The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-01-21
PIG.
Fig. 2-comb-Basket Rack for Holding
Sections in the Extractor.

made the attempt. I have always let
my bees do the extracting-that is. any
unfinished sections which I reserved
for next seasons bait-eombs set out
for the bees to help themselves. This
is an easy way TO get these sections
cleaned out; but it has the disadvan-
tage that the colonies that don't need
any feeding get it all. or nearly all,
while those that are sorely in need Of
stores get very little if any
We may take it for granted that no
bee-keeper would even think Of ex-
tracing finished sections. or even such
unfinished sections as could be profit
ably disposed of as chunk honey, or
used otherwise to advantage But
some seasons produce a certain kind
of unfinished sections that seemed to
be made for the extractor. According
to the peculiarities of different sea
sons honey-fows, we have two distinct
types OF unfinished sections One kind
is partly built out, some not larger
than the inside of a hand. but all
drawn out, filled with honey, and every
cell capped over. while the other is
all built and drawn out, filed more
or less with honey, but little. if any.
capped. The past season produced in
this locality, with the exception Of
very little finished honey where bait
combs had been supplied) the latter
kind
During the five days Of white-cIOver
honey-fiow, lasting from the 10Th until
the Both Of June. honey was gathered
in such quantities that the comb
builders had all they could do to fur.
nish storage for the incoming nectar;
and when the combs were built and
drawn out they were also filed with
honey, and about ready to be capped
Just then the honey-fOw ceased; and
so complete was the following failure
that not the least progress was made
in sections for the remainder Of the
season, although enough was gathered
/ most of the time for bees 10 live on
| and to store little in the broOd-cham
Der. This explains why the largest
/ share of our crop consisted of JUS
such unfinished sections as could bs
/ extracted with very little trouble;
and as extracted honey was so very
scarce, the little that those sections
contained looked big in my eyes, which
induced me to try the extractor.
AS 1 said before, I had no convent
ent way to extract sections: but beins
anxious to try the experiment. a few
minutes work solved the problem.
The accompanying drawing. Fig. l
represents a little adjustable shell
that is suspended by wire hooks int
the upper part Of the extraetor-basket
as shown at Fig. ?. 1t is made Of half
inch lumber and fits loosely into tn
omb-basket. The dotted lines show
the position Of the wires on the unde
side of the shelf, where they ar,
fastened by two little staples clinche,
above. The shelf should not be hun.
too low. If the sections project allow
the basket enough for a hold. it vii
make it all the more convenient. l
we use the precaution OF reversing
the basket twice. or, in other words
, If we reverse the basket after part o
the contents is thrown out from on
side by moderate speed. before tryinl
to make a clean sweep. it is almost in
possible to detach the combs from tn
wood or even bend them out of shape
If they are reasonably fastened to tn
| SfdaS