1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



525 



inches between the two, through which the 

 honey falls and is conveyed by the gutters 

 into a receptacle underneath. Two frames, 

 C, H (one would be too unwieldy to handle 

 to clean, etc.), covered with coarse screen 

 wire not more than 7 to s wires to the inch, 

 are made to fit into the frame and rest on 

 crosspieces which are chamfered on the up- 

 per side to a thin edge to prevent the honey 

 from accumulating, and nailed to the 

 boards. When in place the frame and screen 

 should be even on top. An upright piece 

 is fastened to each end of the table, to which 

 a 1X2 is fastened running the whole length 

 of the table at a convenient height for scrap- 

 ing the cappings off the knives. 



Two can uncap at the same time if neces- 

 sary; but if only one is doing the uncapping 

 the ends of the table can be used alternate- 

 ly; or if one cares to be near the extractor the 

 cappings can be thrown over to the end not 

 in use. and left to drain. During the dinner 

 hour and at night the cappings are spread 

 out over the table, and in the morning they 

 are put into the solar extractor, and the hon- 

 ey drawn oflf every night. The drawing of 

 the honey every night is important; for the 

 longer it is left the darker it will get. 



I have never exceeded two cases (240 lbs.) 

 of solar honey from the cappings of much 

 more than 20,000 lbs.; and as I sell all of my 

 honey at one time I have never had to take 

 less for the solar than for the best except 

 once, and that was because I left it in the 



solar extractor too long. The table takes up 

 more room than a can or barrel; but at the 

 rate of the above-mentioned loss, one year 

 would pay for quite an addition if one had 

 not room enough. 



The material to build a table like the kind 

 described costs but a trifle, and any one who 

 can use a saw and hammer can build one. 

 Some object to capping-melters on account 

 of the heat, and I think the table just the 

 thing to use in connection with them. One 

 could do the uncapping at the table, and, 

 after draining over night, the cappings 

 could be run through the melter; and, there 

 being so little left in them, the loss would 

 be minimized. 



WHAT REASOX IS THERE FOR NOT USING 

 EXCLUDERS? 



I met a man a few days ago whom we call 

 Texas Jones to designate him from other 

 Joneses in the vicinity. He said, "Gibson, 

 you ought to use queen-excluders. I used 

 them on most of my hives this year for the 

 first time, and I got a third more honey at 

 least from those that had excluders than I 

 did from those that had none; besides, the 

 labor was lessened at least one-third, for I 

 was continually putting the queen down, 

 and in several instances have found her 

 back in the super in less than an hour aft- 

 er." 



" Do you think you get a third more hon- 

 ey by using excluders, Mr. Jones?" 



"Yes, I am sure I got more than a third 



Gibson's uncapping-table. 



The cappings fall directly on to the large screen, where they are spread out in a thin layer to drain. 

 A thick layer of cappings means that too much honey will be left. 



