120 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
\ February 6, 1890, 
harvesting, when kept in tin their vitality is sometimes destroyed, 
while those kept in wood are good. —A L.vxaukshiue BEE-KEErEK. 
THE HONEY PRESSER. 
Being in Glasgow on Friday last I met with a number of 
gentlemen of Journal of Horticulture) who, disapprov¬ 
ing of some other journals in refusing to correct errors, requested 
me to draw your attention to the following case ;— 
Notwithstanding the number of public refutations respecting 
the origin and construction of the honey presser the following 
appeared in the ‘‘ British Bee Journal” on January 16th in answer 
to a query :—“ Unless Heather honey is extracted from the comb 
just before it is sealed it will in anything like a good season be 
found to set so firm as to render extracting impossible. The late 
“Wm. Eaitt invented the honey press to meet the difficulty.— Ed.” 
No less than twelve different persons called my attention to the 
<5rror, advising me to refute the same by stating facts. One of 
these letters was from a gentleman who was a judge at the Cale¬ 
donian Society along with Mr. Eaitt, but who adjudicated in 
different classes. Appended is my reply to the journal in question. 
Sir,—M y attention has been drawn to an erroneous statement in the 
British Bee Journal, &c.,” page 36, where it says that “the late \Vm. 
Eaitt invented the honey presser.” Mr. Kaitt did not invent that 
implement. It has been in use in this country for at least half a 
century, and up till 1885 or 1886 that gentleman squeezed the Heather 
honey through his hands. This information in presence of many 
witnesses I had from his own lips at the Centenary Exhibition of the 
Highland and Agricultural Society, held at Edinburgh in 1881, where 
he adjudicated on an exhibit of mine, and had the great pleasure of 
rejecting it as not being an extractor conforming to the schedule of the 
Society, an opinion shared by no competent person present. The in- 
etructions attached to the implement were faithfully copied, and 
subsequently appeared in the pages of the “ B. K. E.” as a help to any¬ 
one who would undertake the manufacture ; what is now termed the 
■“ Kaitt Honey Presser,” being neither more nor less than a slight modi¬ 
fication of the first principles only of the Lanarkshire one. I have 
always considered that information should be well mingled with truth, 
and for that reason, perhaps, you will allow space for the refutation of 
the error. —Wm. Thomson. 
The following is the Editor’s reply :—“ Eait Honey Press.—^In 
last week’s issue we spoke of the honey press as being ‘ invented by 
the late Wm. Eaitt.’ Mr. Wm. Thom.son of Auchinraith, Blantyre, 
informs us that he is the inventor of the principle of the honey 
press, also that he exhibited the press at Edinburgh in 1884. We 
offer our apologies.” 
Your readers will readily observe the wide difference between 
my letter and the apologies. Such a letter, by J. D. McNally, 
appeared in the “Bee-keeper’s Eecord ” some time since, and when 
laid before a meeting of the Caledonian Society every word was 
■disproved, and the letter characterised “as vile as it was un¬ 
truthful.” 
For the benefit of all concerned I will give the facts about the 
honey pressers as well as their uses and construction, but before 
doing so may explain that Heather honey, although unsealed, will 
not yield to any extractor. It sets to an immoveable thickness 
within a few hours after being gathered by the bees. 
So far as my own knowledge is concerned I cannot go much 
fiurther back than fifty years. At that time honey pressers were 
in use, but were mostly similar to those used for cheese pressing. 
Nearly forty years ago I had a presser with screw and rack com¬ 
bined. This one, as well as all others I saw, were too wide, much 
honey remaining amongst the combs, and all too slow in action. 
Several persons in Lanarkshire about the same time conceived 
the idea of a perforated tube or bottomless cylinder, which 
wrought satisfactorily in pressing the honey from the combs, but 
the perforations were too large, and it took three to work it 
satisfactorily—one to cut the combs and fill the tube, while a 
second rammed it, and the third turned the screw, as it is 
unpleasant to do this with honey-smeared hands. Then there 
was another disagreeable move, that of lifting the tin tray to 
allow the comb to be pressed out. At this point I came upon 
-the scene with improvements, substituting small instead of wide 
perforations, and a slide which by four movements a person can 
press the honey and the other work, instead of three as formerly, and 
this without putting a finger upon the honey. I also put a plat¬ 
form on the cylinder, so that the screw holds it rigid while the 
combs are being rammed. There are other minor things in con¬ 
nection with it, but which require to be seen to be understood 
rightly. 
The presser is of polished metal, and is useful for other 
things besides forcing honey from the comb, such as pressing 
fruit, the juice from herbs, &c., also for crushing melted combs to 
extract the wax. I also use it for fixing foundations to sections ; 
for this purpose two pieces of wood are required, and a sole with 
two kneed pieces of iron, having a hole near the top to receive the 
ends of a wire crossing on the under side of the upper piece so as 
to be balanced. The ends of this upper piece are of different sizes to 
suit two sizes of sections, and have a piece with a tooth formed on 
front edge to press the foundation one-eighth broad. On the sole there 
is a thin piece of wood with slots to suit any breadth of section, and on 
this lies a tongue of tin close to the tooth of the upper jaw to keep 
the foundation in its place. The operator has only to sit in front 
of the press and push the section with foundation forward and 
give the screw a half turn, then fold up the foundation to face of 
guide. As will be observed, the upper piece being balanced a small 
article such as a penny placed upon the back part raises the front 
portion hard to bottom of the screw, which makes the work easy and 
perfect. This mode of fastening foundations, although termed 
American, is in reality German, the instructions being obtained 
through Mr. Alfred Neighbour in 1862. 
Some years since I promised to do my best to bring, through 
the help of an engineer, a suitable cheap presser for bee-keepers, 
but unfortunately he went out of business shortly thereafter. I 
have, however, again consulted with a person who has promised to 
manufacture one as a trial from my patterns, but fear when all the 
necessary improvements are added the price cannot be less than 
from 403. to bOs., but even at that it is a cheap and useful imple¬ 
ment no bee-keeper having Heather honey should be without. 
Many people have been prevented having one through incom¬ 
petent judges rejecting useful implements, and awarding prizes 
to useless articles, as was done at a certain show to a presser in 
imitation of the Lanarkshire one, having by far too weak a screw, 
and the tube with a bottom, from which the wax could not be taken 
by any means short of boiling, the Judge in this case believing the 
statement of the owner that the wax or pressed comb would drop 
on being inverted !—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co., 4, Quai de la M^gisserie, Paris .—Catalogue 
of Seeds. 
Kelway & Son, Langport, Somerset .—Plant Manual for 1890. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor ” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Fumlg-atlngr (C., Duhlin'). — Your letter is distinctly an advertise¬ 
ment, though perhaps this did not occur to you when writing, and its 
character is not altered by your having no pecuniary interest in the sale 
of the article recommended. A genuine article is always worth ad¬ 
vertising. 
Pea Hurdles (IF. i.).—These are used when good sticks cannot be 
obtainable except from long distances, which of necessity increases their 
cost, and their speedy decay renders them expensive. Moreover, some 
owners of gardens prefer the hurdles because of their neat appearance. 
They were “ written about ” in our columns a few years ago, and gardeners 
who have used them are at liberty to write about them again with the 
object of giving information, and if their communications are suitable 
they will be inserted. Some persons are satisfied with a row of hurdles 
on one side of the Peas, running a few lengths of string along the 
other, and looping them across to the hurdles ; others have the hurdles 
on both side the rows. It it a question of taste or outlay. 
Bitter Seakale (J/1 C. B .').—When Seakale produces strong 
crowns, the result of thinning the growths in spring and rich soil, and 
the blanching material is perfectly sweet; or if the roots are taken up 
and the growth forced in a dark, sweet, warm house, we have not found 
the produce bitter when properly cooked ; but if the growth is not made 
in total darkness and sweet surroundings, then the Kale is more or less 
