616 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



is now hoped that matters will go on 

 smoothly. 



The previous year's report showed that 

 the late executive had established an export 

 honey trade, and the product is being shij:)- 

 ped partly to England and i^artly to Van- 

 couver. As the honey shipi^ed had been 

 government graded, the quality could be 

 vouched for; and as only the best had been 

 sent, the confidence of buyers would be 

 j^ained as it was graded and stamped by 

 the AgTicultural Department officers. 



A good deal of discussion took place as 

 to the relative value of fostering local mar- 

 kets or encouraging the exjoort trade; and 

 opinions were fairly evenly divided between 

 the two. 



A good deal of discussion took place re- 

 garding tlie value of advertising to increase 

 local consumption. Many s^Deakers con- 

 tended that, if systematic advertising were 

 done, there would not be any need to ex- 

 port. On the other hand, a strong section 

 of those present, including Mr. T. W. Kirk, 

 Director of Orchards and Apiaries Divi- 

 sions of the Agricultural Department, con- 

 tended that, if the exjaort trade were push- 

 ed forward, the local market would take 

 care of itself. The speakers instanced the 

 success of the daii-ying, meat, and fruit in- 

 dustry, in support of their contentions, and, 

 if any thing, were in the majority. 



The incoming executives were instructed 

 to consider the question of co-operation, 

 and report in six months. 



At the close of the conference an address 

 was given by Mr. Lymar, on the export of 

 produce to the west of England. The 

 scheme was explained fully, and keenly 

 discussed afterward. 



A number of samples of honey were sent 

 in by beekeepers from all over New Zea- 

 land, and these were graded by the officers 

 of the department, and a report attached. 

 This was an education to those present ; and 

 as it is the intention of the department to 

 issue regulations very shortly, dealing with 

 the handling of honey from the hive right 

 through to the bottling for home trade or 

 packing for export, there will be much in- 

 formation for those interested in a concise 

 form. 



The name has been altered, and the busi- 

 ness will be carried on along somewhat dif- 

 ferent lines than formerly; and it is be- 

 lieved that the new constitution will consoli- 

 date the beekeepers and include all the ex- 

 isting associations as well as the individuals 

 under a large association, somewhat on the 

 lines of the National in America. The name 

 adopted is the National Beekeepers' Asso- 

 ciation of New Zealand. A vote of thanks 

 to the retiring officers and honorarium to 



the Secretary were passed, and the confer- 

 ence of beekeepers of New Zealand for 

 1913 closed. 



Christehurch, N. Z. 



MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE STEAM KNIFE 

 AND HONEY-PUMP 



BY MORLEY PETTIT^ 

 Provincial Apiarist, Ontario, Canada. 



Since the advent of the use of power for 

 running the honey-extractor, the two most 

 imiDortant improvements along this line that 

 have been made are the steam uncapping- 

 knife and the honey-pump. The steam un- 

 eapping-knife consists of an ordinary un- 

 capping-knife with a copper jacket placed 

 over the flat surface, with a steam hose at- 

 tached near the handle, and a small hole for 

 the exhaust at the point. A copper boiler 

 holding about four quarts of water, placed 

 on a coal-oil stove, suj^plies the steam. It 

 has a screw cap for filling with water, and 

 a nipple for attaching the hose from the 

 knife. The hose is about three feet long 

 and 14 inch in diameter. 



The first time I undertook to use this 

 knife I had an old coal-oil stove with one 

 flat wick; and after waiting an hour or so 

 to get up steam I found that it would not 

 generate pressure enough to be of any use. 

 We then secured a blue-fiame oil-stove with 

 an asbestos wick. In operation I find that 

 the more steam pressure we have the better 

 results, because the hotter steam is dry, and 

 does not cause so much drip from the point 

 of the knife. For the best work I find that 

 there must be a good strong jet of steam 

 coming from the point of the knife all the 

 time. The regular steam uncapping-knife 

 i,> of the Bingham style, with the broad 

 trowel-like blade. For my experiment I 

 asked to have a steam-jacket placed on one 

 of the Jones knives. When it reached me 

 I found that the blade was shorter than I 

 had suggested. The blade is only about Sy4 

 inches long whereas the Langstroth frame is 

 9Vs from toi3 to bottom; and to get the best 

 work from an uncapping-knife it must be 

 long enough to reach clear across a Lang- 

 stroth frame with at least an inch to play 

 on for slanting the knife or giving it a saw- 

 ing motion. So, although T have not had a 

 chance to try it, I am sure I could do much 

 better work with a steam uncapping-knife 

 having a blade 101/2 inches long. Up to the 

 time I tried the steam knife the best knife 

 I had been able to secure for rapid uncap- 

 ping with Langstroth frames is a knife with 

 a straight blade about Vg inch thick at the 

 back, ii/4 wide, and 111/2 ^oug from the 

 handle. When combs are well bulged, and 



