1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



211 



" But is it not true," I said, " that the end 

 of the combs, being further away from the 

 center, are extracted cleaner than those in the 

 center ? ' ' 



Again I was requested to look over the 

 combs once more; and, greatly to my sur- 

 prise, there was no difference that I could de- 

 tect. 



' ' There are a good many things that are 

 plausible in theor}-," said Mr. Coggshall ; 

 " but here is a case where theory and practice 

 are decidedly at variance. " ' 



" But why do you want to put the combs 

 into your extractor just as they are in the 

 hive? It necessarily takes a bigger machine," 

 I said. 



"You watch the boys extract," said Mr. 

 Coggshall. 



The man who was operating the machine 

 would pass his forefinger between a pair of 

 combs in one of the supers, grasping them 

 along about the center of the top-bar. On re- 

 moving these he would grab another pair in 

 the same place with the other hand. The 

 first pair would then be set down on one side 

 of the reel, one on each side of the tin parti- 

 tion referred to. The other handful was set 

 down on the other side. The machine was 

 then given a few vigorous turns, and the hon- 

 ey fairly rained against the sides of the can 

 and the tin partition between the two pairs of 

 combs. 



" Now," said I, "if you had a reversible ex- 

 tractor you would save time. You have got to 

 go to the fuss and bother of picking up these 

 combs by hand, and turning them around 

 t'other side to." 



"Just watch," said he. 



The operator pulled both sets of combs out 

 of the extractor, using one hand for each pair, 

 or, when it was more convenient, one comb 

 to the hand. Instead of turning the combs 

 around t'other side to, they were kept in the 

 same relative position, and made to trade 

 places. Just how this is accomplished is set 

 forth more plainly in the engraving shown 

 herewith. You will notice that one comb (or 

 two, as the case may be) takes a jump over 

 the other, so that the same side is kept toward 

 the operator all the time. When the combs 

 are regular, and but few burr-combs, they are 

 picked up in pairs, and transposed in pairs, so 

 that, while the extractor is not reversible, it 

 secures results almost as rapid as the reversi- 

 ble machine. Mr. Coggshall thinks it even 

 more rapid ; but I can see how an extractor 

 can be made on this principle, and be reversi- 

 ble. The cost of the machine might be a little 

 more ; but the time saved in ' ' jumping the 

 combs " would be considerably economized. 



Mr. Coggshall is very certain that he wanted 

 the combs to hang in the extractor just as 

 they hang in the hive. Said he, " In the case 

 of the ordinary extractor it is necessary to 

 take the combs out of the super by the top-bar 

 with one hand. The other then takes hold at 

 the end-bar, after which it is set down into 

 the extractor. As soon as the combs are ex- 

 tracted, the same operation is gone through 

 with again, only the method is reversed. By 

 my plan I pick the comb up by the middle of 



the top-bar and set it into the machine, with- 

 out ehaiigiiig the grip. This allows me to 

 pick up four combs at a time, two in each 

 hand. By the other plan one hand must assist 

 the other to get the comb in position so it can 

 be inserted in the extractor." 



I must acknowledge, although I do not want 

 to, that there is a good deal of logic and good 

 sense in what Mr. Coggshall has to say ; but 

 before I would be willing to give up that he 

 can work faster than ordinary bee-keepers can 

 with the ordinary reversible machines, I 

 should like to see a trial test made. 



Well, after the combs are extracted they are 

 set back into the hive-supers, and stacked up 

 in the extracting-house, as shown in the large 

 cut — that is, providing this is the last ex- 

 tracting ; if not, they are set back on the 

 hives. At the time I visited the yard it was at 

 the time of the last extracting in the season, 

 and the supers were piled up as shown. Of 

 course, the combs mere wet with honey. But 

 that made no difference. When the men are 

 gone, the bees are allowed to have their own 

 sweet will — that is to say, they crawl through 

 those cracks and crevices in the building, 

 make their way to the combs, fill themselves 

 up, and make for home. Of course, it neces- 

 sarily makes an uproar of robbers ; but that 

 makes no difi'erence, for the yard is a good 

 way from any human habitation, and the bees 

 simply have a glorious old spree in cleaning 

 things up. 



The illustration shows the method of clean- 

 ing the burr-combs off at the end of the sea- 

 son after the combs have been cleaned by the 

 bees. Two forms of scrapers were used, and 

 the method of use is explained by the illustra- 

 tion. 



Mr. Coggshall uses thin top-bars, I think 

 principally because he has thousands and 

 thousands of such combs, and can not afford 

 to make the change. Then I am rather of the 

 opinion that he believes burr-combs make 

 " ladders " from one super to another. At the 

 end of every season, boys go around and go 

 through the operation shown in the engraving. 



The marketing kegs and barrels are shown 

 on the left. They are made of cypress, and for 

 the York State market they are just the thing. 



PLAIN SECTIONS AND FENCES. 



Dooiittle's Criticisms; Counting the Cost. 

 BY G. M. DOOLITTI^E. 



Question. — I have 100 colonies and surplus 

 arrangements, using wide frames to accommo- 

 date them. Would you advise me to throw 

 these one side and adopt the plain sections 

 and fences spoken about so much of late in 

 Gleanings? 



Answer. — I have read with great interest 

 what has been said during the late past, re- 

 garding the plain sections and fences, but 

 must say that, so far, I have failed to see any 

 good substantial reasons why all bee-keepers 

 should adopt them, but, on the contrary, I 

 think I do see good reasons why all bee-keep- 

 ers, who have every thing arranged for securing 



