180 



THE AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAIi. 



[Feb., 



had made no such calculations. Of course I had 

 Novice's report of what he had done, but could 

 not realize the truth until I had an actual test ; 

 and that test beat me all hoHow. Hereafter I 

 shall have a number of casks on liand, and would 

 advise others to do the same ; and then each can 

 judge how many cans or glass jars will be wanted, 

 and can fill them at leisure. And when we slii]) 

 to long distances, I think it will be best to ship 

 in barrels, and allow the retailer to can to sviit 

 his customers. 



To say that extracted honey will not sell is all 

 a mistake ; at least that is my experience. I 

 have sold all ray extracted honey, in cans, at 

 three pounds to the dollar, and by the pailful at 

 twenty-five cents per pound ; and box honey at 

 twenty-five to thirty cents— the canned honey 

 going the fastest. But this would not be a fair 

 test in large quantities, if shipped to a distant 

 market. I kept no precise account of the amount 

 of honey obtained this season, but I sold one 

 hundred dollars' worth in the first week in July, 

 before I had any box honey made. 



I will now endeavor to answer Mr. Henderson's 

 inquiries, made in the December number, page 

 135. Fii'st, I used the Peabody extractor, price 

 fifteen dollars, including two honey knives. It 

 worked satisfactorily, but I do not say it is the 

 best, as I have used no other. Second, during 

 the yield of basswood honey, it ought to have 

 been extracted at least every otlier day, and in 

 some cases every day. It was only partially 

 capped. Third, the weather was extiemely dry 

 and hot, and all the honey deposited in the cells 

 by the Italians was very thick, so much so that 

 it candied or grained in self-sealing cans. As it 

 run out of the extractor into pans it would pile 

 up similar to thick molasses in cold weather. 

 Fourth, the honey was so thick, as made by the 

 Italians, tliat it was impossible to extract it 

 without throwing out all the unsealed bi'ood, or 

 displacing it in the cells. My hive being an 

 oblong one, I could use combs from the sides not 

 having brood in the cells ; and I think that here- 

 after I shall use some with sixteen frames in- 

 stead of twelve, purposely for the extractor, in 

 place of a two-story hive. 



I had two pure black stocks, and could extract 

 the honey only every third day; and then it w.is 

 thin and watery, and when kept by itself, it 

 would shortly become sour. I could extract all 

 the honey from these combs without disturbing 

 unsealed brood in the least. 



Fifth, during the yield of basswood honey 

 there was no trouble from robbers. I used the 

 extractor in the front yard, and no bees would 

 meddle with the honey. Even the crossest 

 hybrids could be handled with impunity, with 

 the use of smoke. All were completely gorged 

 for the sixteen days. 



The machine extracts the honey so clean that 

 none drips from the comb. When honey is not 

 so abundant the machine must be used in a close 

 room. Then, with co nmon caution, there is no 

 danger of robbers. 



I have lived liere five seasons, and, with one 

 exception, have found September an excellent 

 honey month. But bees are very reluctant to 

 build comb at that season, as the nights are quite 



cool. Yet they will store large quantities of 

 honey if empty comb is furnished them. We 

 raise very little buckwheat here. The honey 

 gathered from it is dark-colored, but has a 

 pleasant flavor. Our fall honey is gathered from 

 golden rod, asters, thistles, and other wild 

 flowers. Some of my stocks from which I ex- 

 tracted all the honey in the first week in Sep- 

 tember, filled their hives completely full of ex- 

 cellent honey for wintering purposes. 



Many correspondents have written to me that 

 their blacks and hybrids beat the pure Italians 

 in storing box honey. This is very easily 

 accounted for ; and still I say the Italians have 

 given three times the amount of extracted honey 

 that the blacks have made under the same circum- 

 stances. The Italians are bound to store honey 

 in such a season as the past, even if they stop 

 the queen entirely from breeding. And here is 

 where the apiarian must use his exti'actor, even 

 if he wants the most box honey. 



Elisha Gallup. 



Jan. 3, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Artificial Comb. 



As might have been expected, the announce- 

 ment that artificial combs had been made, adap- 

 ted to the wants of the bee, accepted by them, 

 and used for storing honey and rearing brood, 

 was followed by a host of claims for having dis- 

 covered the same thing. Since the first intimation 

 of success, it is somewhat amusing to see what 

 is "just going to be done," though it does not 

 appear that such combs were ever successfully 

 used previously. It reminds one of making the 

 egg stand on one end. After very many had 

 tried in vain to do it, some one flattened the end 

 a little by striking it on the table. It remained 

 standing! "That's nothing. Anyone can do 

 that," replied a chorus of voices. 



At the semi-annual meeting of our North- 

 eastern Bee-keeper's Association, as reported by 

 the Secretary, — see page 127 Bee Journal, — Mr. 

 Bickford said he had "a plan for a machine that 

 would cost about $200, to make comb out of wax 

 or other substance. Mr. King was willing to in- 

 vest $200 in a machine to make comb, but agreed 

 with Mr. Bickford, that it would not be remun- 

 erative." Mr. B. said experimenting was ex- 

 pensive ; would prefer to have some one else 

 furnish the machines and make artificial comb, 

 but he could sell a large amount. Mr. B. had 

 made comb on a small scale, but calculated the 

 machine would make a square foot per minute ; 

 and he could prove that a frame of comb was 

 worth $1.50 to beginners. 



I wish to encourage improvement, and as I see 

 but little chance to compete with said machine, 

 I would like to point out to those gentlemen, 

 the remunerative advantages of it. We will 

 suppose that about nine squai'e feet of comb is 

 enough for an ordinary hive. This, estimated 

 at $1.50, would make $13.50 per hive. One 

 comb per minute would take nine mintites to 

 fill a hive ; not quite an hour to fill six ; not a 

 whole day to furnish fifty. By straining a point 



