86 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Pel. 11, 



labels, etc., and then talk about improving the quality of our 

 honey by pouring off the watery part and melting up the solid 

 part! It would look as though some of those who are talking 

 about extracted honey really don't know what good extracted 

 is. If we are to hold our trade in extracted honey it must 

 be of the finest quality ; extracted only when fully ripened, 

 and then shut up where it cannot lose Its aroma, nor absorb 

 water. When this is done there will be no more talk about 

 pouring off the thin, watery honey that rises on top of granu- 

 lated honey. 



Next came a paper by Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Clare Co., 

 entitled, 



PKINCIPLES IN APICULTURE. 



Owing to my peculiar relation personally to this subject, 

 I shall be compelled to introduce my own name, which I beg 

 you to excuse. I do this not entirely in an egotistical light, 

 though I am proud of my inventions, but as a matter of his- 

 tory. We all wish to know how those things which have been 

 a pleasure to us have come about. 



The first practical embodiment of a principle is regarded 

 as an invention. The person so embodying a principle is re- 

 garded as an inventor; for instance, Mr. Porter, the inven- 

 tor of the bee-escape. 



It is said that 4,500 years ago the Chinese computed 

 accurately eclipses. If so, the ancestors of Confucius were 

 not only an ancient people, but a studious people. The earth 

 was supposed to be flat. People coasted about the ocean's 

 shore in boats. Not until the 13th century was the magnetic 

 needle sufficiently known to be relied on for any considerable 

 voyage. Columbus made the first remarkable voyage of dis- 

 covery in which the compass played so important a part. 



The early practical management of bees seems to have 

 made little progress except in the size and form of comb honey 

 receptacles. Numerous bee-books and bee-hives have been 

 patented, but the pursuit wore a mysterious and superstitious 

 air. It was envelopt in traditions and beliefs. It had, how- 

 ever, made substantial progress. Until the invention of the 

 hanging movable-comb frame, by the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, 

 and the publication of his most excellent bee-book, " The Hive 

 and Honey-Bee," no important embodiment of principle en- 

 tered into bee-hive construction, and progress was slow and 

 full of doubt and belief. His invention and research gave to 

 the practical bee-keeper and student a book containing all 

 that is known of the natural history of the honey-bee, and 

 markt and epoch in American apiculture. Supposed inven- 

 tions sprung up like magic. T. F. Bingham, in 1866, em- 

 bodied the raovable-comb principle in the closed-end movable- 

 comb frame. It was never popular, but it has survived. The 

 lamented M. Quinby regarded the invention of such value that 

 he embodied it in his hive, and the most extensive and skillful 

 comb-honey producers in the world use it. .lames Heddon 

 adopted it In a hive which is extensively used as a comb-honey 

 hive. 



The honey extractor, as applied to bee-keeping, was first 

 embodied by Hruschka. 



In implements of the apiary no one has gone through such 

 diversified evolution as the bellows bee-smoker. Bellows bee- 

 smokers lying flat on their sides were brought to this country 

 by German bee-keepers before the invention of movable-comb 

 frames. The lamented M. Quinby raised the horizontal Ger- 

 man bellows bee-smoker to a perpendicular Quinby bee- 

 smoker. The draft of the German and Quinby was probably 

 about alike. The German had a vent-hole slide, which could 

 be opened when not In use. The Quinby draft was through 

 an open valve and the bellows. It is reasonable to suppose 

 that either of them would lose fire if not frequently puft, and 

 that fire could only be maintained In either of them except by 

 using dry, rotten wood or cotton rags. 



The continuous direct draft or Bingham bellows bee- 

 smoker embodied the natural draft principle of a common 

 wood-stove, and in iio respect differed from it. Of course, it 

 would burn sound wood or anything else, just as well as any 

 stove In your parlor or kitchen. Opposite this open draft, but 

 separated from it, the exhaust of the bellows pointed directly 

 Into the open draft. The blast from the bellows was forced 

 across this open space into the draft current which was con- 

 tinually supplying the air necessary for the fire. This ar- 

 rangement not only forced the natural draft and the air con- 

 tained in the bellows Into the stove, but carried with it a 

 stream of air which continually prest itself forward to fill the 

 vacuum caused by the blast, thus forcing from the smoker 

 perhaps twice as much smoke as the bellows contained air. 

 The principle was re-e-Tjbodied in the "Simplicity" smoker 

 and the new Quinby smoker, while In Europe and Canada It 

 was copied without limit. 



The honey extractor led up to the invention of the Bing- 

 ham & Hetherington honey-knifc. Careful analysis developt 



the fact that the sticking of flat knives in uncapping honey 

 was due to the exhaustion of air under the blade. The new 

 embodiment of principle developt a wide, thick knife, having 

 a sharp, single beveled edge, upon which the knife rested, 

 admitting air as freely under as over the blade — freely to both 

 sides. It was copied in Canada and Europe. 



It will be observed that while I have briefly alluded to the 

 first embodiment of the principle underlying the various in- 

 ventions cited, and with which you are all familiar, that the 

 principle of the bent cap and cool handle first embodied by T. 

 F. Bingham has not been mentioned. The principle has been 

 copied as if It was a real invention in Europe and America. 



In counting up the inventions pertaining to bee-keeping 

 which have been long tested, weighed In the balance and not 

 found wanting, inventions which no one has been able to im- 

 prove, or improve upon, I find no other State has made so 

 many valuable inventions since the invention of the hanging 

 movable-comb frame by the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, as has 

 Michigan. T. F. Bingham. 



N. E. Doane — I have used both the Crane and the Bing- 

 ham, but I see no particular difference. The Crane has a 

 hinged cover, and is more convenient for me, as the Bingham 

 cover sometimes drops off and it bothers me to find it as my 

 eyesight is poor. For people with good sight, I presume that 

 would not make much difference. 



Mr. Bingham — When bees are inclined to make trouble 

 for the operator a great cloud of smoke coming from the wind- 

 ward is a great comfort in keeping away robbers. A smudge 

 in a kettle or pan, set down to the windward is a great thing. 

 The bees seem to realize that there is "something in the air." 

 It is to meet this need that I have made a new smoker. I call 

 it the " Smoke Engine." It has a 4-inch barrel. 



Mr. Bingham had on exhibition one of his " Smoke 

 Engines." 



(Concluded next week.) 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. MILLBR. JSlARETiGO. ILL, 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct. 1 



Clarifying Honey-Vinegar. 



Please^say if you know tiow Mr. Cowan uses isinglass to 

 clarify vinegar ; and what amount to the barrel of 45 or 50 

 gallons. I have about 15 barrels on hand, and would like to 

 learn a quick way to settle it — so would others. 



" Skyke." 



Answer. — Sorry to say I don't know a thing about it. 

 Who will help us? 



Seelion Starters and Weiglits— Separators. 



1. In putting foundation starters in sections (taking 

 Dadant's foundation as a sample) do you use thin or extra 

 thin for the upper piece ? What weight for the lower piece ? 



2. I use Heddon cases for sections, with pattern-slats 2 

 Inches wide for 2-inch sections. Cau I change to 1% section 

 by using 's-lnch separators without changing bottom slats? 



3. Your average weight of sections for your honey of 

 18ii6 was given in Gleanings at a little over 15 ounces each. 

 With your system of using separators and two pieces of foun- 

 dation, are the sections nearly all uniform, or do they vary 

 much when filled ? 



4. With your experience with separators, would you ad- 

 vise others not using them, to make the change where the 

 honey is partly sold in the home market, and some of it shipt 

 to a distant market? H. E. M., Wisconsin. 



Answers. — 1. I use thin foundation for the upper starter, 

 and have used the same for the lower, but It is more Inclined 

 to lop over than foundation a shade heavier. Foundation 

 with high side-walls does best for the lower starter. I think 



