240 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[April, 



ATTORNEY'S REPLY. 

 D. Dodger. 



Dear Sir : — Your favor lias been received. I have 

 carefully examined your matter, and am clearly of 

 the opinion that it possesses sufficient patentable 

 novelty to entitle you to a patent. I sugsrest tbat 

 perhaps a slight modification of your idea will much 

 increase your chances for success. I observe that J. 

 Smith, Jr., states, in his patent, that the hog's tail 

 may be dispensed with, as it forms no part of his in- 

 vention. I suggest that you make your hog's tail a 

 distinguishing feature, and provide certain means for 

 twisting it, for the purpose of restraining the hog 

 from over-eating. With this modification, I feel con- 

 fident that I can secure a combination of the hog's tail, 

 or its equivalent, either attached to or detached from 

 the hog proper, with a restraining or twisting influ- 

 ence, orits equivalent, substantially as described. Send 

 me fifty dollars, and I will proceed with your case at 

 once. 



Yours, &c., 



A. Shystering, 



Solicitor of Patents . 



P. S. — I have sj^ecial facilities for the transaction of 

 business, and can get a patent in a7iy case with quick 

 despatch, if persons are willing to pay well for it. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



"Wax Extractor. 



It is only a few years since we got the melex- 

 tractor, and we have by its aid succeeded in 

 doubling and even trebling our yield of honey. 

 And now, again, our brethren acioss the ocean 

 have sent us an apparatus that is of great value 

 to the bee-keeper. It is what I venture to name 

 the wax extractor, — an apparatus devised by 

 Prof. Gerster, of Berne, in Switzerland, for the 

 purpose of extracting wax from the combs. 

 While all bee-keepers agree, that all nice, not too 

 old comb should be saved, it will also be con- 

 ceded that in an apiary of some size and age, an 

 amount of comb will continually accumulate 

 that is only good for rendering into wax. A bee- 

 keeper whose main object in keeping bees is 

 protit, will therefore need an apparatus for ren- 

 dering this wax, whenever he gets a supply of 

 combs no longer serviceable in the hives ; and it 

 becomes of great importance that the wax should 

 be extracted before the moths get hold of it, 

 store it with eggs, and a horde of troublesome 

 and destructive millers are breed for future an- 

 noyance. An apparatus should be had, too, by 

 which all the wax that can possibly be got out 

 of veryjold combs can be secured, of a quality 

 that will command the highest market price. 

 Such an apparatus we get in the one exhibited 

 at the Indianapolis Convention by my friend, A. 

 Gray, and which was handed over to me to be 

 tested. My wife, who has usually to do a large 

 share of the work connected with the straining 

 of wax, and often complained, in former days, 

 of having her kitchen floor, stove, kettles, and 

 pans bedaubed with wax, is delighted with this 

 new invention. She can now with ease strain 

 all the wax, without the aid of any other person, 

 and without being hindered thereby in her other 

 work. In cold weather, she says, she will not 



need an extra stick of wood ; but the greatest 

 point of superiority is the utter impossibility 

 of the contents of the vessel boiling over, — a 

 feature alone important enough to assiu-e the 

 adoption of this mode of rendering wax. How 

 often, in former days, from momentary inatten- 

 tion, did we find the boiling liquid flowing over 

 the stove and down to the floor, — a misadventure 

 to which we are not here exposed. 



The wax extracted by this apparatus is of the 

 brightest yellow color I have ever seen, even 

 when it is extracted from very old dark combs. 

 It is free from all resinous matter, and will 

 doubtless bring the highest price in the market. 

 I am satisfied, too, that the refuse is as clear of 

 wax as we ever get it by any other process, if 

 tried till it stops running. There is but one 

 drawback connected with it. The women say 

 they do not get through with the extracting as 

 speedily as when we used the cider-press, by 

 means of which three men could rendci- 100 lbs. 

 per day. When very old combs are to be ren- 

 dered, not over 20 lbs. can be extracted in one 

 day. But as the time when bees were brim- 

 stoned and all their combs rendered into wax, is 

 now nearly over, and the chances for getting 

 large quantities of wax are thus gone or going 

 by, I cheerfully recommend the wax extractor 

 exhibited at the Indianapolis Convention by Mr. 

 Gray, as the next best thing to the melextractor. 



A. GlIIMM. 



Jefferson, Wis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



About Hives. 



We want a hive which can be com]}letely 

 closed and fastened, so that it may be set in a 

 wagon, or sent ofi" by Express, safely, whenever 

 it is deemed desirable. It should not take over 

 five- minutes to fasten it securely, leaving suffi- 

 cient ventilation. It should be of such shape 

 that it will pack to good advantage, for conveni- 

 ence of winter storage and transportation. Tlie 

 frames should remain firm. In hives where the 

 frames are not fixed, they will swing easily after 

 being used in the machine. 



I specify these needs, because it is so often 

 necessary to move bees, and with many kinds of 

 hives ])acking is inconvenient, taking up much 

 time, and also because the subject of moving bees 

 from one location to another, to gather different 

 crops of honey, is attracting attention. This 

 branch of the business would undoubtedly be 

 carried on quite extensively, if they were as easily 

 moved as so many boxes of beans. I have never 

 yet practiced this, but want to get mj^ hives in 

 such shape that I can do it, as I believe in it . Will 

 not those who have done so, give us some ideas 

 on the subject ? 



J. L. Hubbard. 



Bricksburg, N. J. 



The larvfe of the bee moth prefer the brood 

 combs, as they cannot live on pure wax only. 



