50 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



,)AX. lo. 



and I may say here. that, with specialists who 

 make handling bees their sole vocation, the 

 new Heddon hive is one of the best, if not the 

 best, ever devised, so far as my limited experi- 

 ence goes. Why not adopt and use it exclusive- 

 ly, then, instead of the Hoffman frame and 8- 

 frame Dovetailed liive? Same reason— cost. 

 Another is. the new Heddon hive and frame are 

 not standai'd, and the Hoffman frame and 

 Dovetailed hive are, and you can not till orders 

 for nuclei or full colonies as readily as you can 

 with the Hoffman frame. This may look like 

 advertising the divisibie-brood-chamber hive; 

 but I do not mean it so; but fricMid Root can 

 strike it out. if he thinks best, though, as friend 

 B. Taylor, of Forestville, Minn., has used for 20 

 years such a hive, and demonstrated by great 

 crops of honey its advantages, its merits should 

 be more generally known. 



Another and great advantage of the Hoffman 

 frame is the ease and certainty of correct spac- 

 ing: and this, to one who handles many frames 

 (and especially at out-apiaries, where the time 

 to work with the bees is limited, if you return 

 home the same day, and the distance is great), 

 is of great advantage, as I have proven to my 

 complete satisfaction, as one can do more than 

 double the work in a given time, and do it far 

 more coi'rectly. 



I think I have said enough on this subject to 

 convince any one of the advantages of a fixed 

 frame that is a standard L. fi'ame also, and I am 

 sure none who gives it a fair trial will reject it. 

 The only objection is their first cost; but they 

 are well worth all they cost, to one who expends 

 to make a living by raising honey, and espe- 

 cially those situated as I am, who. in order to 

 get a fair crop of honey, lutve to run out- 

 apiaries. E. T. Flanaciax. 



Belleville, 111., Dec. 2(i. 



[The Hoffman frame used to cost anywhere 

 from S3.00 to $3..30 per 100; but now they can be 

 obtained for §2.(X) per 100 almost anywhere, or, 

 in quantity, for less money yet. The matter of 

 cost, then, does not figure as largely as it did. 

 I would rather use a (/oof7 frame at double the 

 cost than a poor frajne that costs half the money. 



That's all right about the new Heddon hive. 

 We want the truth. If it has merit, let it be 

 sung.] 



THE SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTOR AND HONEY- 

 EVAPORATOR. 



at an inclination to the sun. for its heat. The 

 combs are thrown into this box, when the wax 

 is melted and runs down the inclined bottom, 

 leaving the residue. The wax can be drawn off 

 or allowed to cool, when it can be removed. 

 The lower end of the extractor is covered, so 

 that it leaves it in the shape of A. I. Roofs 

 bread-pan feeders with sloping sides, so that it 

 really combines the wax-pan with the extract- 

 or. 



II. E. BOAi;i)MA.N S DEVIfK. 



In Gleanings of Oct. 1, Mr. S. F. Newman 

 notices. In a very complimentary way, my "im- 

 proved solar wa^x-extractor." 1 almost think I 

 ought to apologize foi' not resijonding sooner to 

 your request to tell all about it in Gleanings; 

 but I have been delaying in hopes of being able 

 to send a picture of it or a model. I made a 

 mammoth solai' extractor about two years ago, 

 that was illustrated and described iii Glean- 

 ings. This did the work well, but had no veiy 

 easy means of adjustment. It was imperfect, 

 heavy, and clumsy to handle. I was satisfied 

 with the principle, but not with the manner of 

 its construction. After s])ending considerable 

 time in dre'&ming and experimenting I wrought 

 out the "invention"' to which Mr. Newman 

 calls your attention. 



The improvement consists in mounting upon 

 rockers instead of wheels, by which means it 

 can be adjusted, or tui-ned. with perfect ease. 

 It also dispenses with tlie (•haml)er at the lower 

 end. for holding the wax-pan. In fact, it is lit- 

 tle more than a plain shallow box with a few 

 modifications, covered with glass, and adjusted 



H0AKDMAN"S solar WAX-EXTRAf'TOi:. KM - 

 PKOVEl). 



There are ventilatorsin each end covered with 

 wire cloth, that can be opened or closed at 

 ■pleasure, when used as an evaporator. 



I am sure that Mr. Newman does not over- 

 rate its merits. It has been a success witli me. 

 not only as a wax-exti-actor, but for evaporat- 

 ing and melting honey. 



It is an old ciiestnut. that granulating is the 

 test of purity in honey. I am using honey on 

 my table now tiuit is clear and limpid, tiiat lias 

 been treated only by being placed in this evap- 

 orator for a wiiiie at the close of the lioney sea- 

 son. This is the only extracted honey I have 

 evei- been willing to say I thought equal to 

 comb honey. Isn't this "the secret of some of 

 the California honey not candying? I suspect 

 it is. 



No. I have not got them to sell, but I could 

 make them on short notice, if wanted. lean 

 not say definitely what they would cost, but 

 they would not be expensive. I think they 

 would cost some less in propoi'tion to their size 

 than the small ones now in use. Of course.it is 

 not patented. 



I have had some difficulty in finding just the 

 right material for tbe inside, or lining. AVood 

 seems to do as well as any thing I have tried. It 

 must be of narrow stuff, matched, and well 

 painted a drab color. The only objection I 

 have found to wood is, it shi'inks. from the con- 

 stant heat it is subject to. Tin does nicely, but 

 does not absorb ln'at as does something of dark 

 color. I have tried paint on tin and iron lin- 

 ings, but they do not hold paint as well as woodi 

 The hot wax dissolves or softens the puiiit. and 

 it scrap(s loose in cleaning out th(> residue, or 

 •'slum gum," as our California frienils say. 

 Mr. Doolittle advise^ the use of Russia iion: 

 but iron will not do. I have I'ejected a lining 

 of Russia iron, after giving it a thorough trial, 

 on account of its discoloring the wax. It won't 

 do to use iron when it comes in contact with 

 melti^d wax. H. R. Boakdman. 



East Townsend, Ohio, Dec. 5. 



[You have no doubt presented the bee-keeping 

 fraternity with a valuable implement: and al- 



