1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



57 



others, were the leading lights, I felt as if I 

 wanted to take off my hat, and I did, before 

 the man who stood before me. "Indeed!" 

 said I, grasping his hand again, for another 

 shake ; " and so this is Mr. Peabody, the ex- 

 tractor man, is it? " 



He modestly assented, and then, changing 

 the subject, said it would give him pleasure 

 to have me take dinner with him, for he lived 

 only a short distance from the capitol build- 

 ing where the convention was being held. 



At the table that day we talked over not 

 only men and things of the apicultural world, 

 but our thoughts drifted toward the church, 

 Sunday-school, and temperance. Both Mrs. 

 Peabody and her sister are ardent workers in 

 the church and Sunday-school, and it is real 

 inspiration and pleasure to meet them. 



No wonder the name "Peabody" sounded 

 familiar to me. There is Henry W. Peabody, 

 the great exporter, of New York, a cousin of 

 J. L. ; H. O. Peabody,* the inventor of the 

 Peabody rifle, a brother of the one whose pic- 

 ture we present ; and then there was George 

 Peabody, the great London philanthropist, 

 who gave 18 millions of dollars to improve 

 the residences of the poor in London. J. L. 

 Peabody, the one whose picture is here given, 

 like the women of his household, is also in- 

 terested in church work. While he has, per- 

 haps, retired from active business, he seems to 

 take an active interest in all lines of Christian 

 work. 



J. L. Peabody, the bee-keeper of years ago, 

 brought out his extractor in 1870, it having 

 been patented in 1869. I believe this was the 

 first American honey-extractor, and perhaps 

 the first in the world, that was ever put on the 

 market. At that time it was styled a " honey- 

 emptying machine." Prior to the advent of 

 this extractor Langstroth and son built a ma- 

 chine in 1867, somewhat like the one invented 

 by Hruschka himself, the Austrian who invent- 

 ed the honey-extractor. Soon after this, A. I. 

 Root built the first all-metal machine, and I 

 think he was the first one to use a gearing by 

 which one turn of the crank would revolve 

 the comb-basket two or three times; but it was 

 not advertised until some time after Mr. Pea- 

 body placed his on the market. 



The Peabody was a beautiful little machine, 

 and so neatly gotten up that A. I. R. imme- 

 diately concluded that his own extractor was 

 out of the race. 



Whatever of neatness and mechanical excel- 

 lence the Peabody possessed, J. L. says was 

 due to his brother H. O., the mechanic who 

 designed and built it. A man who could in- 

 vent a rifle that was the sensation of army cir- 

 cles 20 years ago, could, as a matter of course, 

 design a honey-extractor that was well nigh 

 perfection for that time. 



Unlike the extractors that had been built 

 previously, and unlike those of the present 



day, the whole can revolved. No gearing was 

 used, because Mr. Peabody supposed that a 

 cau of large diameter would not require such 

 gearing, and accordingly none was made. 



Well do I remember when this extractor 

 was received, and it is one of the first things 

 that I do remember in my earliest experience 

 with things pertaining to bees. The beautiful 

 lettering and the neat japan work of the orig- 

 inal Peabody leave a distinct impression on 

 my mind now ; and, looking back at the old 

 advertisements, I find that it was offered at 

 the low price of |15, including two honey- 

 knives. This, for that day, was cheap. 



* Another rifle invented by the same man, called the 

 " Peabody-Martini," was at one time the standard arm 

 of Great Britain ; and it was the same weapon that 

 was used with such terrible execution by the Turks 

 against the Russians. This I get from an old army 

 pa Der called the Army and Navy, of Saturday, April 10, 

 1880, a leaf of which was placed in my hands by J. I,. 

 Peabody. 



THE FIRST HONEY-EXTRACTOR EVER SOLD IN 

 THIS COUNTRY. 



Soon after, another machine, made on the 

 same principle, was gotten out by Gray & 

 Winder ; and in looking over the old volumes 

 of the American Bee Journal I find it was ad- 

 vertised right alongside of the Peabody. 

 While the can of the Gray machine revolved, 

 it was geared, and to this extent it was an im- 

 provement, but it was not so neat in general 

 construction, nor as good, as I remember. 



About this time, also, another rival honey- 

 emptying machine was put out called the 

 Murphy ; and this went one step further, by 

 making the can stationary, or back to the 

 original principle of Hruschka. 



In 1873 A. I. Root started the publication of 

 this journal, then only a quarterly ; and very 

 soon after that he began to advertise the Nov- 

 ice honey -extractor — a machine which, in its 

 improved form, is still on the market. 



A PROPHECY OF THE FUTURE OF THE EX- 

 TRACTOR. 



In looking over an old Peabody catalog, is- 

 sued in 1870, I find a prophecy (or what I 

 shall take to be such) from W. F. Clarke, 

 which reads : 



Now in these balmy days of honey-slinging. 

 The bees are kept without cessation bringing 

 New stores of sweet.' ; which quickly we transfer 

 Into the Mel-extracting Cylinder, 

 And thence, by means of force centrifugal, 

 Get honey by the pail or barrel i\\\\.— Clarke. 



