696 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



be spread a covering of some kind of con- 

 crete to cover and fill all cracks. I think ce- 

 ment would be all right for this. 



But I have gotten ahead of myself. At 4 

 feet is indicated a short or false floor at the 

 furnace end — that should be put in first. Its 

 purpose is to break and scatter the heat as it 

 pours into this chamber from the furnace. 

 If there is not something of the kind the heat 

 will become so intense at this point that wax 

 and honey will be scorched. Make this floor 

 of boiler tubes laid close together, and cov- 

 ered with a concrete of some kind, or of 

 stove or other plate metal laid on and cov- 

 ered with concrete. The drawing shows one 

 foot between these two floors. Less space 

 will do; but whatever you do, make sure to 

 put in a good heat breaker and spreader at 

 this point or you will have cause to repent 

 when you have spoiled some wax and honey. 



The smoke-tight floor is 1| feet above where 

 the smoke enters the chimney, and here is 

 the reason for it: The hottest air, as it comes 

 from the furnace, pulls to the highest point. 

 This is a principle commonly understood. 



INTERIOR VIEW OF THE BUILDING. 



[Unfortunately the drawing shows the structure on a slant. The reader 

 should, of course, understand that the walls are square and plumb.— Ed.] 



It naturally follows, then, that there will be 

 a layer of hot air hanging all the time against 

 the floor, and must be more or less cooled 

 before it starts up the chimney. It is a mat- 

 ter of economy in fuel, and of equalizing the 

 heat. If I could have the furnace still low- 

 er, and the chimney entrance corresponding- 

 ly lower, giving several feet of the hot-air 

 layer, it would be much better. Do not 

 make the mista ke of building too low. 



These plans are forj an all-above-ground 

 structure; but one may build over a cellar or 

 excavate for part, but this would also require 

 a pit for the furnace and ash-door, or else 

 have these inside the building. The inside 

 feed will work all right except for smoke 

 and dust, provided you have looked well to 

 the matter of good draft in the chimney ar- 

 rangements. My present solar has two fur- 

 naces. One feeds inside and the other out. 

 I like the latter much better. 



Next come the melting-pans. These are 

 at 7 feet — that is, higher than a man's head 

 from the bottom or ground-floor level. A 



solar is a hot place. I am describing a ma- 

 chine that not only melts up burr-combs and 

 such scrap, but one that will flx all the cap- 

 pings from your extractor, will melt and 

 separate from the wax all honey in candied 

 sections, or any combs whatever that we 

 may wish to get the honey out of by melt- 

 ing or straining. But more on this point 

 later. That tank is calculated to receive 

 much honey, and any new combs or cap- 

 pings when one is producing extracted hon- 

 ey can be put into the melting-pans; and as 

 soon as the honey is liberated from the 

 comb it runs through the separator (this will 

 be described later), and drops into the tank, 

 where it is perfectly safe fi'om overheating. 

 This tank is to be set with its top 5 feet up, 

 or at the level of the smoke-tight floor, or 

 nearly so — at least eight or ten inches be- 

 low the outlet from the melting-pans, and 

 to be high enough from the ground so that 

 a five-gallon can may be set under its faucet 

 to draw out honey. A bench or platform 

 will be needed to stand on when loading the 

 combs to be melted on to the melting-pans, 

 or when stirring the refuse, or 

 other work in the pans. One may 

 spend quite a length of time work- 

 ing in the pit without much in- 

 convenience from heat when wax 

 is melting and running above; but 

 a very few minutes up close to 

 the roof would suffocate one. 

 Just about long enough to stir 

 the combs is all the time one 

 would want to be there, yet he 

 could draw off honey sitting be- 

 low and be comfortable. 



There may be cases where a 

 solar could be arranged, say, on 

 an upper floor, and have the hon- 

 ey run down to the room below. 

 Or one may have the honey-tank 

 in a cellar or pit, and also have 

 the heating-plant there too, which 

 would be almost an ideal ar- 

 rangement if it can be so arrang- 

 ed. I have contemplated making just such 

 arrangement by digging into a bank sloping 

 south, and have a basement with the furnace 

 and work-room and tank all below. The 

 melting part of it only is above ground. The 

 whole front of the basement could be glassed 

 to give good light in it. Always have good 

 light in any work-room. 



Fig. 3 shows the separate, up-to-date, all- 

 above-ground building as it would appear 

 completed viewed from outside. If made 

 lean-to style there should be but one slope. 

 You will notice that the roof has two slopes. 

 The south slope is glass, and not very steep. 

 From a fourth to a third pitch is steep enough. 

 It runs back over four feet of the structure, 

 the rest, two feet, being roofed at about a 

 half-pitch. This short north slope may be 

 of tin or other metal, or may be of wood; but 

 if shingled or boarded it should have paper 

 or something between to prevent leakage of 

 air. The reason for making this north slope 

 so steep is to let the sun shine under it, which 

 it will do in the short days, while in mid- 



