THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



37 



to get any more for the best dark houey 

 than. for a second or third grade of white. 



The adoption of the note and fourth grade 

 proposed by Mr. Baldridge would very much 

 improve the Chicago system of grading, as 

 with them there would be only twelve grades 

 of honey, whereas without them there may 

 be grades almost without end. 



The appearance of the case containing the 

 honey should certainly be taken into ac- 

 count in establishing the grade. There 

 should also be a ruling in regard to sections 

 containing pollen. I have never been very 

 successful in selling honey when the sections 

 were not well filled and sealed. If incom- 

 plete sections are put on the market at all 

 they should go in the lowest grade, and had 

 better be kept by themselves. 



Dayton, III., 



Feb. 2, 1892. 



The Grading of Coml) and the Grading of 

 Honey.— Necessity for Marking Cases. 



M. H. MANDELBAUM. 



(With S. T. Fish & Cu.) 



C^T BOUT thirty members of the North- 

 U^) western Association were in attend- 

 ance at the convention in Chicago, 

 and that so small a proportion should be 

 able to draft a set of faultless resolutions, 

 seems improbable. On the last day, in fact 

 the last two hours before adjournment, the 

 resolutions on grading of honey were 

 adopted. Our president. Dr. C. C. Miller, 

 then congratulated us on having accom- 

 plished so much. The resolutions were re- 

 ferred to Albany for revision, and I, as 

 mover of such motion, am disappointed with 

 the progress there made. The question 

 arises, what shall we now do to accomplish 

 our aim ? Let us all unite and send our 

 ideas to the bee periodicals. We can ac- 

 complish nothing by delay, and I am of the 

 opinion that we can gain our point before it 

 is time to harvest a new crop. 



Should not the plan be to first adopt 

 " grading of honey," then decide on the 

 topics, "size of sections." "'size of crates," 

 "style of package for extracted." These 

 four points can be argued pro and con, and 

 our leading editors then frame their adop- 

 tion. When we have accomplished this, we 

 are in shape to cope with such an enemy or 

 evil as "adulteration," and seek a wider 

 field for "uses of honey." We must first 



seek perfection in our own midst and then 

 remedy outside faults. Delay is useless, so 

 everybody to arms. That we may not be 

 successful in finding perfect laws, I am con- 

 vinced, but do we not grade two of our most 

 widely handled farm products, viz., butter 

 and eggs? At times, not often, buyer and 

 seller cannot agree as to grade, and arbitra- 

 tion then decides. This can also be done 

 with honey. 



What benefit can we derive after adopting 

 a set of rules ? Every producer and mer- 

 chant could have a copy. This would pre- 

 vent shipments of honey to market that are 

 unsalable, and would permit of exact quota- 

 tions. I will not advance arguments, but if 

 any discussions are contrary, will answer and 

 endeavor to show merit to my views. 



I will divide the topic in two. First, 

 grading of comb ; second, grading of honey. 

 And for the former I cannot improve on 

 those rules adopted in Chicago, except that 

 1 would call the first grade "Fancy;" the 

 second, "First;" and the third, "Second." 



Grades for honey I would have as follows : 



Extra White, being water white ; White, 

 being what the word implies ; Extra C, 

 straw color ; C, being between straw and 

 dark ; D., being dark. 



For explanation to above key notice the 

 following example: An apiarist writes, "I 

 have ten cases first grade white basswood, 

 five cases fancy extra C. linden, or twenty 

 cases second grade D. buckwheat honey," 

 and by referring to list we know exactly 

 how to respond. 



All of our grading will be of no avail unless 

 producers mark on end of case both quality 

 and grade, as, for example : 1st, X. C, Lin- 

 den ; or, Fancy X. W. Clover. 



Each package of extracted to be branded, 

 as, for example : X. C, Sage ; or, X. W. 

 Alfalfa. 



When the above is accomplished and every 

 package marked as to grade and quality, 

 with the gross and net weights underneath, 

 it will be a pleasure to show honey to buyers. 

 But with no system and every shipper using 

 a different style of packages and sections, we 

 have no uniformity ; instead we have extra 

 labor that could be prevented, with but little 

 work on the part of the producer. Let the 

 opposition or advocates of this topic act at 

 once, and we then are ready for the next 

 question. 



Chicago, 111. 



Jan. 25, 1892. 



