296 



Beekeeping 



the wax to cool on top of a little of the honey. A small cap- 

 ping melter (Fig. 119) is now marketed, but for extensive 

 operations it is preferable to make a larger tank (Fig. 122) 

 on this principle. In these melters the honey and wax 

 come in contact only with the inner wall of a water jacket 

 and do not touch metal which is in direct contact with the 

 flame. The objection has been raised that the heating of 

 the honey in this way discolors it, but if it runs off and is 

 separated from the melted wax 

 quickly this is reduced to a mini- 

 mum. Apparatus of this type has 

 been adopted by numerous exten- 

 sive producers. The relief from the 

 care of a great mass of cappings at 

 the end of extracting certainly ap- 

 peals to the extensive beekeeper. 



Types of extractors. 



After the comb is uncapped on 

 both sides it is ready for the ex- 

 tractor. The development of the 

 extractor from the first simple 

 cliunsy machines is of interest and 

 illustrates nicely the progress of 

 beekeeping in recent years. Following the announcement 

 of the invention ^ of the extractor in Italj^, the first type 

 marketed in the United States consisted of a revolving 

 can into which frames were placed in pockets and the can 

 was revolved by means of a handle directly attached. 

 The next step, and a most important one, was to make 

 the can stationary (Fig. 121), the frames |jeing placed in 

 baskets attached to a central axis which is driven with a 

 gear. The "Novice" extractors (1869) are of this type, 



Fig. 121. — Extractor with 

 stationary can. 



1 The removal of honey by centrifugal force was discovered accidentally, 

 de Hruschka gave his son a comb on a plate. He put this in a basket and, 

 boy-like, swung the basket around him. de Hruschka noticed that some 

 honey was drained out and thereby got the basic idea for the extractor. 



