. The 

 capacity of the filler is limited only by the 

 size of the faucet or gate in the honey-tank, 

 as well as by the openings in the cans to be 

 filled. I have canned as much as SOO lbs. 

 per hour without spilling a drop of honey on 

 the floor. 



The drawings will make the operation of 

 the device clear. The stream of honey is 

 transferred from one can to another without 



closing the gate. One can stands on each 

 side of the pivot of a balanced platform. 

 When one can is full it sinks down, thus 

 raising the empty one so that the stream of 

 honey is deflected by means of the double 

 funnel into this emi^ty can. The full can 

 may now l)e removed, for a steel catch holds 

 this end of the platforni down, and an empty 

 one is put in its place. The weight is now 

 transferred to this end of the platform, 

 which weight automatically releases the 

 iron catch at that end, so that, when the 

 can on the other end is full, this first end 

 may rise as before, thus deflecting again the 

 stream of honey. All the attendant has to 

 do is to change "the weight from one end of 

 the board to the other and replace the full 

 cans by empty ones. 



If necessary an alarm-bell may be easily 

 attached to riii'.; when one can contains the 

 full weight of honey. The bell will continue 

 to ring while the honey is filling the other 

 can, or until the full "can is removed, an 

 empty one put in its place, and the weight 

 transferred to the other end of the board. 

 There is no chance for running the honey 

 over, for the attendant may replace the first 

 full can by an empty one any time while 

 the second can is filling. 



I use a low wide funnel (not shown) on each 

 can, each funnel being provided with a cone- 

 shaped screen that extends well down into 

 it. The construction of the funnel is such 



THE EVANS AUTOMATIC CAN-FILLER. 

 The stream of honey runs all the time. When one can is full it sinks down, bringing the other half of 

 the double funnel under the gate. 



