Be I' -111' a pin [I In T^ictoiua. 



41 



capacity the baskets are connected by a sprocket chain (Fig. 3), 

 and the reversing of one will reverse all the combs. In the latest 

 type of extractor the reversing of the driving gear automatically 

 reverses the combs. In large apiaries in the best honey districts 

 petrol engines are used to drive the extractors, the reversing action 

 being obtained bj^ means of the slip gear, which causes either the one 

 or the other of the bevelled cog wheels seen on top of the extractor in 

 the illustration (Fig. 4) to grip the horizontal cog of the centre shaft, 

 and thus drive the reel with the comb-baskets in either a right sr 

 left hand direction, the comb-baskets being automatically reversed at 

 the same time. By using a power-driven extractor, cappings melter, 

 honey ripener, and a system of gravitation from the extractor to 

 the settling tank, three men can easily take 1 ton of honey in a day 

 of ordinary working hours. As it often happens during heavy honey 

 flows that there are day^ when, owing to strong wind, extreme heat 



Fig. 3. — Reel of Four Comb Reversible Extractor. 



or cold, no honey can be taken off the hives, and yet the bees continue 

 to bring it in notwithstanding these drawbacks, it becomes necessary 

 to get a maximum of extracting done while conditions are favorable 

 for this operation, so as to provide storage room for the bees and to 

 prevent them gluttoning the brood combs with honey. With several 

 hundred colonies in a good locality, the additional yield obtained will 

 more than cover the cost of engine, reducer, honey heater, &c., m one 

 season. 



For apiaries of up to 100 colonies in ordinary average localities, a 

 Cowan two or four frame extractor, driven by hand (Figs. 2 and 3), 

 will be sufficient. When only a few colonies are kept, without any 

 prospect of increase owing to the character of the locality, a Novice 

 extractor (Fig. 1) will answer all requirements. To any one, how- 

 ever, commencing bee-keeping anywhere with the intention of 

 gradually increasing the number of hives and moving to a suitable 



