146 AUSTRALASIAN 



in any other way than by using the "extractor'' will know 

 what a disagreeable business it is, and will not wonder that no 

 one should have been found formerly to undertake that portion 

 of a bee-keeper's duties as a matter of choice. Those who still 

 adhere to the box hive and sulphur pit, as well as those who 

 obtain honey from bush hives, are obliged to strain or melt 

 the honey in that way. Such people, it may be supposed, will 

 not be over nice as to whether or not a little more or less of 

 bee-bread, brood, dead bees, and other rubbish may be squeezed 

 or boiled with the comb ; and, indeed, if they should be ever 

 so particular they cannot prevent some such mixture taking 

 place. I venture to say that no one who has had the oppor- 

 tunity of tasting honey taken with the " extractor " would care 

 to eat the old sort of strained honey again. 



INVENTION OF THE CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR. 



To the Austrian Major von Hruschka, of Dolo, near Venice, 

 we are indebted for the invention of the honey-extractor in 

 the year 1868. Like many other important inventions, the 

 idea seems to have been suggested in a very simple manner. 

 It is said that Herr von Hruschka's son was amusing himself 

 twirling a small tin pail, tied to the end of a string after the 

 manner of a sling, while his father was engaged taking some 

 honey, and happened to give him a piece of unsealed honey- 

 comb. This the boy put in his pail, and afterwards continued 

 to twirl it round. The father subsequently chanced to notice 

 that one side of the piece of comb was quite clear of its honey. 

 He turned it in the pail, swung the latter round as the boy had 

 done, and found the other side of the comb emptied of its store. 

 He grasped the idea at once, set to work, and gave the world 

 the first honey-extractor. Although many improvements have 

 been made in the details of construction, the principle of the 

 extractor remains the same as in the first one made by Von 

 Hruschka : the honey is thrown from the combs by centrifugal 

 force. There are several kinds made and sold at present, 

 differing only in trifling details. The engraving on the next 

 page shows the form, taken from an American pattern, now 

 generally used in these colonies. 



This is called a " double " or " two-comb " extractor, because 

 it receives two comb frames at a time. It consists of a strong 



