1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



519 



find thems-elves in the house, naturally go to 

 the windows and escape, so do not trouble any 

 one very much. 



The extractor stands just opposite the little 

 door, on the north side of the room. The un- 

 capping-tub stands in the middle of the floor, 

 so that two persons can work at it, one on each 

 side. The one nearest the little door takes in 

 the full combs, and shoves out the empty ones 

 when I bring a load to the house ; and be- 

 tween times she uncaps combs and hands 

 them to the other assistant, who runs the ex- 

 tractor and uncaps between times. A third 

 assistant takes the honey as it comes from the 

 extractor and fills pails from the tank. 



MRS barber's extracting IMPLEMENTS. 



Our tank holds 30 gallons, and has for a 

 cover a tray with a coarse wire-screen bottom. 

 The tray is four inches deep. Into this is 

 spread a wet cheese-cloth, and the honey is 

 poured into the tray, and .strains down inlo 

 the tank. After the tank is nearly full, the 

 one who attends the honey begins to fill pails. 

 As there is a nice honey-gate to the tank, this 

 is pleasant work. Our uncapping-tub is not 

 so deep as the Dadant cans, but wider, and has 

 supports for wooden bars which are used lo 

 rest the combs upon while uncapping. As we 

 do not extract until honey is well capped we 

 have lots of capping — sometimes more than 

 our tub will hold, so we ought to have a big- 

 ger one. 



Our tank stands at the east end of the room, 

 end on one side is a pile of empty lard-pails ; 

 on the other side the full ones are piled as 

 they are filled, to wait till there is time to la- 

 bel and crate them. Care is taken not lo 

 draw off too much honey from the tank and 

 get the little impurities that rise to the top. 

 We keep the tank not less than half full until 

 we get through, then all little specks and 

 foamy honey come off in the last two or three 

 pailfuls, and all the rest is so pure and nice 

 that it looks like lard when it granulates. As 

 our nights are cool here we don't get to ex- 



tracting before nine. The bees get cross 

 about four, so we stop early. LTsually the 

 last combs are returned to the hives about 

 four, and then comes the cleaning-up. 



From 1200 to 1500 pounds is considered a 

 good day's work for four of us. It does not 

 sound very big, but after all it keeps us busy 

 to get it from the hives into the pails and have 

 it all done in good shape. I usually employ 

 some of my neighbors, and pay them in hon- 

 ey. I pay a dollar a day and board. We ex- 

 tract about every ten days at the home apiary; 

 and at the out apiary, where we extract mostly 

 from half depth frames used to start the bees 

 in sections, we extract about three times in a 



season. 



The preparation of honey for 



shipment and the care of wax 



will be the subject of another 



article. 



Mancos, Colo. 



[In our issue for April 1, page 

 2.5>'<, we illustrated Mrs. Barber's 

 method of conveying the ex- 

 tracting-combs from the hive to 

 the extracting-house ; and that 

 article should be read in con- 

 nection with this. I will explain 

 to those who may not have that 

 number handy, that she has a 

 board, on the under side of 

 which are mounted four casters, 

 making, as it were, a sort of 

 truck. This is placed on the 

 wheelbarrow, which is then run 

 close up to the hive. The supers 

 are transferred from the hive to 

 the truck on the wheelbarrow. 

 The whole thing is then wheeled 

 to the extracting-housc, in front 

 of which is a platform. This 

 little truck, with its load of supers, is shoved 

 off from the wheelbarrow to the platform ; 

 a trapdoor is raised, and the truck (supers 

 and all) is shoved into the house. Mrs. Barber 

 has every thing down to a system, and it 

 seems to me she answers affirmatively the old 

 mooted question, " Can a woman keep bees?" 

 —Ed.] 



THE BELGIAN HARE, AGAIN. 



Conservative Answers to Fair Questions. 



BY F. GREINER. 



Mr. Editor ; — In response to your com- 

 ments on my remarks regarding the Belgian- 

 hare industry, p. 4.30, I would say that there 

 seem to be some mistaken ideas afloat about 

 the hare business which seem to me to need 

 clearing away. If what I have snid should 

 start the hare fever in any one of the readers, 

 it is but right that he should have the whole 

 truth. I am sure I should not wish to mislead 

 any one, nor will I stand idly by and see one 

 misled by others if I can help it. 



As I have intimated before, I have grown 

 the hare principally for my own table, and it 

 is a good subject for the purpose. I have kept 



