April, 19 1? 



Gleanings in bee culture 



26d 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



healed. In fact, 1 was well nigh convinced 

 I hat no machine could be built Avhich would 

 deliver the goods of proper quality. 



Mr. Bartlett very kindly gave me the 

 specifications necessary' to build a machine, 

 and he also sent me a sample of the honey 

 after leaving the melter. Before going in- 

 to a description of the melter let me say 

 that those of us who tested the .samples 

 came to the conclusion that there was no 

 difference in flavor, but that the honey 

 which liad passed thru the melter possessed 

 a little better body — no doubt due to the 

 heat applied to it. 



The Ira D. Bartlett capping-melter as used by R. F. Holtermann. 

 HOW THE QUALITY IS PRESERVED. 



Right here it is well to say that this fine 

 quality of honey can be obtained only by 

 one person uncapping at a time and seeing 

 that the melting and melted wax slides 

 down the incline and passes out of the open- 

 ing. If one operator uncaps in front of 

 another the freshly deposited eappings dam 

 back the melted wax and heated honey, and 

 scorching takes place. Then the melted 

 wax has to be liberated with a stick by 

 shoving the solid matter to one side; but 

 even at that the quality of the honey has 

 no material influence if all are mixed to- 

 gether in the large tank. 



I have no hesitation in pronouncing the 

 machine first-class in every respect. More- 



over, we generated sufficient steam from the 

 water in the tank, below the bottom upon 

 which the eappings are deposited, so that 

 two steam honey-knives could be operated 

 from that source. Let me caution any one 

 undertaking this kind of work that, if the 

 only outlet for the steam is thru a steam- 

 pipe and honey-knife, the beekeeper should 

 be very careful not to blow up the machine. 

 In the aceomioanying illustrations the 

 only part which requires any explanation is 

 the filler. This is merely the opening thru 

 which the water is put in. The gauge is to 

 show the f]uantity of water the machine eon- 

 tains. In Fig. 2 a 

 compartment is shown 

 into which the steam 

 rises, and which has 

 attached to it an outlet 

 for the same. We 

 use this steam for the 

 steam honey-knife. 



Fig. 3 gives another 

 view of the melter. 

 All parts of the bot- 

 tom slope toward the 

 outlet ; and as the mass 

 slides forward on the 

 heated bottom it pass- 

 es out in a melted con- 

 dition ; then the wax 

 and honey are sepa- 

 rated in the usual way 

 — viz., by means of a 

 boiler with a parti- 

 tion in it, all the liquid 

 running into the first 

 part and then under a 

 partition which reach- 

 es almost to the bot- 

 tom of the boiler; this 

 partition keeps the 

 wiix in the larger compartment. 



The board at the side of the tank, attach- 

 ed by three hinges, is to prevent danger 

 from fire for the worker, and it is raised to 

 the position in the engraving when the fire 

 underneath needs attention. 



R. F. Holtermann. 

 Rrantford.- Ont., Canada. 



INSIDE or Meljlr. 



My bees are wintering out of doors in 

 long-row tenement cases packed with dry 

 leaves, with flax-board mats over the brood- 

 frames. Twelve inclies of leaves are i^laced 

 on top of the mats. The space at the ends 

 and sides of the hives is four inches. 



Ii]lroy, Wis., Dec. 16. Chas. Sheldon. 



