TUB ILVRVEST 73 



at home after each clay's run. He finds the plan very satis- 

 factory. 



The ideal method, of course, is to have permanently installed 

 settling tanks and enough of them to hold the extracting urtil 

 the honey is well settled. This can host be done with the central 

 extracting system where all supers are handled at home. It is 

 also practiced to some extent with permanent outyards where 

 buildings are well equipped. The Edson Apiaries in California 

 have 2 or 3 ton settling tanks. The honey settles over night and 

 is drawn into 5 gallon cans the next morning when it is stored in 

 warehouses at the station nearest the outyard at which they are 

 working. 



Honey Knives 



The steam-heated honey knife has won its way to favor with 

 a large majority of the best beekeepers. Its advantages are most 

 marked when the honey is thick, the weather cool, and uncap- 

 ping difficult. It can be dispensed with when extracting is done 

 in hot weather and uncapping is comparatively easy. It is the 

 thing for the inexperienced man, while it may be used only 

 in the emergency by the expert with the cold knife. The chief 

 uncapper for the Dadant apiaries made a record of uncapping 

 solidly sealed combs in shallow frames at the rate of 1000 pound* 

 of honey per hour on a half day run. He did it with a cold 

 knife. Yet he realizes the advantage of the hot knife and never 

 neglects to have it along for the emergency. 



Cappings and Capping Melters 



Unfortunately one or two large beekeepers in the past have 

 recommended the use of barrels for cappings, a few holes being 

 bored in the barrel for honey drainage when the rest of the mass 

 would be hauled home for disposition. I can conceive of no worse 

 method of carmg for the cappings than by the 'use of such barrels 

 or cans. I have in mind one shipment of cappings so barrelled 

 and sent to a big comb-rendering plant to be melted up. Five 



