50 ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 



size you wish, but I wouldn't advise having them over 32 inches deep. 

 Ours are 4 inches deeper than I wish they were. 



June, 1906. 



EXTRACTING UNCAPPED HONEY; A REMINISCENCE OF THE GOOD 

 OLD DAYS OF FATHER QUINBY. 



We extract our honey ahout every six or seven days when the har- 

 vest is good, never using more than one hive of empty combs on top 

 to extract from; and, although this way of extracting Is a perfect suc- 

 cess with us, I can not recommend it to the inexperienced bee-keeper 

 with none of the necessary appliances to ripen his honey artificially. 

 But I do say that the man who has had experience, and has the neces- 

 sary storage-tanks, can ripen his honey after the bees commence to cap 

 it so that it will be just as good in every respect as if left with the bees 

 all summer. In this way we not only get twice the amount, but we 

 save our bees much labor and waste of honey in capping it over, and 

 ourselves at least half the work in extracting. 



Before a few of you commence to criticise this point I want you 

 to understand that I never advised any man to extract and barrel up 

 unripe honey, for, as sure as you do, you not only injure your own 

 reputation but you do much harm to the whole bee-keeping fraternity; 

 BO, unless you have the proper place, and storage-tanks where it can 

 be ripened as well as it should be, you had better leave it with the bees 

 until fall. 



I know I am one of a small minority on this particular way of 

 producing extracted honey; but I would rather stand alone, and feel 

 that I was in the right, than to be one of ten thousand and in the wrong. 

 Please do not forget that we leave it with the bees until they com- 

 mence to cap a few cells along the top of the combs. If the harvest Is 

 poor we sometimes leave it over two weeks before we extract, and run 

 it into the tanks, where it always remains until it is good thick honey 

 weighing fully 12 lbs. to the gallon. If I am not mistaken I think 

 Editor Root sampled our honey in four different tanks last summer when 

 he was here; also some that was in barrels ready for shipping, so I 

 will leave him to tell you as to its quality. 



When honey will granulate within three or four weeks after ex- 

 tracting, so it will not run through a large faucet, but has to be dug out 

 of the tanks with a stout shovel in chunks like cheese, I don't see any 

 need of letting it remain more than six or seven days with the bees. 

 Here is one question I should like to ask those who advocate letting 

 their honey remain with the bees until it is nicely capped over. It is 

 this: Will you please tell me where the profit comes in when you extract 

 nice comb honey that Is well capped, and can be sold for 10 to 12 cents 

 per lb., then uncap it and run It through the extractor and sell the 

 same honey for 6 or 7 cents per lb.? 



