MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 191 



either of tin or galvanized iron, so as not to rust. A cover 

 to protect the honey from dust, when not in use, is very 

 desirable. The cloth cover, gathered around the edge by a 

 rubber, as made by Mr. A. I. Koot, is excellent for this 

 purpose. As no capped honey could be extracted, it is necessary 

 to uncap it, which is done by shaving off the thin caps. To do 



Pig. 60. 



this, nothing is better than the new Bingham & Hetherington 

 honey knife (Fig. 60). After a thorough trial of this knife, 

 here at the College, we pronounce it decidedly superior to 

 any other that we have used, though we have several of the 

 principal knives made in the United States. It is, perhaps, 



Fig. 



sometimes desirable to have a curved point (Fig. 61), though 

 this is not at all essential. 



USE OF THE EXTRACTOR. 



Although some of our most experienced apiarists say nay, 

 it is nevertheless a fact, that the queen often remains idle, or 

 extrudes her eggs only to be lost, simply because there are no 

 empty cells. The honey yield is so great that the workers 

 occupy every available space, and sometimes even they become 

 unwilling idlers, simply because of necessity. Seldom a year 

 has passed but that I have noticed some of' my most prolific 

 queens -thus checked in. duty. It is probable that just the 

 proper arrangement and best management of frames for sur- 

 plus would make such occasions rare ; yet, I have seen the 

 brood-chamber in two-story hives, with common frames above 

 — the very best arrangement to promote storing above the 

 brood-chamber — so crowded as to force the queen either to idle- 



