Vol. XV. 



FEB. 15, 1887. 



No. A 



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KIPENING HONEY, ETC. 



SOMETHING SPECIAL IN REGARD TO RIPENING THE 

 CAPPED HONEV IN SECTION BOXES. 



fN page 476 of Gleanings for 1886, Dr. Miller 

 says: "It may be objected, that the bees, 

 thus left to fill themselves, will take just so 

 much honey out of the sections. That is just 

 what I like to have them do, for there are 

 always unsealed cells around the outer margin of a 

 section, and the more honey taken from these the 

 better." Dr. Miller, please tell us why you consider 

 it an advantage to have this unsealed honey taken 

 out. I used to think the same before 1 learned how 

 to properly ripen honey, for in the cool damp room 

 where I then kept it, the honey in these unsealed 

 cells always kept thin and getting thinner, so that 

 by the time I crated it a section could not be turned 

 upon its side without this thin honey dropping out 

 and daubing every thing upon which it fell. Ac- 

 cordingly I learned that sections must be kept right 

 6ide up all the while if I would keep every thing tidy. 

 Of course, 1 could do this; but how about the mer- 

 chant who bought it, and the consumer ? I well 

 remember taking a nice sample of the most snowy- 

 white comb honey I ever produced, to a merchant. I 

 sold my honey, too, at that time, and the first thing 

 he did was to turn the section down flat in his hand, 

 as his eyes looked admiringly upon it; but said 

 gaze was only momentary, for the honey from 

 these unsealed cells which 1 had been so careful to 

 keep in place was dripping down between his fin- 

 gers, which caused a feeling other than of admira- 

 tion to come over him. I then gave him a lesson in 

 handling honey, and never afterward did I see him 

 handle honey except in an upright position. But 



however well I and a few others (who know how) 

 might succeed in avoiding this daubing, yet I knew 

 if such a state of affairs were allowed to exist that 

 many would become disgusted with the •' dauby 

 stuff," even if I did not, so I set to work to see if I 

 could not remedy the matter. After studying 

 some time on the matter without solving it, I went 

 to see Mr. Betsinger one day; and while there I 

 went to see his honey, which was kept in a small 

 building, only 7 feet high, having on it a rusty tin 

 roof. As we went into the building I remarked 

 about the great heat inside, when he said that this 

 was as he desired it, for this heat ripened his honey 

 so that it was thick, and never leaked and daubed 

 things. Putting his talk into actions he picked up 

 a section which had been in this room a couple of 

 weeks, and turned it over, backward and forward, 

 without a particle of drip, while one just off the 

 hive, treated the same way, leaked badly. I then 

 saw what was the remedy for my trouble; for here- 

 tofore 1 had kept my honej' in a room on the north 

 side of my dwelling-house, on the first floor, where 

 of course it was cool and damp. Thanking friend B. 

 for what I had learned I came home and planned 

 my present honej' - room which I have often de- 

 scribed in the different bee-papers. 



With this I was satisfied till some two or three 

 years ago, when we had a damp cool time for about 

 two weeks, during which the sun did not shine at 

 all to warm up the dark paint on the outside, in 

 consequence of which the honey gathered damp- 

 ness to an extent not pleasing to me, epecially as I 

 was now about to crate it. This set me to thinking 

 how to remedy the matter, should another such 

 damp time occur in the future, the result of which 

 was the placing of an oil-stove in ray honey-room, 



