294 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



volving. The effect of this is to cause the 

 reversing-levers B to revolve on the pinion 

 until they reach the points of the dotted 

 lines shown in the perpendicular view, when 

 pressure on the brake-lever is immediately 

 released. The machine is then speeded up, 

 going in the same direction as before, ex- 

 tracting the other side of the combs. When 

 the next set of combs are put in, turn the 

 reel in the opposite direction and reverse un- 

 der motion as before. When using the en- 

 gine to be described it will be found neces- 

 sary, because the reel must always turn in 

 one direction, to reverse the pockets while 

 the reel is at rest before putting in a new 

 set of combs, then they can be reversed 

 while in motion. 



One can make the baskets bang in revers- 

 ing, but there in not the slightest excuse 

 for it if he learns the proper touch on the 

 brake-lever— just enough and no more to 

 cause the pockets to turn quietly to the 

 other position. 



Years ago Mr. J. F. Mclntyre suggested 

 a principle somewhat similar to this, using 

 reversing-levers pinioned on the radial arms 

 of the reel ; but the idea contemplated the 

 use of two spur gears at each end of the 

 reversing arms and a reel loosely journaled 

 on the shaft. As already pointed out, a 

 loosely journaled reel on the shaft is a very 

 bad arrangement mechanically ; and, second, 

 a spur gear will cause the end of the arm to 



project over in such a way as to interfere 

 seriously with the removal and insertion of 

 the frames for extracting. This, in fact, 

 was our original plan ; but Mr. Marbach 

 very nicely overcame the difficulty by sug- 

 gesting the internal gear that causes the 

 radial arm to be pushed back away from the 

 pocket where it can not in the least inter- 

 fere with the reversing of the combs. But 

 this is not all. It covers up the gearing so 

 that baby fingers or parts of clothing can 

 not be involved. 



The reel is supported on a ball bearing so 

 that the extractor runs with a minimum of 

 friction. This bearing is in the cross-arm of 

 the can, clear up away from any contamina- 

 tion of honey. The brake-band, which has 

 been a feature of our extractors in late 

 years, is still retained, and one may use it 

 both to reverse and to stop the extractor. 



Perhaps from this description it may seem 

 that this device is complicated ; but I may 

 say to our readers that it is as simple as the 

 Cowan, and, what is of considerable impor- 

 tance, it will be longer-lived because the 

 strain is placed equally on each of the four 

 pockets simultaneously. 



Another feature of this new automatic 

 extractor is the use of steel stampings, steel 

 channel reel-arms— in fact, steel construc- 

 tion throughout except the gearwork ; and 

 even these are planed so they work as 

 smoothly as cut geari^. 



ROOT S AUTOMATIC EIGHT-FRAME HONEY- EXTRACTOR CONNECTED TO RUN WITH A SMALL 



GASdLINE-ENGINE. 



