314 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 15. 



sands who have these dovetailed supers, these 

 shallow frames can be easily tried at no expense 

 for hives.] 



CARPENTER'S EXTRACTOR. 

 DISPENSING WITH CROSS-ARMS, GEARING. ETC. 



Mr. Root: — Thinking that you did not see all 

 of the devices for honey-extractors while you 

 were in California, I send you a pencil-sketch 

 of one that I made three years ago, and one 

 that has done extra good work, for 140 stands 

 of bees. I took 6M tons of honey the first year, 

 % of a ton the second year, and ^X tons the 

 third year, and I do not see but that it might 

 run a lifetime and do good work. 



The first feature is. that the gearing, or belt- 

 ing, is underneath, doing away with a cross- 

 bar over the top of the can that is in the way 

 of taking out and putting in the combs. The 

 second feature is, that the reel is wired hori- 

 zontally, as you will see. The baskets are 

 wired perpendicularly, and swing just as they 

 do in the Cowan extractor. 



The wires make square meshes when the bas- 

 ket swings against the wire on either side of 

 the cage, keeping the wire meshes from clog- 

 ging with thick honey and comb cuttings in 

 hot weather, such as we usually get here In 

 California. 



SECTIONAL VIEW OF CARPENTERS EXTRACTOR. 



You will notice that the can at the top has a 

 rim turned in to keep the spray of honey from 

 flying over the top. It also has a lid to close 

 the top of the extractor to keep out bees. As a 

 faucet is hardly ever used here, it is well to have 

 one to keep out bees when not in use for a short 

 time. The baskets can be lifted out at any 

 time, as they are just hung on hinges, like a 

 gate. The reel can be lifted out just the same 

 by taking out a pin at Fig. 2. The shaft is hol- 

 low where the pulley is fas'ened, and another 

 inside shaft socketed in it is fastened to the 

 reel. When the pin, 2. is taken out, the cage 

 comes out easily, with the inside shaft to which 

 the reel is fastened. The bottom of the extract- 

 or is made of wood, and is covered with iron, 

 and slants toward the faucet, as you will see. 

 There is a tin tube all around the box. that goes 



through the bottom of the extractor. Next to 

 the floor is a stout hard wooden piece that the 

 lower box and shaft rests on. 



This machine runs easily, and without any 

 noise from cog-gearing, and you can hear the 

 honey striking the can like rain. There is no 

 shake to the cage, as you might suppose, no 

 matter if there is only one comb put in at a 

 time. 



I don't want it understood that I am manu- 

 facturing extractors. I want those who have 

 their hand in the business to make improve- 

 ments whenever they are presented. If you 

 can see any thing in this extractor that you can 

 make use of, you are welcome to it. For my 

 part I would use a iwo-frame extractor; but of 

 late there are a few who would like larger ones. 

 To such I would say that they don't need them, 

 not even in California: but if they will have 

 them, just make them and let them work as 

 hard as they please. 



Los Angeles, Cal. H. F. Cari'entek. 



[There are several good features in the ex- 

 tractor. There have been some others made on 

 the same plan befon-. we believe. Indeed, 

 while we were settling upon tlie details of the 

 Cowan we had thought of constructing a ma- 

 chine on the same principle; but we found, aft- 

 er careful consideration, that it would make a 

 very bulky and heavy machine, to say nothing 

 of the great cost. The freight on it in many 

 cases would be much more than the selling 

 price. After all. to one who is accustomed to it, 

 the nairow cross-arm is no inconvenience and 

 very much cheajjer.] 



A PROPOSED COmB-GUIDE. 



The groove is made I4 in. deep and ,\ wide at 

 the bottom, and only ^t- wide at the top. The 

 comb-guide is made about like a triangular-top- 

 bar Simplicity frame, but the size is tVx% wide, 

 and just the length of the inside of the top-bar. 

 The manner of putting in is to push it in from 

 the end of the top- bar, and it will stay in its 

 place with no more trouble. The groove is 

 made with a grooved saw tV wide, and grooved 

 in 14' deep; then put on an 18-gauge rip-saw. 



and by setting your miter-board so as to groove 

 outi'gatlhe bottom, and just at the edge at 

 the top, and you have to pass it over the saw 

 two times, first on one side, then on the end; 

 turn your top-bar. and then groove the other 

 side. This is quite a lot of work, but it will 

 save the top-bar so we can have it % thick, 

 and will prevent burr-combs and have a comb- 

 guide just the same. J. G. Risi.ow. 

 Lake Mills. la. 



[It is possible to make a comb-guide, and at- 

 tach it in the manner shown in the cut. The 

 guide itself is easy to make, but the operation 

 of cutting out the V-shapi d groove is some- 

 what difficult and expensive— rather more, we 

 imagine, than the bee-keepers of to-day would 

 be willing to pay for. We have now changed 

 our top- bars so they are practically % thick, 

 with a slight molded comb-guide, left, as it 

 were, in relief on the bottom side of the bar.] 



