ALEXANDER’S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 47 
feet at one end; this has a board on with a hole cut in the center that 
will Jet the strainer go down through as far as the rim that has the 
wire cloth fastened to. Then the pipe that conveys the honey to the 
tanks has an elbow on, that we turn down over the strainer. This con- 
ducting pipe is made in sections about 12 feet long of heavy tin, and has a 
bore of about 2 inches. We keep it painted on the outside to prevent rust- 
ing. Now when all is ready we start the extractor and our honey is deliv- 
ered and strained into the tanks and we don’t have to pay any attention 
to it whatever. 
January, 1906. 
THE VALUE OF THE GASOLINE ENGINE TO RUN EXTRACTORS; TIME, HONEY, 
AND MONEY SAVED. 
I now wish to write a few lines direct to my brother competitors 
of extracted honey. The ever increasing demand for this product of 
our apiary is inducing many to turn their attention toward its produc- 
tion; and I hope to see you all so situated that you can produce it in the 
future cheaper than it has ever been in the past; for this reason, and 
this only, I write this article. If you have read the advertising columns 
during the past year in our bee-journals as you should, you must have 
noticed descriptions of an outfit for doing the most laborious part of 
producing extracted honey by gasoline power. Many people naturally 
hesitate in regard to investing their money in new implements, pre- 
ferring to let (if I may be allowed to use some street slang) the other 
fellow invest his money first; then if il is all right they are ready to 
invest also. Now, my son and myself were just that other fellow that 
was ready to test this outfit to its very core. With three first-class 
extractors in perfect working order standing in our extracting-room we 
bought an improved eight-comb extractor and a gasoline-engine, to do 
our extracting. 
Well, as to results, the first test we gave it was to extract about 
3000 lbs. of last year’s capped candied honey. The combs were mostly 
new and brittle, having been foundation last year, had never contained 
any brood; neither were they wired in their frames, as we have not a 
wired comb in our apiary. When the extractor was started and the 
comb-baskets began to hum like a buzzsaw, I at once knew that the 
old candied honey would have to leave the combs, which it did quite 
clean; but I expected that the combs and their frames would then and 
there dissolve partnership; but, not so. They were so well supported 
by the comb-baskets that we could not find a cracked or broken comb in 
the lot. The reversing of the reel is so perfect that you don’t have to 
stop either engine or extractor in order to do this part. Taking it as 
a whole, it is certainly one of the most advanced steps in relieving us 
of laborious work ever made in modern bee-keeping. 
Now the question is, in your mind, “Can I afford to buy this outfit?” 
Well, I will tell you what it is doing for us; then you can answer that 
