2he Honey Extradbr. 205 



CHAPTER XII. 

 EXTRACTING, AND THE EXTRACTOR. 



The brood-chamber is often so filled with honey that the 

 queen has no room to lay her eggs, especially if there is any 

 neglect to give other room for storing. Honey in brood- 

 combs is unsalable, because the combs are dark, and the size 

 undesirable. Comb is very valuable, and should never be 

 taken from the bees, except when desired to render the honey 

 more marketable. Hence, the apiarist finds a very efficient 

 auxiliary in the 



HONEY EXTEACTOE. 



No doubt some have expected and claimed too much for 

 this machine. It is equally true that some have blundered 

 quite as seriously in an opposite direction. For, since Mr. 

 Langstroth gave the movable frame to the world, the apiarist 

 has not been so deeply indebted to any inventor as to him who 

 gave us the Mel Extractor, Herr von Hruschka, of Germany. 

 Even if there was no sale for extracted honey — aye, more, 

 even if it must be thrown awa^y, which will never be necessa- 

 ry, as it may always be fed to the bees with profit, even then 

 I would pronounce the extractor an invaluable aid to every 

 bee-keeper. 



The principle which makes this machine effective is that of 

 centrifugal force, and it was suggested to Major von Hruschka 

 by noticing that a piece of comb which was twirled by his boy 

 at the end of a string, was emptied of its honey. Herr von 

 Hruschka's machine was essentially like those now so common, 

 though in lightness and convenience there has been a marked 

 improvement. His machine consisted of a wooden tub, with 

 a vertical axle in the centre, which revolved in a socket fast- 

 ened to the bottom of the vessel, while from the top of the 

 tub fastenings extended to the axle, which projected for a 

 distance above. The axle was thus held exactly in the center 

 of the tub. Attached to the axle was a frame or rack to hold 

 the comb ; whose outer face rested against a wire-cloth. The 

 axle with its attached frame, which latter held the uncapped 

 comb, was made to revolve by rapidly unwinding a string 



