760 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15 



of our honey as fast as it is extracted, we have on 

 hand also a stock of 60-pound cans. Minor tools 

 are necessary, such as uncapping-knives, pails, 

 wash-dishes, towels, etc. 



Our extractors are the automatic four-frame 

 machines, none older than the 1907 model. We 

 disposed of all our small extractors, and also of 

 the old four-frame Cowan machines, for we wish- 

 ed to have nothing but the most up-to-date tools 

 to work with. 



Our Mclntyre uncapping-box is made of gal- 

 vanized steel, and is 4 ft. long, 2 ft. high, 2 ft. 

 wide, as shown in the engraving. The slatted 

 framework at the bottom is made a little smaller 

 than the can so that it may be easily removed to 

 be washed. As there is only a l>2-inch space 

 under this frame for honey storage, we leave the 

 gate open all the time so that nearly all of the 

 room in the tank is available for the storage of 

 cappings, as it should be. 



The engraving does not show the frame at the 

 top correctly, for the long side-pieces should be 

 close enough together so that the frames can hang 

 between them as though they were in the hives. 

 After the honey is extracted, the combs may be 

 placed back in this rack; but the principal value 

 of the arrangement consists in providing a place 

 where the uncapped combs may be hung to drip 

 before they are extracted, for in this way no ex- 

 tra apparatus is needed. 



Tiie two short pieces of the framework at the 

 top should be nailed on the bottom of the long 

 side-pieces about \% inches from either end. It 

 can be seen that, when the long side-pieces rest 

 on top of the tank, the short cross-pieces fit just 

 inside, keeping the framework from sliding either 

 way, and yet allowing it to be easily removed 



FIG. 1. — THE MQINTYRE UNCAPPING-BOX AS USED BY E. D. TOWNSEND. 



when the cappings are taken out. The metal 

 pieces containing nail-points can be tacked on in 

 any position to suit the convenience of the opera- 

 tor. 



We have used many different designs of uncap- 

 ping-boxes, but none seem to me quite so con- 

 venient as this Mclntyre box. It will hold all of 

 the cappings from one extracting in a yard of or- 

 dinary size. We use a six-tined short-handled 

 fork for handling the cappings, and each morn- 

 ing the dry cappings from the day before are 

 pitched up toward one end of the tank, and in 

 this way the honey from the new cappings does 

 not have to drain through the dry ones over and 

 over again as it would if we were to uncap on top 

 of the cappings left from the day before. In one 

 instance we had more cappings than we could 

 keep in the tank, and a sugar-barrel with a per- 

 forated bottom was set over a galvanized steel 

 washtub, and the dry cappings pitched into it. 

 In this way the capacity of the tank may be said 

 to be unlimited. The advantage of the large 

 area of the bottom is that the honey drains out of 

 the cappings much better if they are spread out 

 in a thin layer than it could in a deep tank where 

 the bottom is comparatively small. 



The cost of the tank alone is about $4.00, the 

 freight making it perhaps $5.00. We use the 

 Perfection 1/^-inch gate, which costs 75 cts. If 

 the woodwork should cost $2.00, the entire ex- 

 pense of the tank complete would be about $7.75, 

 and we think we have a much better and cheaper 

 arrangement than a wooden box. 



The honey as it comes from the extractor is 

 drawn off into a 14-quart pail. We never make 

 the mistake of leaving the extractor-gate open all 

 of the time, for it is too easy to forget and allow 

 the pail to run over, mak- 

 ing a big mess on the floor. 

 In order to avoid this waste 

 of honey we at one time 

 went to the expense of hav- 

 ing shallow pans made to 

 catch the overflow in case we 

 forgot. We now allow the 

 pail to remain inverted over 

 the strainer until the reel of 

 the extractor begins to 

 " swim " in the honey in the 

 bottom of the extractor. 

 We then draw off a pail of 

 honey without letting go of 

 the gate; for when the honey 

 is warm it does not take 

 one-fourth of a minute to 

 fill the pail through the large 

 gate, and there is no risk of 

 running the pail over. 

 There is also the advantage 

 that the pail may be drain- 

 ing during the time when 

 another pailful is being ex- 

 tracted. 



The strainer tank is of 

 galvanized steel, and holds 

 15 or 20 gallons of honey. 

 A heavy wire selvage is put 

 around the top to stiffen it; 

 and as this wire is on the 

 outside it is easy to fasten 

 on the cheese-cloth strainer, 



