210 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



them in the kettle for rendering. A 

 month or two ago I adopted a differ- 

 ent method which I consider an im- 

 provement, and, as it may be of inter- 

 est to some of the readers, I will des- 

 cribe it. In the first place I leave the 

 cappings in the uncapping can for 

 several days, sometimes for a week or 

 two, and occasionally take the honey 

 knife and cut down through them, and 

 stir them about so as to liberate as 

 much of the honey as possible. When 

 ready to render the wax, I take a tub 

 and put in it rain water equal to 

 about two-thirds of the amount of cap- 

 pings I intend to wash in it (by meas- 

 ure). I find that after the cappings 

 have been well drained, there still re- 

 mains in them enough honey to make 

 good, strong vinegar by using the 

 above proportions of water and cap- 

 pings. 



The water should be of a tempera- 

 ture so as to feel slightly warm to 

 the hand. I have not tested the tem- 

 perature but think it should be little 

 if any above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 If too warm it will soften the cappings, 

 and this we do not want. They 

 should remain somewhat brittle. If 

 too cold it will not readily free the 

 hone}' from the cappings. 



When the water is ready the cap- 

 pings are thrown into it, thoroughly 

 washed and stirred about and well 

 broken up with the hands. After the 

 cappings are thoroughly washed, in- 

 stead of pressing them into balls as I 

 used to do I throw them back into the 

 uncapping can to drain and allow them 

 to remain as loose as possible. After 

 they are well drained they are put in 

 the pan or kettle for rendering. 



The advantage that I claim for this 

 method over the one of squeezing them 

 into balls is: First, the water drains 

 from the cappings much sooner, and, 

 second, in this loose form they are 

 more readily attacked by the heat and 

 will therefore melt in a shorter time. 

 An3'one who has never tried this meth- 

 od, I think will find it an improvement. 



As I have described my method so 

 far, I may as well tell what I do with 

 the water used for washing the cap- 

 pings. As this sweetened water will 

 make excellent vinegar it would cer- 

 tainly be a great waste to throw it 

 away. I therefore put it in a barrel 

 or keg having the head removed, and 

 also add to it the water that is used 

 for washing or rinsing the extractor 

 and other utensils that have become 

 daubed with honey. At times we also 



have small quantities of honey that are 

 off in color or for some reason not fit 

 to offer for sale and if not needed to 

 feed the bees, this is used by mixing it 

 with the proper proportion of clean 

 water. All odds and ends of honey 

 are used in this way. The barrel is 

 placed in an out of the way position in 

 the honey house and a piece of cheese 

 cloth thrown over it and a board laid 

 over this to keep it in place, or else the 

 cloth is tied in place. We should aim 

 to exclude flies and all insects and yet 

 expose it to the air as much as pos- 

 sible. 



If the water is warm, fermentation 

 will set in in a few days and in a 

 week or two we will find a thick scum 

 on the surface of the liquid. This I 

 remove about every week or ten days, 

 or as often as it accumulates to a con- 

 siderable extent. Kach time after re- 

 moving the scum I take a dipper or 

 cup and dip out a cup full and pour it 

 back from a height of two or three 

 feet. This I repeat some ten or twelve 

 times. It also hastens fermentation if 

 a quantity of mother from old vinegar 

 is added. Some may claim that it is 

 not necessary to remove the scum as it 

 will finally settle to the bottom of the 

 barrel and do no harm, but I once 

 made a lot and neglected to remove the 

 scum and this was so bitter that it 

 was not fit for use, and I see no use in 

 having it in the vinegar when it can be 

 so easily removed. If the barrel or 

 keg is removed to a warm room on the 

 approach of cool or cold weather the 

 vinegar should be fit for use within six 

 months after the time it was made. 

 When it is finished it should be care- 

 fully dipped or poured off into a clean 

 receptacle, or what is better, draw it 

 oft' with a hose, being careful not to 

 disturb the sediment at the bottom of 

 the barrel. When you have this you 

 have an article that you know is pure 

 and good and do not have to go to your 

 grocer and purchase so-called "pure 

 cider vinegar" that is more than likely 

 made of water and poisonous acids 

 that are not fit to be taken into the 

 stomach. 



100 Swarms for Sale 



In a fine basswood and clover location; bees in 

 fine chaff hives with five inches of packing; and 

 there are fixtures for producing both comb and 

 extracted honey; but all must be sold on account 

 of poor health. Address 6-04-it 



E.D.0CHSN:ER, Prairie du Sac, Wis. 



