41 



of the cninli, stai-liii,^ a,l. one cud of the fnuiie and workiii;;- to tlio other, usiii,i; a kind of 

 saw iiiolioii, as in enttins;- lii'eaiL 'I'he fi-aiiie is st.M.d endways on a support, tin- upper 



end of the top-har hein- --rasped hy the left hand. S <■ woii;cra cut upwards, tiltiiig 



the frame away from their hody, ao tliat the slice will lian,!^ clear of the coinh as it is 

 cut. Others ]irefer cnttinj;' downwards and ai)pcar to have no trouljle with the 

 cappings : these are caught in a vessel behjw. The unca])pcd combs go into the liaskets 

 of the extractor, one to each ; the handle is turned swiftly for a few minutes, thue 

 emptyiTig the outside I'clls : the frames aie reversed, then the other side is freed of 

 honey. 'Die fasti'r the baskets travel the more etticient will be the work of the 

 machine. Just a word of warning to a beginner. Do not wony if you cannot see lots 

 of honey after you have run tlirough the first pair of eondis, for remember it is sjiread 

 very thinly over a large surface, but in a little Avhile it will gather in the bottom of the 

 can. 'Pile set of empty eonibs should be returned to their former position on the hive 

 for a night, to be eleancil up by the bees, then stored away ir.itil wanted next season. 



The uncapping device should be so made that it will give the cappings a chance to 

 drain. In a small way one can use a lai-ge pail in which is set a cheap barrel, in the 

 bottom of wdiich a number of inch holes have been bored. Ne.xt take a piece of 

 1 X 4-inch wood a little longer than the barrel is wide, and through the middle of it 

 drive a strong nail that will project an inch at least. Sharpen this point with a file. 

 Fasten this lioard across the mouth of the l)arrel, nail point up. During uncapping 

 rest the end bar on the point of the nail. The ca))pings will drop into the barrel and 

 drain into the pail below. What to do with the wax will be told later. 



The impurities present in extracted honey consist of fragments of wax, pollen, 

 parts of bees, such as wing or leg, also occasionally a few lar^je. The first mentioned 

 are all lighter than honey, so will in time rise to the surface ; so in the case of a small 

 run the honey may be allowed to stand in the uuichine for a day before it is drawn off'. 

 A piece of clean, strong muslin tied over the faucet makes a good strainer. 



Bulk extracted honey is generally stored in cans. The chief point to remember is, 

 seal the can tight to keep the aroma in and moisture out. Honey afj-sorbs moisture 

 from the atmosphere, becomes thin as a consequence, then ferments and turns sour. 

 In air-tight vessels well-ripened extracted honey will keep for many 3'ears. 



ilost honeys gi'anulate — that is, candy — in a little while. To liquify^, set the can in 

 a dish of water on the stove, but with pieces of wood between the can and the bottom 

 of the vessel. Melting is slow, but if there be no hurry it is a good plan to leave the 

 can of honey ahove the water-tank that is found in most stoves. Of coin-se, the can- 

 cover should be loosened. 



Honey that has been melted does not granulate so quickly as at first. The higher 

 the temperature to -Hdiich it is raised the longer will it remain liquid, but if made too 

 hot the colour will change to amber. The average buyer of honey in small quantities 

 does not like to be bothered with the melting of it ; therefore, it is a good plan, before 

 putting the honey into jars, to bring it to a temperature of 1.50° to 160°, never more 

 tlian the latter. 



