380 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



I noted another peculiarity about this 

 honey. In my experience in extracting' in 

 the States, while using- the honey-knife its 

 edge will soon gum with honey. I have al- 

 ways used two knives, alternating them 

 from a water-bath; and many bee-keepers 

 use a hot-water bath to dissolve that g-um- 

 my edge. But here one knife can be used 

 all day and no g-umming. There is an 

 acidity, or perhaps it is so limpid, that the 

 knife always cuts freely. 



The uncapping--tank is just like all of 

 Mr. S.'s ideas — immense — 6 feet one way, 5 

 the other, and one foot deep. He says the 

 next one will be several feet deep. He does 

 not want his lightning- operators to stop to 

 bother with the cappings during- the ex- 

 tracting- of a whole apiary. 



The accompanying photos show two views 

 of the same apiary. The honey-house is 

 built against the ruins of an old stone 

 house, and these ruins are frequent all over 

 the country, as a result of the war. Beside 

 the house are the barrels, the big tank, and 

 the cart for the transfer of a large number 

 of combs from hive to extractor. 



In the other view, and near Mr. S., is 

 one of those cement hive-bottoms described 

 in Gleanings some time ago. Mr. S. found 

 these too fragile, and has discarded them. 

 His hives are now provided with a continu- 

 ous bottom. A bed of small stones is put 

 down where he wants the hives to stand; 

 the surface is then made smooth with ce- 

 ment. Before the hives are placed it looks 

 like a long sidewalk. 



In every apiary I have visited in Cuba 

 the hives are placed close together, or from 

 four to six inches apart — just barely room 



to step between. I strongly doubt if Mr. 

 Somerford can get his big feet between 

 some of his hives. 



I note here the absence of the sun wax- 

 extractor. In the summer months, when 

 there is sun and heat enough, there is not 

 much wax to render. In the winter, when 

 the honey is taken, and there is wax to ren- 

 der, there is not heat of sun enough to have 

 much effect, and so the old kettle and boil- 

 ing method is resorted to. 



Home-made foundation is used, and bee- 

 men are liberal in the use of it; but after 

 all of this liberal use there is an immense 

 amount of wax shipped from Cuba. 



Mr. Somerford does not take time to ren- 

 der his cappings as fast as taken; but aft- 

 er allowing- them to drain thoroughly he 

 packs them in barrels which have been 

 sawn asunder. Cappings from the work 

 of many days can be stamped by foot pres- 

 sure into small space, and Mr. S. avers 

 that the polka step is the most efifective. 

 The reader can gather from the illustra- 

 tion just how he does it. 



Bro. Somerford reallj^ believes that the 

 black bee is better than the Italian, for Cu- 

 ba. It is not on account of lack of energy 

 on the part of the Italian, but from too 

 much of that quality. The extra energy 

 of the Italian leads to the filling of the 

 brood-chamber with honey, and crowding 

 the queen down to a little patch of brood. 

 In due time the colonj^ becomes so reduced 

 in working force as to become a non-pro- 

 ducer. On the other hand, the black bee 

 does not so energetically fill the brood- 

 chamber, and the strength of the colony is 

 continued through the entire honev season. 



SOMKR ford's cement HIVE-BOTTOMS. 



