1918 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



273 



and an oven made of heavy sheet 

 iron, built in, with a flue running all 

 around it. 



This oven is used for heating honey 

 in jars or cans at the same time that 

 the honey in tank above is being 

 heated. 



The tank is double, i. e., one tank 

 inside of another, with water be- 

 tween. The outer tank is of galvan- 

 ized iron — an ordinary stock water- 

 ing tank — while the inner one is made 

 of vat tin, and costs considerably 

 more. 



The inner tank holds about 1,200 

 pounds of honey and the heating and 

 bottling of this quantity makes a nice 

 day's work, including rinsing of jars, 

 putting on covers after filling, etc. 



Of course, I have in mind two or 

 three children or a couple of women 

 to help with the job. 



We use wood for fuel and each 

 heating when tank is full requires 

 less than a wheelbarrow load of 

 wood. If the fire is started quite 

 early in the morning we can begin 

 filling about the middle of the after- 

 noon. 



The jars are rinsed in the morning, 

 or a day or two previously, and dried 

 by sun heat, using large windows for 

 the purpose. We use soft water for 

 washing and have it as hot as can 

 be borne. This makes the jars clear 

 and bright. The honey is heated to 

 a temperature of ISO to 160 degrees 

 and kept there for at least 3 or 4 

 hours. A longer time is still better, 

 especially if the honey was granu- 

 lated, and in this none should be 

 drawn until the whole body is liquid. 



The honey runs directly from ex- 

 tractor into tank and w : do not wor- 

 ry about getting it out if it granu- 

 lates while there. We expect to heat 

 all of it anyway, whether granulated 

 or not. 



The oven holds about 8 dozen quart 

 jars, in two tiers, or four 60-pound 

 cans. The covers are loosened be- 

 fore heating and screwed down again 

 when finished. Temperature of oven 



is regulated by leaving door partly 

 open. We used second-hand fire 

 brick for building the arch, but ordi- 

 nary chimney brick would answer 

 the purpose excepting, possibly, for 

 the parts nearest the fire. 



The rubber hose with cut-off can 

 be swung around to fill a number of 

 jars set in place on the table, but is 

 not so convenient as we anticipated. 

 Next season we expect to use a sta- 

 tionary pipe instead of the hose, 

 with the jars placed on a small re- 

 volving table. As the table revolves 

 the jars will pass under the cut-off, 

 which the operator works with one 

 hand while pushing the table along 

 with the other. A second person will 

 place the empty jars on the table 

 and remove the filled ones as they 

 come around. Other help can be used 

 for putting on covers and labels. 



Mt. Horeb, Wis. 



The Acacias 



By W. A. Pryal. 



IF you have never lived in Califor- 

 nia, or in the native home of the 

 golden-flowered acacias, you have 

 no conception of what a beautiful 

 sight one of these trees is when in 

 full bloom during the winter months, 

 especially in that portion of Cali- 

 fornia about the bay of San Francis- 

 co. The fragrance of the flowers is 

 delicious; there is hardly anything in 

 the perfume line as genteelly sweet — 

 and the pleasant odor permeates the 

 atmosphere for quite a distance sur- 

 rounding the trees. If delicious per- 

 fume is evidence of an abundance of 

 nectar, then the acacias should be 

 great nectar-secreting trees. But I 

 am not prepared to give them such 

 credit ; in fact, my belief, based on 

 a study of these trees extending over 

 a quarter of a century, impels me to 

 state that they are not rich in nectar, 

 but I know that they are wonderful 

 pollen -producers. 

 The acacia is a clean tree and 



Acacia Mollissima 



fairly thrifty, though not a hardy 

 tree in all portions of California. I 

 have read that in the Eastern States 

 they have to be treated as green- 

 house plants, for the cold winters are 

 too severe for them in the open. 

 With us, many varieties grow to be 

 tall trees, growing as high as 40 feet 

 or more. Most of the varieties make 

 stately trees, though some sorts are 

 not symmetrical. 



In and around Oakland Acacia 

 mollissima has been planted for many 

 years, as it is liked on account of its 

 beautiful golden-yellow flowers, which 

 are borne in great clusters or masses, 

 and when the tree is in full inflores- 

 ence it has the appearance of being a 

 gigantic plume or boquet of feathery- 

 like gold. The flowers are very frag- 

 rant and are much used for decora- 

 tive purposes. Bees work in the 

 feathery bloom the live-long day dur- 

 ing all bright days in January and 

 February. Sometimes it blooms here 

 as early as the middle of December, 

 and I have seen it in blossom in San- 

 ta Rosa, this State, as late as the end 

 of March. In the same year here it 

 had finished its season of infloresence 

 fully a month sooner, and Santa Rosa 

 is but SO miles northwest of here. 



The variety above mentioned is 

 also styled Acacia decurrens, or black 

 wattle, and is rated as one of the 

 very best yielders of tanning bark 

 known. From tests made by the 

 University of California in 1898 it was 

 ascertained that the California-grown 

 bark yielded 13.S per cent more tan- 

 nin than did the Australian-grown 

 bark. As there will always be a de- 

 mand for high-quality tanning barks, 

 and as the tree mentioned is of very 

 easy culture and a rapid grower, it is 

 probable that it has a great future 

 before it in California. If planted ex- 

 tensively it will assure a valuable 

 supply of pollen and, possibly, some 

 nectar, for early breeding. 



The wood is also of value to the 

 cabinet-maker and the interior fin- 

 isher. It is hard and works up with 

 a fine grain and finish. The leaves 

 of the tree have a fern-like appear- 

 ance, as may be noticed by reference 

 to the half-tone herewith presented. 



Acacia melanoxylon is another tree 

 much prized in Central California 

 and, I believe, also to some extent in 

 the southern portion of the State. It 

 is largely planted as a street shade 

 tree, and upon lawns upon large es- 

 tates. It is more symmetrical than 

 the variety first mentioned; it also 

 grows more rapidly. In its report 

 for 1897-8 the Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station of the aforesaid uni- 

 versity says : "Acacia melanoxylon, the 

 blackwood acacia, is a neat, straight- 

 stemmed, symmetrical tree, of regu- 

 lar pyramidal outline; foliage very 

 dense, dull green ; flowers pale yel- 

 low, in the usual small globular 

 heads. A desirable tree for sidewalk 

 planting where compact growth and 

 formal effect are desired. The tree 

 is highly valued for many purposes. 

 It is hard, finely grained, and takes a 

 high polish. Even in the young state 

 it makes an excellent firewood, about 

 equal to oak." 



This tree blooms later than Acacia 

 mollissima and on that account is not 



