ASTERS. 



35 



BARRELS. 



branches, and branchlets terminating in a 

 solitary flower-head. They grow along the 

 dry riversides in early August. 



The New England aster, Novce Anglice, 

 has stout hairy stems some eight feet high, 

 with some large violet-jnirple or sometimes 

 pinkish flower-heads. These are conspicu- 

 ous in late summer. 



Another species is a tall swamp variety 

 with long showy pale-lavender ray-flowers. 



One of the most common asters is A. cor- 

 difolius. As its name indicates, the leaves 

 are heart-shaped ; but it is not the only spe- 



cies of this numerous family with leaves of 

 that shape. It has many pale-blue or al- 

 most white flowers. 



A beautiful specimen is the " seaside," a 

 puiple aster — A. spectabiUs. This is a low- 

 growing plant with large bright heads hav- 

 ing the usual purple ray-flowers. It grows 

 on sandy soil near the coast. 



In general we may say that the aster, like 

 the goldeurod, is conspicuous during the 

 fall of the year throughout almost all the 

 United States ; and, like the goldenrod, it 

 might almost be called our national flower. 



B. 



BASTAT BEES. See Bees. 



BARRELS. The regular size used for 

 the storage and shipping of honey is any- 

 wliere from 31 to 32 gallons. Barrels of -45 

 to 50 gallons capacity, however, are a little 

 too heavy; being very unwieldy they are 

 liable to be broken or jammed by freight- 

 handlers in shipping. As to the kind of 

 barrel, second-hand alcohol or whisky bar- 

 rels that can be obtained at the drugstores 

 may be used, providing they are not charred 

 on the inside. The ordinary alcohol-barrel 

 is gummed or glazed on the inside with a 

 preparation of glue that does not dissolve. 

 As a general rule, whisky-barrels are char- 

 red, and therefore unsuitable. Before taking 

 barrels of any kind it is very necessary to 

 determine what the character of the lining 

 is on the inside. Molasses or syrup barrels 

 may be used, if they be thoroughly cleansed : 

 but barrels that have a sour or musty smell 

 should not be considered for a moment ; 

 for, even if cleaned, they might taint and 

 ruin the honey. 



After the barrel has been cleaned it should 

 be put in a dry place, so that it will dry 

 thoroughly, inside and out ; and this re- 

 minds me that you should never use barrels, 

 the wood of which has become soaked with 

 water ; for honey has the quality of absorb- 

 ing moisture from the wood ; that is to say, 

 a wet barrel filled with honey will actually 

 become dry. The staves shrink, and then, 

 of course, the honey leaks out. If one does 

 a large business in shipping honey in bar- 

 rels he should buy new ones. The staves 



should be made of sound kiln-dried stuff; 

 and nothing but iron hoops, not wooden 

 ones, should be used. The barrels should be 

 kept in a dry place, and then, before using, 

 they should be well coopered and tested, as 

 will be explained. 



KEGS. 



Wooden packages holding from 100 to 1-50 

 lbs. are used quite extensively in some parts 

 of the East. They are usually made of cy- 

 press, and, when well made, make a very 

 good package. The general directions that 

 apply to barrels will equally apply to kegs. 



BARRELS THE FREQUENT CAIJSE OF COM- 

 PLAINT. 



It may be said that no slovenly, careless, 

 or slipshod bee-keeper should use barrels. 

 He will be too careless to see that they are 

 tight. He will put his honey into them, 

 ship them, and in all probability the bar- 

 rels will begin to leak en route; and he will 

 receive a complaint from the consignee 

 that "the honey arrived in bad condition," 

 "half of it gone." There have been more 

 ill feelings and hard words because of inex- 

 cusable carelessness or lack of proper knowl- 

 edge concerning this matter of shipping 

 honey in barrels than, perhaps, any other 

 one thing connected with the marketing of 

 honey. If the directions we have given are 

 carefully followed, and good barrels are se- 

 lected, there will be little or no trouble. 



Another frequent source of complaint 

 arises from the fact that the barrels are filled 

 too full. Honey, during the process of candy- 

 ing, will expand. If it is put into the barrel 

 long before it is candied, the barrel should 



