438 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



bees injuring the fruit — no Utter here to utter 

 against the bees. 



The shady pavilion constructed, another 

 matter caused anxiety. In the southern por- 

 tion of the State our apiaries are located in 

 canyons, and there is an abundance of uneven 

 ground, so that the tank can be placed below 

 the extractor ; and still another drop below 

 the tank, for the convenient filling and remov- 

 al of the five-gallon cans. Honey runs natu- 

 rally from one to the other, without waste or 

 daub. 



Here in Central California the land is a dead 

 level, and we must put the extractor on a plat- 

 form, and climb up to it or dig a hole in the 

 ground and get into that to lift the cans out. 

 Neither way is satisfactory, and many use a 

 pail to draw off into from the extractor, then 

 lift it and turn it into the tank ; but that is a 

 shiftless method, and not in harmony with 

 neatness and cleanliness. Out of my anxiety 



rambi^kr's honey-eIvEvator, strainer, and settung tank. 



to have things handy, up to date, and a little 

 ahead of date, there was eliminated the hon- 

 ey-elevator shown in the smaller picture. 



There is the four-frame Cowan extractor, 

 and there is the tank — i. e., if a thirty-gallon 

 tub can be called a tank. Under the small 

 faucet are the five-gallon cans ready to be 

 filled. 



Between the extractor and tank is my non- 

 patented honey-elevator especially adapted 

 for use in a level country. Observe the two 

 five-gallon tin honey-cans, one at the top and 

 the other at the bottom of the uprights. The 

 upper sides of these cans are cut out. They 

 are also provided with screw-cap honey-gates, 

 such as are advertised in A. I. Root's catalog. 

 These honey-gates are set in a little below the 

 level of the bottom of the cans. To operate, 

 open the extractor-gate and fill the can under 

 it. Now grasp the end of the upright that 

 rises above and next to the extractor ; loosen 

 a little catch at the top of the upright next 

 the tank, and revolve that portion of the 

 frame which is pivoted in the large block in 

 the center. The lower and filled can will rise, 

 and, being suspended from the cross-piece 



above it, it holds its level position. When the 

 filled can gets to the proper place at the top, 

 the catch drops into a slot automatically, and 

 holds it secure. The empty can has, of course, 

 followed the other end of the revolving frame- 

 work, and is at the bottom ready to be filled. 

 The spout is adjusted under the gate of the 

 upper or full can, and the gate adjusted so as 

 to draw it off fast or slow as desired. The 

 honey luns into the Rambler's ahead of-date 

 strainer, and into the tank. While the upper 

 can is losing its contents the extractor is ex- 

 tracting more honey, and the cans are filled, 

 revolved, and emptied ad infiyiitum , or until 

 the crop is harvested. After using it while 

 extracting all by myself nearly ten tons of 

 honey, I am sure I would not discard it for 

 the old dauby way. 



And now as to tanks, strainers, and the 

 proper curing of honey. In Southern Cali- 

 fornia, tanks are used holding all the way 

 from one to six tons of 

 honey. It is seldom 

 that you find a bee- 

 keeper, owning 100 or 

 more colonies of bees, 

 vnth a tank capacity of 

 less than a ton — proba- 

 bly the average is be- 

 tween the two and 

 three ton tanks. 



My observation in 

 respect to the tank 

 (juestion in Central 

 California is limited ; 

 but in my immediate 

 vicinity, 30 gallons or 

 less is the rule, while 

 not a few consider a 

 galvanized-iron wash- 

 tub a good - enough 

 tank. One would sup- 

 pose that where such 

 small tanks are used 

 the more care would 



be taken in straining the honey ; but the 

 practice is quite the contrary. The honey is 

 run through wire cloth such as we use for 

 window-screens, and almost directly into the 

 five-gallon cans. 



A bee-keeper in my vicinity who owns up- 

 ward of 500 colonies of bees had finished his 

 day's work, had loaded his two frame extract- 

 or and twenty-gallon tank and his cans of 

 honey into his wagon, and was ready to de- 

 part for his home when I rode up on my wheel. 

 He showed me his day's work and his strainer. 



" Well, now, see here, Mr. , is there 



not a quantity of particles of comb and other 

 substances in the honey? " 



" Probably there is," said he; and he un- 

 screwed several caps from the cans, and, sure 

 enough, any quantity of those specks were 

 rising to the surface of the honey. 



" Oh ! well," said he, " I can sell it for as 

 much as you can get for clean honey. It goes 

 to San Francisco, and they mix it with glu- 

 cose, and what is the difference? " 



It does make a difference, though ; for re- 

 cently, in conversation with a gentleman who 

 has purchased a good amount of honey, he 



