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 gold 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 atime. It consists of a strong 
