THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



It was about four feet high, square 

 about two feet and supplied in upper 

 part with a double glass lid under 

 which was a large tin cone-shaped 

 receptacle provided with trays on 

 which were placed the broken-up 

 combs. The concentrated rays of 

 the sun, falling on the sloping tin 

 sides, soon made it pretty hot inside 

 and down ran the honey through a 

 series of strainers into the vessel un- 

 derneath. As the heat increased 

 the wax melted and also ran down 

 to form a cake on the surface of the 

 honey, being afterwards taken off 

 and remelted. 



The great objection to this ma- 

 chine is the imparting to the honey 

 of a flavor due to the essential oil 

 contained in the wax. 



This very solar wax extractor (just 

 invented ! !) was stolen from my yard 

 one night by Arabs and, strange to 

 say, on the only night when my dog 

 barked because any one was there 

 and I was too sleepy to get up and 

 see if any one was around. What 

 the unfortunate Arab who stole it 

 ever made out of it I never could 

 learn ; it certainly would have cooked 

 "des oeufs sur le plat" or thin chops 

 but the probability is they turned it 

 upside down or on its side and never 

 discovered its true use. 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



JOTTINGS FROM CANADA. 



V>x Allen Prixgle. 



Thanks for the apicultural litera- 

 ture received, and for your kind in- 

 vitation. That I have not written 



words of greeting and congratulation 

 to the "Api" ere this has not been 

 owing to indifference or lack of ap- 

 preciation on my part, but to pressure 

 of work and want of time. I beg 

 now, however, to make my bow to 

 your excellent periodical Afith the 

 cosmopolitan name of "x\merican 

 Apiculturist." 



Of the rapid development of api- 

 culture in Canada and the United 

 States no better evidence is required 

 than its periodical literature ; the 

 number of journals devoted to the 

 subject and the enthusiasm aiid abil- 

 ity with which they are conducted. 

 And of all papers devoted to speci- 

 alties the bee papers are undoubtedly 

 the most ardent as well as the most 

 interesting. This arises from the 

 intensely absorbing and interesting 

 character of the avocation of bee cul- 

 ture and the consequent inspiration 

 of the enthusiastic devotee, which 

 culminates in the quill and finds vent 

 in the bee journals. Another distin- 

 guishing trait of the apiarist — and 

 which also happily pervades the jour- 

 nals — is a genuine bonhomie which 

 fairly runs over at conventions and, 

 indeed, even wherever two or three 

 beekeepers are gathered together. 

 Of course opposite theories of diverse 

 minds are discussed and controverted 

 in the journals, but generally in a 

 pleasant, good-natured style quite free 

 from acerbity, or even discourtesy. 

 Sometimes, however, offences creep 

 into the management and matter even 

 of bee papers. To this the philosopher 

 can only say, were it otherwise editors 

 and contributors would be simply 

 more or less than human. And this 

 brings me to a little matter in which 



