APRIL 1, 1913 



loosely fitting basket of window screen in- 

 side the cheese-cloth. This catches all the 

 scum, bits of wax, etc., wliich otherwise 

 would soon clog up the cheese-cloth. I have 

 used one strainer continuously, not chang- 

 ing the cloth during a day's run of about 

 2000 lbs. 



The strained honey runs into a covered 

 storage-tank, and, as time permits, is drawn 

 off into the can-filler tlu-ough a two-inch 

 gate. This large gate permits a rapid flow 

 into the filler which is merely a square can 

 marked at height to hold sixty pounds, and 

 with a bottom sloping toward the outlet. 

 This outlet drops a quarter of an inch into 

 the mouth of the five-gallon can, and is 

 screened with a yg-inch-mesh netting to 

 prevent flying bees from dropping into the 

 can when it is being filled. Simply let the 

 honey flow (through a wide open gate) into 

 the filler up to the mark; pull the plug 

 which closes the hole in the bottom of the 

 filler, and go about your business of nailing 

 up cases, or whatever it may be, and, when 

 you are ready, drop in the plug, replace 

 the full can Avith an empty one, and run 

 the filler full again. With this plan there 

 is no lifting of the extracted honey until it 

 is in the can ready to put into the case. 

 This arrangement for extracting has been 

 a labor-saver for me, as I have, working 

 alone, taken off the hives and extracted in 

 one day 2500 lbs. of tliick sealed honey, 

 running nearly all of it into sixty-pound 

 cans. 



I bought a second-hand Sears light deliv- 

 ery truck this season ; and, although it has 

 given me considerable trouble, I believe 

 there is no other business into which an 

 auto fits so well as beekeeping. It is only 

 fair to say that the truck runs much better 

 now than when I bought it. At one yard I 

 hauled filled supers half a mile to be ex- 

 tracted, and returned the empty combs to 

 the yard. This was very satisfactory; and 

 if roads were good I should like to try 

 hauling every thing to a central plant, which 

 could be thoroughly equipped. Our roads 

 are so bad that it seems advisable to have 

 a fairly complete outfit at each yard. 



OPERATION. 



Filled sujDers are brought into the house 

 through the solid door (no screen, and piled 

 wherever desired in galvanized iron trays 

 a little larger than the super, and one inch 

 deep, which catch all the drip. 



The operator stands at X, within easy 

 reach of a pile of full supers at A, extract- 

 or at D, and super for empty combs stand- 

 ing in tray at E. A second uncapper may 

 stand at the opposite side of the box, near 

 G F. is a gallon can containing water for 



washing sticky hands, etc. It is hung on a 

 nail on the side of the uncapping-box. G 

 is the boiler for the steam uneapping-knife. 

 Cappings fall on the screen at B, and, after 

 draining as long as may be convenient, are 

 l^ushed toward the left, off the screen, on 

 to the heated surface of the melter at C, 

 from which the melted mass flows into the 

 wax-separator I. A pail at K receives the 

 honey flowing from the wax-sei^arator. If 

 extracting light honey this should be kept 

 separate; otherwise it is poured directly in- 

 to the strainer. 



The honey draining from cappings, un- 

 beated, passes through a trough into the 

 pail at H, and is two-thirds or more of all 

 the honey contained in the cajapings, de- 

 pending on the time it is allowed to drain 

 before melting. 



From extractor D, pump L raises the 

 honey through a two-inch pipe for the hori- 

 zontal run, to lessen friction, into the heat- 

 er-tank M. A pail at T may be used to 

 handle the honey if the pump is not work- 

 ing. A coarse-mesh screen catches bits of 

 comb, etc., that go through the extractor. 

 This heater-tank has a double water-bottom 

 with a series of channels through which the 

 honey runs, and is heated on its way to the 

 gate. N is a square Pettit strainer through 

 which the honey runs into the covered tank 

 P, then into the filler tank R, and into the 

 sixty-pound cans. 



With this plan, all combs are kept in the 

 end of the house nearest the entrance, while 

 all canning of honey and storing of empty 

 and filled cases is in the opposite end near 

 the exit, from which the filled cases are 

 loaded on the wagon. 



The bees brought into the house fly to the 

 long screen windows and escape through 

 bee-escapes, or into trap boxes until the 

 work is finished. 



Fair Oaks, Cal. 



OUT APIARIES AND EQUIPMENT 



Packing-house for Extracted and Bulk-comb-honey 

 Production 



BY J. J. WILDER 



The size of out-apiaries makes all the 

 difference in the equipment. It matters 

 not whether they are operated for comb, 

 bulk comb, or extracted honey. 



If the honey flora is abundant, large api- 

 aries can be established; and it would be 

 more convenient and economical to have 

 adequate equipment at each ajDiary. 



But if the honey flora is limited, and only 

 small apiaries can be kept, it is better to 

 have one good equipment at the home yard. 



