273 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



methods and system well adapted to your 

 needs. Read all of the bee books and 

 journals, visit successful bee-keepers, at- 

 tend conventions, study, think, arouse 

 yourself and stand at the head. 



*«ji^«^«-«i 



Filling 60-pound Cans With Honey. 

 Mr. F. H. Cyrenius, of New York, illus- 

 trates and describes in Gleanings a de- 

 vice for filling- 60-pound cans with honey. 

 By the way. Mr. France told me of this 

 same plan two or three years ago. and I 

 gave it in the Review at the time. 



The plan is to take the bottom out of a 

 60-pound can, or else have a can made 

 of about the same capacity as a 60-pound 

 can, then have a funnel-shaped tube fitted 

 on over the nozzle and soldered fast. 

 This makes a sort of measure in which to 

 run the honey before it is run into the 

 regular 60-pound can; that is, this open- 

 bottomed can is first filled up to the 60- 

 pound mark, then the honey is allowed to 

 run out of the nozzle into a regular 60- 

 pound can. 



To stop up this nozzle while the meas- 

 uring can is being filled, a long plug is 

 used, one several inches longer than the 

 can is deep. The lower end fits into the 

 opening in the bottom of the can, then, 

 when everything is all in place, this plug 

 is pulled out, and away goes the honey 

 into the lower can. 



I have never used such an arrange- 

 ment, but it seems to me that there are 

 one or two objections. First, we have to 

 wait until the open-bottomed can hes 

 been filled with honey. Then we have to 

 wait until the honey has run out into the 

 other can. If I were going to use such 

 an arrangement I should have two or 

 three measuring cans, then one or two of 

 them could be emptying themselves while 

 I was filling another. Then there would 

 remain only one objection that 1 can think 

 of, and that is that honey is often so thick 

 that it requires a long time for it to run 

 off the sides of a vessel. Suppose we fill 

 a can up to the 60-pound mark, and set 

 it to running into another can. A lot of 



thick honey will adhere to the sides and 

 bottom of the can, unless we wait a long 

 time for it to run out. Possibly by filling 

 the can just a little above the 60-pound 

 mark, thus taking into account the amount 

 that will adhere to the sides of the can, 

 we might come somewhere near getting it 

 accurate without waiting for all of the 

 honey to run out. 



I would much rather run the honey di- 

 rectly into the cans, and then use an 

 electrical alarm bell to give the warning 

 when the can is nearly full. Have a bat- 

 tery and a door bell that can be bought 

 for less than a dollar. Have one end of 

 the wire wound around the back end of 

 the scale beam, and the other end of the 

 wire arranged just above the outer end of 

 the beam. When the beam rises it touches 

 the wire and completes the circuit, ringing 

 the bell. Set the scales a pound or two 

 short and warning will be given in time. 



«n«-^««,rf«.<^ir» 



Bee Journals are now offered at very 

 low prices. One after another has low- 

 ered its price until, as one of them ex- 

 presses it. they are "practically given 

 away." Of course, the object of these 

 low prices is to secure more subscribers. 

 1 doubt the profitableness of this cutting 

 of prices in bee journalism. If all the 

 journals were alike, like so many pounds 

 of sugar, custom might be gained by the 

 cutting of prices; but they are not alike; 

 each has its friends and subscribers; 

 those who prefer that style of journal; 

 and the price, within reasonable bounds, 

 does not cut any great figure. When a 

 man finds that a journal is really helpful 

 to him. that its value is ten times its cost, 

 the matter of 25 or 50 cents, more or 

 less, does not concern him greatly. If he 

 doesn't care for the paper he isn't going 

 to take it, let the price be what it may. 



I prefer to work at the other end of the 

 problem- -not how cheap, but how good. 



Since the foregoing was in type there 

 came to hand a letter from Mr. John M. 

 Davis, of Spring Hill, Tenn., that pufes 

 both sides of the question so fairly that I 



