88 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Ja.n. ]5 



man stays in the extracting-building and 

 does all the extracting; another man stays 

 with the hives we are working at, and opens 

 all of them and takes out about half of the 

 combs and puts all the empty combs back 

 and closes up the hive, while the third man 

 takes out what heavy combs he can and takes 

 the full ones to the extracting-building, and 

 bring the empty combs back. In this way 

 we find no trouble in extracting from 30 to 

 32 hives per hour, or on an average a hive 

 of nine combs in a little less than every two 

 minutes. We always hang up a watch on 

 the extracting-building so we can tell at a 

 glance just how fast we are getting along. 

 Each one, as he removes his comb from the 

 hive, cleans it of all adhering bees, by first 

 giving it several quick shakes up and down, 

 being very careful to throw out no honey. 

 Then with a small brush, what few bees are 

 left on the comb are quickly brushed off. 

 You will notice that, hanging from m.y son's 

 right hip, is a small brush which we like the 

 best for this purpose of any thing we have 

 ever tried. You can also see the handle of 

 a large pocket-knife by the brush, which is 

 always open and ready for use. 



THE ALEXANDER HEAD-RIGS. 



I wish to call your attention to our head- 

 rigs. They are made from a piece of com- 

 mon wire cloth, about 9x32 inches, with 

 the ends lapped together at the back, and 

 sewed. They have a piece of heavy sheeting 

 in the back, which protects the back of the 

 head, also our ears; then they have a piece 

 of double cloth forming the top, and gather- 

 ed at the center. They also have a little 

 skirt about ten inches long, which can be 

 tucked inside the shirt or vest collar. With 

 this on, so far as your head is concerned you 

 can bid defiance to all the bees in the apiary. 

 Please make one of these head- rigs next 

 season, for I am sure you will like it. They 

 rest on your shoulders, and are very cool, 

 seldom touch your face, and can be taken off 

 and put on in an instant. 



THE ALEXANDER COMB-CARRIERS. 



They hold nine combs, the same as our 

 hives, and are made of thin light pine except 

 the ends, which are i stuff. They have an 

 iron handle, and are very durable. When 

 we commence to extract we take a set of 

 empty combs in one of these carriers, and 

 set it down behind the hive we commence 

 on, then take off the outside cover, put it 

 on top of the carrier of empty combs, then 

 put an empty carrier on top of it. This will 

 bring it about level with the top of the hive, 

 and saves stooping over in order to put the 

 heavy combs in the carrier. Then when the 

 hive is ready to receive its empty combs one 

 man starts for the extractor with the heavy 

 combs, while the other man puts the empty 

 ones in the hive In this way the hive is 

 open only about 1^ minutes, in taking out 

 its full combs and putting in a set of those 

 that have been extracted. 



NO SLAM-BANGS IN EXTRACTING. 



Now, don't think there is any slam-bang 



about hasdling our bees, for there is not. 

 We will not tolerate any thing of the kind. 

 Any man who works for us must be careful 

 about killing bees or jarring the hive any 

 more than can be helped. 



QUEEN-EXCLUDERS. 



We use queen-excluders on all our hives 

 when extracting, so we are not troubled with 

 any brood in the upper hive, neither do we 

 lose any queens if we shake some of the 

 combs outside the hive. Our frames hang 

 on a wooden rabbet, just even with the top 

 of the hive; then we use an under cover, 

 which has a bee-space on each side. This, 

 with our telescope top, makes a cool water- 

 tight cover which we like very much. 



THE COLOR OF THE CLOTHING. 



When working in the apiary we very de- 

 cidedly prefer white. It does not irritate 

 the bees as ail dark colors will, and is nice 

 and cool on hot days. I don't know of any 

 thing that will make your bees much crosser 

 than to work among them when wearing dark 

 clothes. If you are careful about these 

 things you v/ill find it much pleasanter to 

 handle your bees. 



HOW TO STOP LEAKS IN HONEY- BARRELS. 



If any of you are troubled with your hon- 

 ey-packages leaking, either barrels or tin 

 pails, just rub the leaky place with common 

 hard soap and see how nice and quick the 

 trouble is over; also when when barreling 

 up your honey, after you insert the bung a 

 little, tip the barrel over so as to bring the 

 honey up solid over the bung, then you can 

 drive it in tight and run no risk of splitting 

 or breaking the head. Just try these little 

 things I have called your attention to; and 

 if they prove of value to you, tell your bee- 

 keeping friends that, through the medium of 

 Gleanings, you have had many valuable 

 ideas brought to your attention. 



Delanson, N. Y.. Oct. 16. 



[It will pay the veteran as well as the 

 prospective extracted-honey producer to 

 read this article of Mr. Alexander's careful- 

 ly; for in all the large extrac ting-yards I 

 have had the pleasure of visiting I never 

 saw a more perfect system, more beautiful- 

 ly worked out, than is here described by our 

 correspondent. The three men, one in the 

 extracting-house and the other two in the 

 yard, are able to accomplish a lot of work. 

 Perhaps others may be able to extract more 

 honey, or handle more hives per man, but I 

 ani sure they will not do it in the simple 

 quiet manner that these men do, without 

 slam or bang, and without irritating the 

 bees. Notwithstanding there were some 

 750 two- story colonies rushing to the buck- 

 wheat-fields on one of the days of my visit, 

 and the men working to their full capacity, 

 the bees were unusually quiet. 



One can not help feeling impressed with 

 Mr. Alexander's close attention to the 

 smallest details. This shows out in his ar- 

 ticle; and right here, I believe, is one of the 

 secrets of Mr. Alexander's success, which. 



