1378 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



FIG. 5. THIS TRAY CATCHES ALL THE DRIP, LEAVING THE 



WAGON CLEAN, SO THAT THE HORSES ARE NOT IN DAN- 

 GER OF BEING STUNG AT ANY TIME BY ROBBER BEES. 



as clean or even cleaner. The 

 honey is not injured in the least, 

 for it does not remain long 

 enough in the can to get very 

 hot; in fact, the cold honey and 

 cappings falling continually into 

 the can keep the water so cool that 

 the wax barely melts, and it is 

 possible for one to hold his finger 

 in the stream running from the 

 gate for a few seconds without 

 burning it. As will be seen in 

 Fig. 6, the honey and wax run to- 

 gether into a pail or can standing 

 below, which is provided with a 

 gate at the bottom, from which the 

 honey is drawn as fast as the pail 

 is full, care being taken, however, 

 not to keep the gate open so long 

 that the wax runs out. In this 

 way the wax can always be kept on 

 top of the honey in the pail. We 

 found that an ordinary pail would 

 hold the cappings from a whole 

 day's run; but in case the work 



to wash-boilers, with the strainer and gaio at 

 one end. 



It will be seen in the illustration that there is 

 room between the two cans for the blade of the 

 uncapping-knife, so that those who desire to use 

 a knife heated by hot water may do so without 

 any additional tank or apparatus. However, we 

 did not find that it facilitated matters to keep one 

 knife in hot water while the other was being used 

 for uncapping the combs. The difficulty was 

 that the honey chilled the knife before more than 

 two or three inches of the comb had been uncap- 

 ped, and then the wax, which had been melted 

 when the blade first touched the comb, hardened 

 and made the knife gummy, and hard to handle. 

 Usually we preferred the cold knife kept sharp. 

 During the last day or two, however, we used a 

 steam-heated honey-knife very successfully. Such 

 a knife does not become cold when pushed through 

 the honey, and both the honey and wax run off 

 the blade directly, leaving it clean all the time. 

 There is no question that a hot blade is more 

 easily pushed through the comb than a cold one. 



Figs. 7 and 8 show somewhat better the con- 

 struction of the can. Two screens are used to 

 strain the wax and honey. As will be seen, these 

 are slid into place directly over the opening lead- 

 ing to the honey-gate. The coarser screen is 

 used outside, and is made of wire cloth having 

 about four wires to the inch. The inner screen 

 is finer, being made of wire cloth the same size 

 as that used for window-screens. These may be 

 quickly slid in or out, so that, after the work is 

 done, it is easy to remove them for the purpose 

 of cleaning the can. The use of these screens 

 was first suggested by Mr. Fowls in order to keep 

 the refuse from running out with the wax and 

 honey; and they serve the purpose admirably, the 

 honey being so clean that it may be poured di- 

 rectly into the main tank or can without further 

 straining. The wax is also very clean, the cakes 

 hardly needing to be scraped. The wax has a 

 very good lemon color, and is practically as light 

 as that obtained'from the solar extractor, and just 



FIG. /. — THE CAPPING-MELTER TURNED UP TO 

 SHOW THE CONSTRUCTION. 



There is J^-inch space between the sides and bottom of the 

 can, making room for about a pail of water. 



