118 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



the thoughtful Major cogitated on the fact that such 

 a simple motion should have emptied the comb of 

 honey, and he straightway proceeded to invent the 

 first honey-extractor. This was in 1865; up to that 

 time the liquid honey was extracted by a method 

 which we remember well. The comb was crushed, 

 and with it too often, alas! the dead bees, larva? 

 and any dirt whatsoever that happened to be present; 

 this mixture was suspended in a cloth bag, over a 

 tub or vat in a warm room; and the honey, carrying 

 with it much of the debris, slowly dripped out reeking 

 with an aroma and a flavour quite unknown in these 

 regenerate days, and forming a product that may 

 well be spared from the world's marts. 



Since 1865, many honey-extractors have been 

 invented in America, and almost all of them which 

 have survived the test of use are satisfactory. The 

 perfection of the invention is an automatically 

 reversible machine with ball bearings, highly geared 

 in order to attain the maximum of steadiness and 

 rapidity with the appliance of a minimum of power. 



The principle of construction underlying all of the 

 best extractors is a cylindrical can containing wire 

 pockets in which the combs are set on edge, and 

 which are revolved by being geared to a crank at the 

 top of the can. There is room for more or less 

 honey below the wire pockets, and at the bottom of 

 the can is a faucet or honey gate, through which 

 the extracted honey may be drawn off into a pail or 

 vat. 



The extractor is a very excellent adjunct to any 



