March, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



145 



building, altering this and that, an eight- 

 fianie machine was finally constructed. 

 With this we extracted quite a good deal 

 of honey here in Medina; then sent it to L. 

 S. Griggs of Flint, Mich., one of the largest 

 producers of honey in that State. Mr. 

 Tiriggs' crop was not quite up to the normal, 

 but he used the machine the entire season 

 and enough to demonstrate that it was a 

 great success. It was then brought back to 

 Medina, when some further minor changes 

 were made. 



Removable Pockets. 



One feature suggested by Mr. Howk, and 

 a very valuable one, we believe, is that any 

 of the pockets may be lifted out instantly 

 for cleaning or sterilizing, just as easily as 

 a comb may be lifted out. This feature 

 will certainly be of practical value, for it 

 will then be a simple matter to sterilize 

 thoroly every part of the extractor with 

 which the combs can come in contact. We 

 do not believe it is possible to sterilize ex- 

 tractor pockets thoroly by pouring boiling 

 water over them while they are in the ex- 

 tractor. 



A recent improvement is in the matter 



of the screen. In the new extractor the 

 screen is not a part of the pocket, but is a 

 separate "cage," so to speak, by itself, just 

 large enough for the comb to slip down into 

 it. We have found that this tends to reduce 

 breahage of new fiagile combs to a mini- 

 mum. 



The very fact that reversing at full speed 

 is possible and that reversing on a center 

 axis is easier on the combs, does not prevent 

 a careless operator from yielding to tempta- 

 tion and extracting the quickest way. When 

 the combs are new and fragile, especially 

 when they are extracted for the first time, 

 and when the honey is very thick, we have 

 found that it is not advisable to reverse re- 

 peatedly at full speed; for, while there is 

 no chance of banging the combs, it is a fact 

 that at very high speed, especially when 

 there is some honey on the side of the comb 

 nearest the extractor, the outside cells will 

 be pressed into the screen in such a way 

 that reversing under full speed, thereby sud- 

 denly transferring the strain from one side 

 of the comb to the other (which amounts to 

 pulling it off suddenly from one screen and 

 pushing it on to the other) may crack the 



Kig. J. The new Buckeye central uxii icversible-pocket honey -extractor. This machine will permit of re- 

 versing at the will of the opeo-ator at any and all speeds. 



