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 comos 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 



