1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



279 



ments by myself ; while Mr. Chrysler, the 

 present manufacturer of the press in Canada, 

 has made some additions to the form and fol- 

 lower, which are considered by some an ad- 

 vantage. 



I have no desire to underestimate the results 

 or attainments of others with their own inven- 

 tions or apparatus for securing the desired 

 ends ; but for my own purpose the so called 

 Hatch-Gemmill press is all that is claimed for 

 it, and I am pleased to have the indorsement 

 of the above statement by our mutual friend 

 Mr. J. B. Hall, of Woodstock, one of Cana- 

 da's best apiarists. What do you think of such 

 a man, when he actually proposed to remain 

 away from the Ontario bee-keepers' meeting, 

 held at Niagara I-'alls, in order to melt up 

 combs by this system, knowing full well that 

 he could not be spared, and had to be tele- 

 graphed for to present himself? Why, one 

 would naturally conclude attending conven- 

 tions was a more disagreeable matter than 

 rendering combs, under such circumstances. 



I think it has been generally conceded in 

 the past, that, if as much wax could be se- 

 cured from old combs as would fill a similar 

 set of frames full of foundation, it paid to 

 melt up all defective or unusable combs rather 

 than continue their use. 



My experiments, carried on by the various 

 methods first enumerated, forced me to con- 

 clude I had not been getting much more, or 

 about a half or two thirds at most, and not as 

 rapidly or cheaply as I desired, and concluded 

 to use high pressure exclusively as scon as 

 the combs wtre brought to a sharp boil, and 

 at once, but leisurely, transferred to the press, 

 since which time my own average has been 3 

 lbs. of wax from a set of 8 Langstroth frames, 

 while Mr. Hall has succeeded in securing from 

 3^ to A%. from 8 Quinby combs, according 

 to age, of as beautiful yellow wax as one 

 would wish to see, for the reason that it had 

 been forced through the refuse and quilt, and 

 consequently strained at once to perfection. 



I am quite well aware that objections have 

 been raised to the use of this press as illus- 

 trated and described, for the reason that the 

 cheeses, or slumgum, would cake or " freeze," 

 or chill before pressure could be applied ; but 

 I can assure the readers of Gleanings that 

 any one who allows such a thing to take place 

 is a Door manipulator, and not possessed of 

 much that goes to make a successful bee-keep- 

 er ; and it does not require a lightning opera- 

 tor either. 



Here is Mr. Hall's answer to that objection : 

 " With me the slumgum cheeses do not cake, 

 much less ' freeze ; ' nor does the wax splat- 

 ter about." 



I say amen to his statements. The only pre- 

 caution that has been taken to avoid such an 

 accident is, to first fill the press with boiling 

 water, allowing the mats and faces to become 

 water-soaked before commencing operations. 

 This, however, is made to prevent the possi- 

 ble absorption, and, at the same lime, expe- 

 dite the removal of any wax from the press 

 after removing the cheeses. 



The quilt or material (no bags are employ- 

 ed) for confining the supply to be pressed is 



composed of linen screen, a coarse kind of 

 cheese-cloth, and it may be doubled if one so 

 desires it, although one thickness appears to 

 be strong enough. This article costs but 15 

 cents per yard, and should be about 54 inches 

 square, and is much to be preferred to gunny 

 sacking, as the refuse is much more easily and 

 rapidly removed when cool. A good plan is 

 to have two or more such quilts for conven- 

 ince in working expeditiously. 





FIG. 9. — HATCH-GEMMILL WAX-PRESS. 



Fig. 1. — A — Bed, little higher at back end. 

 B— Beam for sciew and braces. 

 C — Hand ,<-crew and lever. 

 D — Iron plate on follower. 

 K — Slotted bottom of follower. 

 F — Slotted sides of case. 

 G — Cheese-cloth or burlap. 

 H— Slotted bars on bottom-piece. 

 I— Case. 



J — Galvanized tank. 

 K, K — Heavy -wood foundations. 

 L— Spoilt. 



M, M— Braces running through K K to bolt 

 to floor. 

 Fig. 2.— Part of the follower turned bottom side up, 

 showing E. 



Fig. 3 — Detail part of bottom part showing con- 

 struction of H. 



I have been asked why a press of such de- 

 sign or modification is superior to a wax-ex- 

 tractor like the Ferris, having a press inside 

 of the extractor. To be candid, 1 have never 

 used the Ferris except by the methods given 

 by the inventor, with the follower, and can 

 not at this writing speak of the results likely 

 to be obtained, where high pressure, such as 

 I have been using with the press, was used 

 with that machine. 



I have, however, several reasons for prefer- 

 ring my own hobby. First, I have found it 

 necessary to fasten securely the press to the 

 floor of the honey-house in order that the 

 proper pressure may be applied. 



Second, it has not been found necessary in 

 either the case with Mr. Hall or myself to use 

 steam or any particular kind of receptacle for 

 melting the old combs, as an old boiler or sev- 

 eral smaller tin pans answer admirably, and 



