48 ALEXANDER’S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 
question yourself. One year ago, with about the same number of col- 
onies, we employed two men during the season, and a third man part 
of the time. Now we can do the work much better and easier with 
one man. You can figure out the amount here saved. During the ex- 
tracting season we usually extract our comps six times, and we now 
find that such sets of combs, when taken from the extractor, are about 
2 lbs. lighter than they have ever been before. Here we gain at least 
10 lbs. per colony during the season. I leave this also for you to figure 
out—the many dollars’ worth of honey saved on nearly 700 colonies. 
Now, my friends, I think if you are running 100 colonies, or even 
less, for extracted honey, you can not afford to be without this outfit. 
The, total expense to run the engine is less than 1% cents per hour; 
and it is a willing laborer, always ready, and never tired. It can be 
used at any season to furnish power for running the cream-separator, 
churning, sawing wood, grinding bones for poultry, or any other work 
requiring one horse power. The directions sent with it are so plain 
that anybody can use it. Two men can carry it to any convenient place 
to work, and in a few minutes it can be leveled and ready to com- 
mence. 
As I now recall to memory my first extractor, of some 37 years ago, 
which was a Peabody machine, the can as well as the combs revolved, 
and they had to be removed from the extractor and reversed by hand, 
the honey running out through the bottom into-a small-sized milk-pan; 
and the waste and muss were dreadful. I can hardly realize the great 
improvements that have been made in honey-extractors. 
Some time ago I called your attention to the importance of pro- 
ducing honey with comparatively small expense; but then the work 
was all done by hand. Now, when the most laborious part can be done 
with gasoline power, it reduces the cost of production to a still lower 
figure. 
Why, I would as soon think of mowing a large farm with the old 
scythe as now to attempt to do our extracting with that poor right 
arm. No, that day is past and it will never return. We are surrounded 
with an element of progress, and every thing connected with the life 
of man is improving. The greatest achievements of the past are but 
milestones marking his progress to the sublime structures of to-day. 
There! I wish I could keep my mind on my subject. 
Some may think that it is of little importance if one and a half or 
two pounds of honey is left in a set of extracting-combs, with a few 
colonies that are extracted only once or twice during the summer. I 
admit it is but little; but in our apiary it amounts to more than three 
tons in a season. This is saving enough in one summer to pay for 
several of these new outfits. You may think, “Well, if I don’t get it 
all this time what is the difference? I shall get it the next time around.” 
Yes, but you don’t get it, and you never will get it. Under the excite- 
ment caused by disturbing them it is mostly eaten by the bees, and 
