38 



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OBTAINING PURE EXTRACTED HONEY. 



Now we are ready for the modus 

 operandi for obtaining the pure liquid 

 honey from the combs : 



The frame of comb containing the 

 honey to be extracted is taken by the 

 operator, the upper end being held by 

 his left hand, while the lower end rests 

 on the uncapping table ; with the un- 

 capping-knife in his right hand, he 

 now commences at the lower end of 

 the comb, and cuts oif the cappings of 

 the sealed cells, leaving the honey ex- 

 posed as it was before being sealed by 

 the bees. The cappings thus cut off, 

 drop into a sieve, which is beneath the 

 center of the uncapping-table. The 

 top of this table should be covered 

 with tin, and made to drain into the 

 sieve under which is a vessel for catch- 

 ing the drippings. 



The comb now being uncapped on 

 both sides, is placed into the extractor, 

 which is a machine for separating the 

 honey from the comb, by means of 

 centrifugal force. This force and its 

 mode of action are best illustrated by 

 taking the familiar case of the grind- 

 stone. All have, no doubt, during that 

 period of life when a fondness for re- 

 volving wheels was at its highest point, 

 turned father's or grandfather's grind- 

 stone, and watched with childish de- 

 light the sparkling drops of water fly 

 oti tangentially from the perimeter of 

 the stone. 



The honey-extractor is so construct- 

 ed that this force, which causes the 

 drops of water to fly from the stone — 

 in the case of the grindstone — causes 

 the liquid honey, in the case of the ex- 

 tractor, to be thrown from the cells of 

 the combs. 



THE EXTRACTOR AND ITS USE. 



As commonly made, the extractor is 

 a large can in which is a revolving 

 basket, or frame, made of coarse wire- 

 cloth, the axis of revolution being ver- 

 tical. This axis is so geared with cog- 

 wheels that for each revolution of a 

 crank, turned by the hand, the basket 

 will make about five revolutions. 



The uncapped combs are now placed 

 in this frame, which usually holds two 

 frames of combs — though extractors 

 holding ten frames have been made — 

 the uncapped cells resting against the 

 coarse wire-cloth. Tlie operator now 

 gives the crank of the extractor a few 

 turns, reverses the combs, and turns 

 again, and the honey contained in the 

 combs is "slung" out, as it were, 

 against the side of the can, down 

 which it runs, and is drawn off though 

 a gate at the bottom. 



This honey is now sti'ained through 

 a cheese-cloth into a large can, that 

 will hold 300 pounds or more, and 

 allowed to clear up liefore drawing oS" 

 into receptacles in which it is to be 



placed upon the market. These latter 

 should be small tin or glass vessels, for 

 a retail trade, or 50-galloa oak-barrels, 

 waxed, for wholesale trade. 



QUALITY OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



This depends much upon the care 

 and knowledge exercised by the api- 

 ai'ist in its production. Honey ex- 

 tracted from combs partly filled with 

 pollen, larvas, and young bees, almost 

 ready to be sealed over, is little better 

 than the olden time " strained honej'." 

 Extracted honey, to be a first-class 

 grade, must be produced in fresh, 

 clean combs which contain no pollen, 

 larviB or j'oung bees ; it should also be 

 sealed before being extracted, and 

 each variety of honey kept separate 

 from all others. The reasons why such 

 precautions are to be observed is evi- 

 dent, viz : 



Fresh, clean combs should be used, 

 for the reason that if foul and musty 

 combs be given to a strong colony of 

 bees in the height of a honey-flow, they 

 will store the honey in these combs be- 

 fore they have been thoroughly reno- 

 vated. The result is, that the honey 

 stored in such combs is of an inferior 

 quality. 



Combs partly filled with pollen 

 should not be extracted from, when a 

 strictly first-class article of honey is 

 desired, because some of the cells of 

 pollen will become disseminated 

 through the honey while extracting. 

 The presence of pollen in extracted 

 honey produces a very undesirable ef- 

 fect, spoiling the flavor and delicate 

 aroma of the honey, no matter how 

 pure it may be otherwise. 



Combs containing lai^va) and yoving 

 bees should not be extracted from, for 

 no matter how experienced the opera- 

 tor may be, sealed honey — such as is 

 fit to be extracted to produce a first- 

 class article of diet — cannot be thrown 

 from the cells with a force less then 

 that with which the larvre and young 

 bees are thrown. Such a practice of 

 extracting from combs containing 

 larvaj and young bees, is to be con- 

 demned under any circumstances. 



WHEN TO EXTRACT HONEY. 



That it should be sealed over before 

 being extracted is now, I believe, ad- 

 mitted by nearly all apiarists. 



It has been claimed by some, that 

 more honey, and honey which is of 

 just as good quality, can be produced 

 by extracting just before the bees seal 

 it over, or just after they have sealed 

 over the first few rows of cells at the 

 tops of the frames. This method, of 

 course, saves the bees the work of seal- 

 ing, and the operator the work of un- 

 capping, but necessitates curing the 

 honey by artificial means, which 

 is done by allowing the extracted 



honey to stand in an open vessel, 

 exposed to a warm, dry atmosphere. 



VARIETIES OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



That each variety should be kept as 

 distinct as is possible, is I'eadily seen 

 by all, when it is known that there are 

 as many different flavored honeys as 

 there are difl'erent kinds of bloom from 

 which the bees gather hone3^ This is 

 accomplished by having a knowledge, 

 and keeping a watch, of the surround- 

 ing flora which produces the honey ; 

 thus knowing just when one plant 

 ceases to yield nectar, the surplus of 

 which must be removed before another 

 begins to yield. Of course, in all cases 

 each varietj' cannot be kept entirely 

 distinct, as there may be two or more 

 honey-producing plants yielding nec- 

 tar at the same time ; in this case, the 

 honey should be classed and put upon 

 the market as " all sorts." 



CARE OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



This, as a rule, is not understood by 

 many, though the physical laws under- 

 lying its preservation are simple, viz : 



Honey, being a dense liquid, is 

 slower to change in temperature than 

 the surrounding atmosphere, therefore, 

 wlien the temperature of the honey is 

 lower than that of the surrounding at- 

 mosphere, any aqueous vapor in the 

 air which comes in contact with the 

 honey, is condensed by the cooler 

 honey. Thus it is that by continual 

 changes of temperature, honey which 

 is exposed to moist air becomes watery, 

 and finally the process of fermentation 

 sets in. This abnormal condition of 

 honejf obtains, slowly, or with rapidity, 

 in proportion to the changes of the 

 temperature, and moisture in the at- 

 mosphere to which it is exposed. 

 These facts lead us directly to the only 

 means by which extracted honey may 

 be safely kept, viz : 1. Hermetically 

 sealed. 2. Kept in a warm, dry place, 

 where the temperature is reasonably 

 even. 



As a rule, extracted honey will candy 

 in from three to four weeks after be- 

 ing extracted, though I have known 

 white clover honey not to candy until 

 the third year after extracting. This 

 candying process is a good proof of 

 the undulterated product. 



VARIOUS USES OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



The avenues for the consumption of 

 extracted honey are many, and are 

 daily increasing. Among those most 

 common may be cited the following, 

 viz : Table use, confectionery, pastry 

 and cakes, jellies and jams ; canning 

 and preserving fruit, both cooked and 

 in its natural state ; curing hams and 

 meats of various kinds, in making 

 mead, metheglin, honey-wines harvest 

 drinks, and liquors ; honey-vinegar, 

 honey egg-foam, medicinal prepara- 



