136 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLHWAL. 



Feb. 25, 1904. 



double-tier cases with glass fronts), and the most of them 

 are grading their honey according to Association rules. As 

 a consequence, the product of northern Colorado now has a 

 good reputation among the honey-buyers of the EJast, which 

 IS evidenced by their readiness to buy from this section in 

 preference to looking for their supply elsewhere ; because 

 they are assured of reasonably uniform grading, and of 

 having the honey put up in a case that will suit their trade, 

 as it is neat and showy, and withal the best suited for re- 

 shipping in small lots. 



When it comes to the making up of car-load lots then the 

 question of having uniform cases to handle is a vital one, 

 as it is quite difficult to make a satistactory job in loading 

 when various sizes and styles of cases have to be dealt with. 



Right here I wish to say that it is about time for the 

 large supply manufacturers of the United States to come to 

 some agreement in adopting a standard for the outside 

 dimensions of the various styles of shipping-cases used. 

 At present there is just enough difference in height and 

 length so that cases of the various makes will not pile up 

 satisfactorily. 



While speaking about cases, I wish to say a word about 

 the nailing of them. During the past season the writer 

 has seen the contents of two cases drop on the sidewalk, 

 owing to the insufficient nailing of the bottoms. The cases 

 should be well nailed all over, the glass secured to keep it 

 from sliding out, and the cover nailed on with cement- 

 coated nails. The smooth nails furnished by some manu- 

 facturers for the nailing of the covers are too small to keep 

 from working out in hauling. The paper in the bottom of 

 the case should be neatly folded so as to form a tray, and 

 the drip-sticks in the bottom secured from sliding about by 

 daubing a little honey on their lower sides, or tacking them 

 fast with small tacks, which, however, should not be so 

 long as to stick through the bottom of the cases, as some 

 grocer may be tempted to use strong language for having 

 his counter scratched up. In double-tier cases it is well to 

 have a manilla paper between the upper and lower tier of 

 sections ; there should also be a paper beneath the cover to 

 keep out dust. This paper, however, should not be any 

 larger than the case itself, and not protrude beyond the 

 edges of the cover. 



GRADING COMB HONBY. 



Now, to come to grading of the honey. In removing 

 the honey from the hives an undue amount of smoke should 

 not be used, as it is liable to give the honey a smoky smell ; 

 nor should the bees be permitted to bite holes in the cap- 

 pings, as this disqualifies it for the first grade. 



The honey should be graded in a room that is perfectly 

 bee-tight, and is well supplied with windows. Honey can 

 only be properly graded when a good supply of daylight is 

 available ; lamplight, gas or electric light is not suitable, 

 as it will not give the true colors. 



Some bee-keepers are in the habit of having a shipping- 

 case before them for each grade of honey, and after scrap- 

 ing the propolis from the sections, they put the honey in 

 the case of the grade to which it belongs. I have tried this 

 plan, but it has not proven satisfactory to me, and I now 

 scrape about 20 supers of honey, and when I commence 

 doing this I start three piles, for No. 1, No. 2, and cull. 

 After I have that number of supers emptied, I commence to 

 case, and find that by having such a large number of sec- 

 tions to select from I have a better opportunity to get honey 

 of the same shade of color and finish in the same case. 



In regard to the facing of the cases, I take the stand 

 that the face should represent the contents of the case, and 

 should not be better than the honey that is back of it ; how- 

 ever, I do not believe in going to the other extreme of drop- 

 ping the honey indiscriminately into the cases. Care should 

 be taken that the facing shows honey of the same shade or 

 color, and represents as neat an appearance as the contents 

 of the case will allow. 



Regarding color of honey and cappings, and also the 

 weights of the various grades, our Colorado rules are suffi- 

 ciently explicit to answer all purposes, although there seems 

 to be some bee-keepers afflicted with color blindness, to 

 judge from the color of the honey which they are trying to 

 sell as No. 1 grade. 



It is well to have scales handy while grading honey, so 

 as to make sure that it will come up to the required weight. 

 Now, there is one rule that no one should lose sight of 

 while grading comb honey, and that is this: Try tv put 

 yourself in the place of the buyer, and whenever you are un- 

 decided whether a certain section should go into the first or 

 second grade, as/i yourself the question, " IVould I be willing 



to buy this for No. I myself?" If you continue to follow 

 this rule you will have no trouble about the grading of your 

 comb honey. 



GRADING BXTRACTKD HONEY. 



Any one who wishes to produce extracted honey suitable 

 for table purposes, should bear in mind the following 

 points : 



He must be in a locality that will furnish a white' or 

 very light amber honey. Given such a location, he should 

 have the proper facilities in the way of suitable buildings, 

 extractor, tanks, and a large supply of extracting-combs, 

 so as to be able to produce a strictly first-class article of 

 thoroughly ripened honey. 



It has been my experience that the finest honey put on 

 the market in this State is produced by those bee-keepers 

 that allow their extracting supers to remain on the hives for 

 several weeks after the bees have filled and sealed them ; 

 this honey has a smoothness and flavor about it that is lack- 

 ing in honey which has been extracted before it has been 

 thoroughly ripened in the hives. 



Under certain climatic conditions even honey that has 

 been extracted when the combs are three-fourths capped 

 over is liable to ferment. When the writer was in Chicago 

 he saw a large lot of extracted honey which was produced 

 in one of our neighboring States ; this had been rejected by 

 the buyer because part of it had started to ferment. Fer- 

 mentation destroys the entire flavor of the honey, and 

 makes it unfit for anything except vinegar-making. I, 

 therefore, wish to caution our Colorado bee-keepers to be 

 sure not to extract any honey before it is thoroughly ripened. 



After extracting, all honey should be carefully strained. 

 A strainer made of double thickness of cheese-cloth answers 

 very well for this purpose. As there is always a slight 

 variation in the color of each lot of honey that is extracted, 

 it is well to mark the cans that contain the honey of the 

 same extracting alike, and then give each subsequent lot a 

 different marking. Then, when it comes to the marketing 

 of the honey, it is easy to take a correct sample of each lot. 



Now, in conclusion, let me say that the State of Col- 

 orado has the reputation of producing the finest honey in 

 the United States, and it behooves every bee-keeper to see 

 that this high reputation of our honey is not injured by 

 careless grading and packing. Frank RauchfuSS. 



Mr. Morehouse — If we expect to maintain our reputation 

 we must grade with scrupulous care. One reason that ac- 

 counts for the low price of extracted honey at the present 

 time is the unripeness of some of it, which is fit only for 

 manufacturing purposes. Proper production would not 

 only increase the consumption, but also advance the price. 



F. Rauchfuss then exhibited a case of comb honey that 

 had been sent to the Colorado Honey-Producers' Associa- 

 tion as No. 1 honey. It contained a few No. 1 sections, a 

 number that were No. 2, both as to appearance and weight, 

 and several that were much inferior to the No. 2 standard, 

 all mixed up in the same case. 



Mr. Morehouse — In the exhibiting case at the State 

 Capitol, cull honey has been substituted for the No. 1 honey 

 that was there. 



F. Rauchfuss — I move the Committee on Exhibits be 

 instructed to investigate and see how this came about ; to 

 see who is responsible for our being treated in such a rotten 

 manner. 



Pres. Harris — This shows that there is "a nigger in the 

 woodpile." We should find out the cause and publish it to 

 the world. 



A committee was appointed, consisting of J. U. Harris, 

 W. L,. Porter, and H. Rauchfuss. 



Mr. Gill — The committee sent to Mr. Milleson present 

 the following report : 



Resolved, That, whereas, our aged brother and former 

 president, and a beloved member of this organization, has 

 recently met with a serious and painful accident, causing 

 him much sufi^ering, and preventing his attendance at this 

 meeting ; therefore. 



We hereby extend to Bro. E. Milleson our heartfelt 

 sympathy and good-will. 



Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be incorporated 

 in our minutes, and that a copy of same be delivered to Mr. 

 Milleson. M. A. Gii.i„Chm., R. C. Aikin, \ ^ 



Mrs. M. a. Booth, K. H. Rhodes, (" 



Adopted by a rising vote. 



(Continued next wrek.) 



