464 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JUNH, 15 



GRADING HONEY. 



By Dr. G. C. Miller. 



It seems to me Editor Hutchinson is right in 

 thinking that it is not wise to put in place of 

 the system of grading adopted at Washington 

 another system proposed by a private individ- 

 ual, especially as this latter system had been 

 before the convention at Washington, and re- 

 jected by them. As he says, if there's any 

 thing wrong in the Washington grading, let it 

 be pointed out and corrected at the next North 

 American. 



But I don't feel so sure that he's right in 

 thinking the system all right because no fault 

 has been found by dealers or shippers. I'm 

 afraid the silence with regard to it has been 

 rather the silence of indifference or despair. 

 It's a difficult thing, as the discussions showed, 

 to get all to agree upon any one system; and 

 perhaps the feeling was, " Well, I suppose there 

 isn't much chance to get any thing satisfacto- 

 ry, so it's hardly worth while to say any thing 

 about it." That it has been used three years 

 without fault in one of the journals is some de- 

 gree of testimony as to its being satisfactory. 

 That only one of all the journals used it, and 

 that no word of fault was found because it was 

 not used, seems to be pretty strong proof that 

 it wasn't thought worth using. 



I confess I don't feel very sanguine that any 

 thing entirely satisfactory can be reached; but 

 as attention seems just now turned in that di- 

 rection, it may not be unwise to follow Bro. 

 Hutchinson's hint and point out what isn't just 

 the thing in the Washington grading. 



As already noticed by you, Mr. Editor, the 

 Washington grading gives no No. 2. C There are 

 just two grades of honey— a first and a second 

 grade. If nothing else is to be put on the mar- 

 ket, then two grades are enough; but is it ex- 

 actly the honest thing to name them " Fancy " 

 and "No. 1"? When; you buy a thing .'for 'a 

 No. 1 article, and afterward find out that you 

 havejthe lowest grade to be found, don't you 

 have just a little feeling that you have been 

 swindled ? And don't the dealers to some ex- 

 tent consider the grades as No. 1 and No. 3? 

 Right here it may be well to examine quota- 

 tions as given in Review for March, perhaps 

 also looking at those given in Gleanings for 

 April 1, as the quotations in each are about the 

 same date. 



In Revieiv, C. C. demons t^- Co. quote no fan- 

 cy, only No. 1. Does that mean that the only 

 kind of honey sold in that market in comb is 

 such as described in No. 1. "with combs un- 

 even or crooked, detached at the bottom, or 

 with but few cells unsealed "? But in Glean- 

 ings they quote No. 1 at same prices and No. 

 2 at lower price. Now, isn't their No. 1 in each 

 case the "fancy" described at the head of 

 Review's quotations; and doesn't it look a bit 



as if they were saying, "We quote No. 1 as our 

 best honey in each case; but as there is no No. 

 2 in Review we don't give it there, but we do 

 give it in Gleanings." And isn't their ac- 

 tion, if it means any thing, really objecting to 

 the grading in Review ? Batterson seems to 

 use the grading straight, and perhaps the oth- 

 ers do; but in Minneapolis there's nothing but 

 fancy. Burnett says, "Fancy white, 15; and 

 No. 1 white, 12 to 13." In Gleanings he says, 

 "14c for clover and 13 to 13 for basswood," 

 which rather goes to show he doesn't pay any 

 attention in actual transactions to the North 

 American grading. I doubt whether many of 

 the dealers do. 



On the whole it may be a good thing if all 

 the journals unite to push the Washington 

 grading to the front. It's better than none; 

 and if the dealers can be got to use it, then it's 

 possible enough attention may be given it to 

 remedy any deficiencies. 



But ought nothing to be said about pollen in 

 sections? By the Washington grading, every 

 cell may contain pollen without throwing it 

 out of No. 1 or even fancy. Where would you 

 put a section, white as chalk on one side, but a 

 little darkened on the other? How many cells 

 are unsealed when there are " but few cells un- 

 sealed"? Guess I'd better not ask too many 

 questions. 



Marengo, 111. 



[I believe with the doctor, that there ough 

 to be a No. 2 grading. Necessarily some honey 

 will get into the markets that is neither 

 "Fancy" nor "No. 1," and should therefore 

 be classed just what it is, or No. 2. Moreover, 

 the commission men should state whatf price 

 they are allowing on such honey, so that the 

 producer can decide whether he can send what 

 he has of that sort to the city. No. 2 should, 

 in my estimation, include, in comb honey, sec- 

 tions that are travel-stained, or nor entirely 

 filled out or capped over, or light in weight, 

 but the honey itself of good quality; that is. I 

 would make No. 2 describe the condition not 

 the quality of the honey itself. 



If the other publishers agree that there 

 should be a No. 2 added to the Washington 

 grading, as now partially adopted by the bee- 

 journals, I will have it incorporated in our 

 Honey Column. At all events, there should be 

 uniformity of action on the part of all the jour- 

 nals; for a system of grading, if used at all, 

 should be universal, or as nearly so as may be. 



As 10 the wording, I suggest that the doctor 

 give us a form for No. 2, being careful to make 

 it brief and to the point. As to the classes, I 

 would add one; namely, "mixed," in addition 

 to the terms " white," " amber," and " dark." 



These two changes, a "No. 3," and the term 

 "mixed," would make the current grading 

 nearly perfect. By referring to ihe Honey 

 Column the reader will see how the grading 

 now stands. 



It should be said that this article of the doc- 

 tor's was written before the grading adopted by 

 IhQ Review was used in Gleanings. Since then 

 all our commission men have made their quota- 

 tions conform in every particular to the new 

 grading; and with a single exception they did 

 and are doing it without a protest.— Ed.] 



