1890 



GLEAKINGS iK BE:B CULTtlKE. 



57 



hold sections when on the hive; by others, when 

 used for shipping. A clamp, according to Webster, 

 is, " in ycncral, something that fastens or binds." A 

 cabinet-maker will show you the clamp he uses. In 

 defining the verb, Webster says, " In joinery, to fit a 

 piece of board with the grain, to the end of another 

 piece of board across the grain; as, to clamp a ta- 

 ble to prevent its warping." In this last case, I 

 think the joiner's clamp with a screw is not used, 

 and the only thing that could be called a clamp is 

 the cleat or small piece of board nailed across the 

 larger board. Because it is clamped, no one would 

 call the whole table a clamp. Is it right to call any 

 thing a clamp except when the clamping is espe- 

 cially referred to, and when that is the principal 

 thing? If we allow clamping to include wedging, 

 then sections are sometimes clamped for shipping, 

 and they are also sometimes clamped on the hive. 

 But is it right in either case to say the sections are 

 in a clamp? Suppose some goods are put in a 

 shipping-box, and then wedged in, as is sometimes 

 the case. Is such a box ever called a clamp? The 

 principal use is as a shipping-box, and not as a 

 clamp; and I think I never heard the word clamp 

 thus used, except among bee-keepers. Is it really 

 proper in any case to use the word clamp as a re- 

 ceptacle for bees or honey? 



The word case means " a covering, box, or sheath ; 

 that which incloses or contains." The word is very 

 general in its meaning, and, I suppose, can be ap- 

 plied to any thing that contains sections, whether 

 on the hive or used for shipping; and it is doubtful 

 whether the unmodified word can be restricted to 

 the one use or the other. 



An old professor used to say, "Any fool can find 

 fault; but the remedy, that's the thing." I have 

 been finding fault with words as used, and may be 

 asked to tell what are the correct words to apply to 

 the receptacle which contains sections on the hive, 

 and that used for shipping. Frankly, I don't know. 

 We ought, if possible, to settle upon a word that in- 

 cludes any and every thing used to hold sections on 

 the hive, and another that clearly and exclusively 

 means something for shipping. Case is correct for 

 either, but is objectionable just because it means 

 too much. True, the older editions of Webster re- 

 strict the word case to shipping-cases; but the lat- 

 est does not so restrict it. The term " shipping- 

 case " describes exactly the thing wanted, and I 

 don't know that any thing better can be desired un- 

 less a single word can be found to mean the same 

 thing. 



I am not sure that we can find a name so appro- 

 priate for what is used on the hive. Is there any 

 thing better than the old-fashioned word super? It 

 means oue/-, and is thus appropriate for any recep- 

 tacle placed over the hive. Can any suggest a bet- 

 ter word? It is a little confusing to see in Root's 

 catalogue Moore's crate and the T super. One is 

 just as much a crate or a super as the other. 



I am aware that I am on slippery ground when I 

 attempt to talk about the meaning of words; but 1 

 believe my only object is to help j ust a little to get 

 things clear, and so will take very kindly any good- 

 natured attempt to show where I am wrong. 



And now, Mr. Editor, as editors are supposed to 

 know every thing, will you please give me the defi- 

 nition of the word apiary, as used at the present 

 day? I don't think Webster covers the ground, and 

 I confess I have not been able to. C. C. Millef!. 



Marengo, 111., Dec. 'M. 



We heartily indorse all you say, friend M. 

 Commencing with a wrong word is very un- 

 fortunate ; tor after custom has established 

 a thing it is next to impossible to make any 

 change. I suppose most of you remember 

 our talk on substituting something for the 

 term " extracted honey ; " but even had eve- 

 ry bee-keeper in the land voted for a better 

 name, most likely no change would have 

 been made. In regard to the meaning of 

 the word '' apiary," the ABC book defines 

 it as "A place where bees are kept ; " and 

 before it was decided on, a good many of the 

 veterans passed their opinion on it. 



EXTRACTOES, KEVERSING AND NON- 

 REVERSING; 2, 4, 8, AND 30 IRAME 

 MACHINES. 



A VALUABLE ARTICLE, FRESH FROM THE EXTRACT- 

 ING FIELD, FROM THE PEN OF A. W. Ot-BURN. 



Friend Koot:— This is to be an extractor talk 

 between you and me, and the whole Gleanings 

 family. On page 842, Nov. 1, you ask if there is an 

 apiarist among your readers who uses a Stanley 

 extractor. Yes, we have one here, and how do we 

 like it? Pretty well, yet I would not buy one for 

 my own use. Now, do not understand me as find- 

 ing any more fault with the Stanley than with any 

 and all others, for none of them are right. What is 

 the matter? In the first place, the most of them 

 are too small, and run too slow. You know the first 

 few revolutions of the basket throw out the hulk of 

 the honey; but it does not dry the comb. That 

 which does not come off the walls of the cells is the 

 best and the thickest part of the honey, nor will it 

 come off, nor will the combs become dry, without 

 very fast running— the faster the better. I have 

 never seen an extractor run fast enough to suit me. 

 Now, were you ever in a sugar-mill (we will call it a 

 mill where they extract the molasses from the su- 

 gar by centrifugal force)? If the opportunity ever 

 presents itself, go and see it. You will then see a 

 practical demonstration of what I was saying about 

 the thick and best part of the honer being very hard 

 to get off from the side walls of, the combs. With 

 the centrifugal machine in the sugar-house, when 

 it is first charged with a new lot of sugar, and put 

 in motion, the thin molasses throws out very easily; 

 but it soon gets so thick that the motion of the ma- 

 chine has to be increased to a high rate of speed, so 

 that it hums like the cylinder of a thrashing-ma- 

 chine; then it does what it is designed to do; i. e., it 

 dries the sugar, i. e., gets the molasses out. Now, 

 is not that what we put combs into an extractor 

 for, to get the honey out? With one of these slow 

 machines it is impossible to get the best results. I 

 know, Mr. Root, you have made thousands of ex- 

 tractors, and I know that you know that I have 

 w.sed extractors a gaod deal in the last 15 or more 

 years. I have never seen one that ran fast enough 

 to suit me yet, nor have I ever seen one large 

 enough to suit me. 



Now, before you express any surprise, think a 

 moment, that, for our business heie, what is there 

 in the way of having an extractor that will hold 20 

 or :50 combs, and to run like siilit ; that is, one to run 

 by a onehorse engine, if you choof e? It is cheaper 

 than bone and muscle, to extract 5(1,000 or 100,000 lbs. 

 of honey. Now tell me, what is the use of all this 

 starting and stopping, as in the case with a small 



