1689 



GLEANINGS IN I3EE CULTURE. 



775 



lighter color enables us to distinguish them, aud, if 

 persistent, marks them as a distinct variety. They 

 are no better or worse for it. While the name albi- 

 no is not really correct as applied to these bees, yet 

 there is no harm in its use. As yet, 1 have never 

 seen one true albino bee. Yet 1 have seen albino 

 crickets and cockroaches. There is no reason why 

 we may not have one of these physiologically imper- 

 fect bees. Even should this occur it would cause no 

 trouble. We all know that albino bees, as sold in 

 the market, are simply a light variety of the Italian 

 race, and no trouble need occur. True albinos will 

 be very rare at best, and never can cause any seri- 

 ous misunderstanding. A. J. Cook. 

 Agricultural College, Mich. 



I believe I entirely agree with you, only I 

 do not like the term " albino,'' as applied to 

 bees. A good many people get the idea that 

 they are to have a bee that is perfectly 

 white, or very nearly so ; and when they re- 

 ceive bees so near like the ordinary Italians, 

 they are very apt to be disappointed, and 

 sometimes claim that they have been swin- 

 dled. We did ODce have a strain of so-called 

 albinos that showed rings of a creamy white, 

 as well as of yellow and black. It gave the 

 bees a singular look, something like white- 

 ringed hornets, but they were like Italians 

 in every other respect, so far as we could 

 discover. These came the nearest to being 

 albinos of any thing we have ever seen. 



EXTRACTORS AND THEIR CONSTRUC- 

 TION. 



E. KHANCE GIVES GIVES US SOME VALUABLE SUG- 

 GESTIONS. 



T AM asked to give a description of my honey- 

 ||f extractor. The one I use is a very common 

 W one. It is the Chapman with some little altera- 

 ■*■ tions to make it fit my large frames, and to do 

 faster work. 



MV FIKST MACHINE, AND SOME OP ITS DEFECTS. 



I don't know just how long it is since I got my 

 first machine. I have no records further back than 

 1877: but at that time I had one extractor— the old 

 revolving can— made by Winder, with an outlet un- 

 der the bottom. The outlet was so small that I 

 could plug the hole with the end of my finger. Aft- 

 er I had extracted two combs and stopped the ma- 

 chine the honey would run out, if the outlet was 

 not choked. But it very often clogged with a bit 

 of capping or some pieces of comb. I kept a pail 

 under the machine to catch the honey. When I 

 emptied the pail I had to whirl the machine to keep 

 the honey from running out, and then empty the 

 pail when the machine was in motion. That ex- 

 tractor, unhandy as it was, cost me $20.0(1. At that 

 time I had two or three out-apiaries, and used to 

 take the extractor and honey-kegs and all fixtures, 

 including help, all in one wagon, and stay over 

 night, and come home when we had finished. 



THE NECESSITY OF HAVING MORE THAN ONE UN- 

 CAPPING-KNIFE OR EXTRACTOR. 



For the first three or four years I had only one 

 uncappingknife. But as our business increased I 

 got another. Now.it just happened that, a short 

 time after I got our second knife, we broke one of 

 the knives. That just set me to thinking, " Sup- 

 pose we should break our extractor right in the 

 midst of our extracting season; it would take ten 



days or more to get another. All work would have 

 to stop, and the loss of time would be several times 

 the cost of another extractor." So I resolved to 

 get another machine. 



THE CHAPMAN EXTRACTOR. 



One of my neighbors had a Chapman extractor, 

 and I could possibly work my frames in it, but it 

 was too small to be handy. But I sent an order to 

 Mr. Chapman to make me a machine, and sent him 

 two of my frames so as to be sure to get it big 

 enough. I wanted the comb-basket made out of 

 heavy wire cloth at least as coarse as three meshes 

 to the inch. We got the machine. The wire-cloth 

 basket was a good deal finer than I ordered, aud 

 the basket was too small every way for quick work. 

 A clean frame, with no bits of brace-combs on top 

 or sides, would go in nicely; but as the combs 

 came from the hives they made trouble. 



THE HOME-MADE MACHINE. 



After using that a year or two I concluded to 

 make one to suit me; so in the fore part of winter I 

 sent aud got two sets of upright gearing and some 

 wire cloth— enough for two machines. During the 

 winter I made the two machines. The old Chap- 

 man had a l'/i-inch honey-gate. I put 2-inch ones 

 in the new machines, and also a 2-inch gate in the 

 old Chapman. 



I made the comb-basket larger and deeper; raised 

 the basket higher from the bottom, so that it would 

 hold more honey. Of course, the outside can is 

 made larger. It will hold now, as 1 made the last 

 ones, 70 lbs. of honey below the basket. 



I don't think that the machines that I use are per- 

 fect; but for my use, with my large frames, they 

 are the best 1 have seen. There is a good substan- 

 tial frame around them that protects them, and 

 they stand on four legs and don't jump and run all 

 over creation when in use, but stay where we put 

 them. 



Now, let me say here that the Chapman extractor, 

 as he makes it, is large enough for most frames in 

 uae, and is a good machine. The only trouble in 

 my case was, that my frame was too big for it, aud 

 so I had to make the machine to fit the frame. 1 

 made the comb-basket of heavy tinned wire cloth, 

 two meshes to the inch. That is fine enough. 



UPRIGHT GEARING. 



I use the upright gearing because I think it is 

 best, and I believe it is easier to work. Perhaps it 

 is just a matter of opinion with me. My first ma- 

 chine had the upright gearing, and 1 have never 

 had any other. But I helped a man extract about 

 two hours with a Novice machine that had the hori- 

 zontal gearing. I did not like the movement. I 

 decidedly prefer the upright. Perhaps my prefer- 

 ence is all in the use of the upright. 



WHY I PREFER TO HAVE THE EXTRACTOR-CAN EN- 

 CASED IN A WOODEN FRAME. 



First, the frame is a great protection to the can; 

 it keeps it from being jammed; second, the ma- 

 chine is always ready for work, as it stands up 

 from the ground or floor high enough to set a pail 

 under to catch the honey. I see no use of a box or 

 stand to set the machine on, in order to have it 

 high enough to drain off the honey. The frame 

 gives us four legs for the machine to stand on; aud 

 as we do the most of our extracting on a ground 

 floor, we can easily adjust the machine so it will 

 stand level and firm. The frame gives us a large 

 base, which goes a great way toward keeping the 

 machine steady, and prevents its jumping while in 



