1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



15 



must be extracted, and placed in the cans, 

 with the caps screwed on tight, in the short- 

 est possible time. With this process, and 

 with sealed combs in the first place, we get 

 "quality honey " every time. 



From the above it will be seen that I do 

 not favor allowing bits of black comb to 

 float on top of the honey in a settling-tank. 

 In other words, we want to get the honey 

 away from the black comb or any part of the 

 comb at once, as our experience shows that 

 it is safe to allow good honey to be in con- 

 tact with black combs only when such combs 

 are covered with bees in the hives. 



THE GRAVITY STBAINER TRIED. 



We tried the float plan of separating the 

 honey as described by Mr. Townsend in the 

 Bee-keepers'' Review and also in Glean- 

 ings, page 402, July 1. I made the wooden 

 disc of >^-inch stuff, about % inch smaller 

 in diameter than my forty-gallon tank, and 

 drove staples around the edge of the float to 

 equalize the 

 space between 

 it and the in- 

 side of the 

 tank. I start- 

 ed the "ball 

 rolling" one 

 afternoon, 

 and soon had 

 the tank full, 

 when I had to 

 stop. After 

 drawing out a 

 pailful or so 

 of honey, and 

 pouring it 

 back on top, 

 so as to re- 

 move the sed- 

 iment still re- 

 maining i n 

 the bottom 

 from the first 

 honey poured 

 in, according 

 to Mr. Town- 

 send's in- 

 structions, we 

 then put the 

 rest in cans 

 until there 

 was only 

 about a foot 

 left in the 

 tank. We did 

 not dare draw 

 off any more. 

 The next day 

 we commenc- 

 ed extracting 

 again, and I 

 did not want 

 to draw o ff 

 that foot of 

 honey and 

 then pour it 

 back in again; 

 butldid.draw 

 it out and 



kept it out until I washed and dried the 

 tank, then I rigged up our old strainer. 



The strainer that we use is an improve- 

 ment on an old idea. The whole plan, as 

 we used it this year with so much success, 

 is one that has lain dormant in my mind 

 for perhaps twelve years, it being described 

 in Gleanings long ago by the late John H. 

 Martin, otherwise known as ' 'The Rambler. ' ' 



Over the top of my tank I place a sheet of 

 wire cloth, same as that used on windows, 

 and tie it tightly around the top with strong 

 cord, at the same time pressing it down in 

 the middle. Over this I put one end of a 

 five-yard length of white cheese-cloth, the 

 part not in use rolled up at the side of the 

 tank. Warm honey will go through this 

 rapidly when the cloth is clean, but, of 

 course, it soon gets clogged. Just as soon 

 as this happens we pull the cloth along, 

 bringing a new clean surface over the tank, 

 and then roll up the clogged portion on the 



FIG. 3. — A DUTCH DINNER-TABLE, SHOWING THAT HONEY APPEARS ON 

 THE "REGULAR BILL OF FARE." 



