AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



661 



check-valve F, in coinbinatiou with C, 

 Fig. 2, by which smoke is prevented 

 from going into the bellows, and by 

 which a strong concentrated blast is 

 secured. Its details of construction are 

 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The particular 

 valve is shown in F, Fig. 2. A stamped 

 canal, C, covers the whole, and is per- 

 forated at C. A pressure on the bellows 

 opens the valve F, and throws it tightly 

 against the hole C, leaving no exit for 

 the air to escape through the smoker- 

 cup. The moment the pressure is re- 

 leased fr'om the bellows, F drops down 

 into position, closing the hole and leav- 

 ing ventilation through C. 

 Thus it is that smoke cannot get into 



New Crane Bee-Smoker. 



the bellows, and thus it is that the full 

 power of the bellows is fully conserved ; 

 and so strong is the blast, that, no mat- 

 ter how much fuel may be crammed into 

 the cup A, the air has got to go through. 

 In other smokers of this class, there is 

 either no tube between the bellows and 

 fire-cup, or else, if there is one, it has 

 a sort of ventilating hole that soon be- 

 comes clogged up in consequence of the 

 air passing back through the bellows. 

 In the absence of a connecting tube, the 

 blast is necessarily very much weakened 

 when the smoker-cup is much crammed 

 with fuel, because not all of the air is 

 compelled to go through the cup. 



Another feature is, that the smoker- 

 cup and nozzle, up to the ring B, in Fig. 

 1, is lined with asbestos, L, and sheet 

 steel, K, Figs. 2 and 3. The object of 

 this is to prevent the bright tin surfaces 

 from becoming too hot, and radiating 

 heat. This does away with the use of 

 projecting shields, that are in the way, 

 and more or less unsightly. This asbes- 

 tos and steel lining also prevents the in- 

 side of the cup from becoming too 

 thickly coated with creosote ; and it is 

 needless to say, that the smoker will last 

 longer thus lined, and that it will be 

 much easier to remove and to adjust the 

 cone B. The grate, I, Fig. 1, is secured 

 in a bead near the bottom of the cup, 

 and instead of having large perforations 

 that let hot coals drop through more or 

 less, the holes are very small — a trifle 

 larger than that which would be made 

 by a darning-needle through a piece of 

 paper. In the old-style smokers, the 

 grate-holes must be large to let the 

 weak blast through. 



The fire-cup itself is fastened to the 

 bellows by means of very neat and 

 strong folded-tin legs. The cup can at 

 any time be released by means of four 

 screws ; so also, in a similar manner 

 can the canal covering the special 

 check-valve. 



The new smoker presents also still 

 another feature. The bellows is re- 

 versed, the large end being upward. 

 But there would be no advantage in re- 

 versing the bellows were it not for the 

 fact that the nozzle is curved, as shown 

 in Figure 1. This makes is neces- 

 sary to twist the hand out of the natural 

 and easy position. By always holding 

 the smoker in an upright position, a 

 stream of smoke may be sent at right 

 angles to the plane of the bellows, with- 

 out disturbing the contents of the fire- 

 cup, and this will avoid throwing sparks. 

 A little practice in manipulating this 

 smoker will show that this combination 

 of bellows and curved snout is the thing. 

 We will suppose that the smoker is 

 standing on the ground. The hand 

 grasps it in the natural way, brings the 

 nozzle above the edge of the hive, and a 

 couple of whiflfs, without twisting the 

 hand in the least, sends a stream of 

 smoke over the frames. 



This smoker has been submitted, in its 

 less perfect form, to Dr. Miller and 

 others. The Doctor was greatly pleased 

 with it, as were also the others. 



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Bees and Honey" — see page 643. 



