11 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



nut, to a bearing below, thus reducing the 

 vibration of the baskets. 



AN INGENIOUS METHOD OF REVERSING THE 

 MOTION IN AN EXTRACTOR. 



The engine runs continuously. To start 

 the extractor, draw the proper drive belt 

 to the center pulley. To reverse, push this 

 belt back upon the loose pulley, put 

 foot upon the brake-treadle connected 

 with the wood-pulley on the counter shaft, 

 which breaks the speed and at the same 

 time the other belt is drawn to the center 

 or tight pulley, and the extractor instantly 

 starts in the opposite direction. The 

 honey runs through a tube in the floor to 

 a strainer, then to tank or barrels. No 

 handling. 



HOW TO QUICKLY ATTACH A HORSE TO A 



1 had a box made for my spring wagon 

 to hold 70 supers, and by putting oil cloth 

 over the top, all were bee-tight. Then, 

 to move my load quickly, 1 devised a 

 quick hitchup attachment. The shafts 

 are lifted out of their sockets, and taken 

 a safe distance from the yard, where the 

 horse is hitched to them, and everything 

 is so arranged that the horse carries the 

 shaft balanced, without their striking 

 his heels. The horse is now left tied, 

 while the load is quickly put on from the 

 house where the supers have just been 

 wheeled in. When the load is on. the 

 horse is driven to the wagon, and, as he 

 steps to place, one hand guides the shafts 

 into place, and the load moves forward 

 before a bee can get a crack at the 

 horse. 



Arriving at home, unloading upon a 

 platform on a truck makes light work. 

 Then two or three hours work at home 

 makes an extra pleasure of it; and the 

 honey is in the barrels, and supers empty 

 and ready to be loaded for the next trip 

 in the morning. 



With my system, visiting each yard 

 every fourth or fifth day during the very 

 busiest of the season, I am able to do 

 this hauling without extra trips; as the 



out-yards in my case are worked from 

 home returning there each night. 



ONE MAN CARING FOR 500 COLONIES. 



Running my bees without help, as I 

 have done for some years, has caused a 

 great amount of short-cut systematizing, 

 and I now feel that 1 can, with pleasure, 

 handle five hundred colonies, doing all of 

 the work myself! 



There are yet two conveniences I am 

 longing for; an uncapping machine, and 

 either an auto or a flying machine. 

 While 1 have a horse that is a splendid 

 good driver, as well as a heavier one, yet 

 there are three months of the year when 

 1 should like to travel a little faster. 



To my sense, specialty in bee-keeping 

 requires so much of the individual per- 

 fecting and fitting of details to suit the 

 conditions and tastes of each one, that 

 what is just about right for one man, is 

 not to be considered "in it at all" by the 

 other fellow. 



CONSIDERING THE PLEASURABLE SIDE OF LIFE. 



Th9 pleasurable side of work is always 

 deeply considered by me; and in making 

 the above changes the fact of doing more 

 of the work at home, where my "better 

 half" could spend a few moments occa- 

 sionally, and lighten the busy hours, was 

 not overlooked. 



Wishing you and yours a prosperous 

 and happy New Year, 1 remain. 

 Yours very truly, 



F. J. Miller. 



[I have always believed that, with good 

 roads, and the out-yards not too far distant, 

 it was practical to bring home the honey 

 to extract it. In our Northern Michigan 

 bee business, the yards are too far from 

 home, and the roads too sandy and hilly 

 to admit of bringing the honey home to 

 extract it. In the majority of cases, 1 

 presume it is best to have a complete 

 outfit at each yard, but there is no ques- 

 tion but what Mr. Miller is making a 

 success of bringing home the honey to 

 extract it. 



Perhaps his plan of reversing the motion 

 of an extractor by means of two belts, 



