OTHER USES OF LAND 119 



readily be seen, as ten pounds of honey can be stored while 

 one pound of comb is being built. '. 



This leaves the bees free to gather honey instead of using 

 a portion of their force to build comb, as is necessary when 

 comb honey is desired. 



The extractor is a round tin can on a central pivot with a 

 revolving mechanism. Into this the full combs of honey 

 are placed and are whirled around, throwing the honey out 

 into the can by centrifugal force. It is then run out at the 

 bottom into bottles or barrels, and the empty combs are 

 replaced in the hive for the bees to fill again. 



Twice as many pounds of honey can be produced by this 

 method ; but the price of extracted honey is much less than 

 that of comb honey. Adulteration of extracted honey with 

 glucose is becoming so prevalent that it threatens to ruin 

 this branch of the industry. But there will always be a 

 good market for honey sold direct by the producer to resi- 

 dents, or even through storekeepers, in medium size towns, 

 where customers can be sure that the honey is pure. 



The average wholesale prices of honey are about fifteen 

 cents a pound for extracted and twenty cents for fancy comb, 

 so if the apiarist with two hundred hives produces the small 

 average of fifty pounds of comb honey and sells it at fifteen 

 cents a pound, he will receive $1500 for his season's work. 

 If he goes in for extracted honey and produces one hundred 

 pounds per hive, he will receive even more. Of course, 

 expenses will have to come out of this. 



That this has been done over and over again is proved 

 by men who started in with only a few hives and have ac- 

 cumulated considerable property from the business. 



But no one need expect to do this unless he is willing to 

 give the bees the attention which they will require. To 



