1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



335 



■enough, it would carry the apiarist to his 

 outyard, and then could be hitched to an 

 extractor with the proper transmission, 

 throwing out the honey while the combs are 

 being uncapped. There may be more in 

 this idea than appears at first on the sur- 

 face. 



In looking up this gasoline-engine subject 

 I found that the simplest and most practica- 

 ble means of control is by the lead of the 

 electric spark. I will explain, for the bene- 

 fit of those who are not familiar with the 

 gasoline-engine, that a charge of gasoline 

 and air is drawn in at one stroke. The pis- 

 ton returns, squeezing the charge into about 

 a third of the space it occupied when the 

 piston was out full length. Just at, or be- 

 fore this point, an electric spark explodes 

 the mixture, generating a great pressure, 

 forcing the piston out. The return stroke 

 exhausts the burned gases, when a new 

 charge is drawn in as before. If the elec- 

 tric spark is fired when the compression is 

 greatest, then the greatest speed and power 

 are evolved. The firing of the spark can be 

 timed to take place at any point in the 

 stroke; and, obviously, the later the firing, 

 the less efficient the charge of gas will be. 

 Less power will be evolved, and consequent- 

 ly there will be less speed. This method of 

 speed control, in connection with throttling 

 the gasoline, which still further reduces the 

 speed of the engine, is the one that is used 

 on the best automobiles of to-day. 



It is not practicable to throttle a gas-en- 

 gine as one would throttle a steam-engine; 

 but a great range can be secured in the 

 manner above explained, sufficient to give 

 the necessary speed to an extractor, fast or 

 slow. As soon as we can, we will construct 

 a gasoline extracting-outfit something on 

 the lines suggested. But before building 

 such a machine we desire to study up the 

 subject thoroughly in order that we may 

 put out the most practicable machine that 

 can be devised. In the mean time we shall 

 be glad to receive further suggestions. 



A little motor that is used on bicj'cles 

 would run an extractor very readily, and 

 it would not be very difficult for one of an 

 ingenious turn of mind to rig one up. In 

 the mean time, where a correspondent is 

 able to develop the idea we hope he will 

 furnish us a photo or drawing of the entire 

 rig, so that we can present to our readers 

 the newest and latest thing in honej'-ex- 

 tracting. Perhaps Mr. Bates will develop 

 it.— Ed.] 



THE HEALING POWER OF HONEY FOR DOMES. 

 TIC ANIMALS. 



BY WILLIAM A. M'KELLIP. 



U. S. Consul, Magdeburg, Germany. 



One can see from the following instance, 

 taken from an article by a Mr. Kuederli, in 

 the ''Swiss Bee Journal,'''' that pure bee 

 honey can be of very great service in the 

 care of domestic animals. 



A very fine cow of the author's became 



very difficult to milk after calving, and was 

 for this reason operated on by a veterinary 

 surgeon. Whether insufficient care was 

 taken during the operation, or from other 

 causes, the cow was taken with a severe 

 inflammation of the udders, during which 

 she gave, instead of twenty liters of milk 

 daily, only seven to eight. Movable hard 

 bodies formed inside the udders, which de- 

 fied every treatment employed. The owner 

 then remembered that he had read some- 

 where that, in the case of swellings and in- 

 flammations, pure honey often brings about 

 very satisfactory results. Therefore, after 

 milking, he rubbed warm honey into the 

 cow's udders until the honey had thorough- 

 ly soaked into the skin. Even after the 

 first trial, an improvement was noted; the 

 cartilaginous formations grew smaller, and 

 disappeared entirely after ten days, and 

 the quantity of milk increased to sixteen 

 liters daily. 



Results just as surprising were gained 

 by a teacher who used honey for his fowls, 

 about which he informs us as follows: 



A very fine white turkey, which had al- 

 ways had a very good appetite, suddenly 

 lost the same, always sought the coop, and 

 let his head hang. He had, according to 

 all signs, a high fever. When one opened 

 his beak, it was full of slime. After the 

 owner had waited four or five days for an 

 improvement, he remembered his honey-pot, 

 which had already been of service in the 

 sick-room in case of fever and catarrhal 

 troubles. He thought that what is healing 

 for man ought to help the beloved bird, and 

 his hope was fulfilled. He brought some 

 bits of candied honey, and, while his wife 

 held open the patient's beak, he pushed in 

 three or four pieces, one after another. 

 Some hours afterward he went again into the 

 coop in order to repeat the treatment. He 

 had this time taken a piece of brown bread 

 with him, and dipped small bits of it in 

 fluid honey. After he had pushed down 

 the first piece, the turkey snapped at the 

 second, but was either too awkward or too 

 weak to swallow it without assistance. 

 After three or four pieces of honied bread 

 had been given to him in this way he re- 

 gained his old appetite, and — thanks to our 

 honey cure — completely recovered. 



A short time afterward, the teacher no- 

 ticed that one of his Minorca hens, which 

 he had raised himself, refused to eat, and 

 every few minutes emitted a sneezing sound; 

 the head was also somewhat swollen. At 

 the same time he found out that a rooster 

 of his neighbor's had had the same trouble 

 for several days. In the latter case the 

 head was so swollen that the fowl had not 

 been able to open its eyes for several days. 

 He shut his sick hen in a cage, therefore, 

 and began his honey cure. Three days 

 afterward it was possible to let her out in 

 a healthy condition. The next day another 

 fowl was taken sick with the same symptoms. 

 Then he said, "It is high time that I take 

 to my well-tried cure." He put the end of 

 his finger full of honey several times into 



