NOVEMBER 15. 1915 



Again, the demand for lioney inflnrles the 

 neatness, delicacy, and altractivencss of the 

 aiticle more than the weight of a certain 

 portion. The market demands that it be 

 cased so that the wiiite and well-tinished 

 sections shall be separate from those of 

 darker or less presentable combs. Hence 

 the combination of these two requirements, 

 neatness and weight, makes so many vari- 

 eties to case separatelj' that it is impossible 

 for the common workman to ease honey 



949 



under this system. It causes the producer 

 to procure expert and expensive assistants 

 or to send his product by a circuitous route 

 in order to have it properly graded at in- 

 creased expense at some central grading- 

 honse. 



These considerations should stir the comb- 

 honey producers to combine for a more 

 equable market condition and to overthrow 

 a system of grading which the public does 

 not understand nor demand. 



Boulder, Col. 



NOTES FROM GERMANY 



BY J. A. HEBERLE_, B. S. 



Honey, " the essence of all that is good," 

 presents a great variation of color, aroma, 

 and taste — mostly a combination of nectars 

 from various flowers and blossoms. In 

 America there are vast areas seeded to al- 

 falfa, and at the time of bloom the bees will 

 visit other flowers to such a small extent 

 that we may properly speak of alfalfa 

 honey. The same holds true for white 

 clover, basswood, orange blossom, etc. 



In Germany, with the exception of heath- 

 er and the juice from a fir-tree, we harvest 

 but small quantities of honey the nectar of 

 which is chiefly from one plant — sainfoin, 

 akazie, buckwheat, etc. 



DANDELION HONEY. 



Here in the extreme southern part of 

 Germany, but a few miles from the Alps, 

 we harvest a little honey from the dande- 

 lion, but all of it has some nectar from the 

 fruit-trees and other flowers mixed with it. 

 The color of dandelion honey is that of 

 gold with a verj' decided aroma, and tastes 

 rather strong, especially to those used only 

 to mild honey. The taste is fine wlien mixed 

 with the nectar of other flowers in such a 

 proportion that the taste of the dandelion 

 is not so very prominent that it has lost its 

 pungency. 



The honey is very viscous; and, if not 

 extracted immediately, some of the combs 

 will break — even old combs. I have seen it 

 crystallize within 48 hours after extraction, 

 although it had been only partly capped. 

 By the way, this is the onlv variety of hon- 

 ey here that may be extracted before the 

 combs ai-e capped without losing quality. 

 All the honey from other flowers, if ex- 

 tracted before capping, shows a decided 

 inferiority in taste — something like a raw. 

 unfinished product, and it does not keep 

 well. However, uncapped honey may be 

 extracted if no nectar has been coming in 

 for some time when the surplus water has 



been evaporated, and the bees have ripened 

 the honev. but for lack of nectar have not 

 capped it. 



Dandelion grows here in great profusion, 

 especially in fields that have a few years 

 before been cultivated with the plow. The 

 country appears during the second half of 

 May like a chessboard in gold and green. 

 It begins to bloom here between May 10 

 and 15, and lasts for two weeks. Some 

 flowers are seen at the end of April, but 

 they are not numerous enough to be of 

 importance. The pollen^ which it furnishes 

 in great quantities is of orange-yellow color. 



The great drawback is, that this early in 

 spring most of the colonies are not at their 

 best, and the weather is very unfavorable. 

 It is cold, and much rain and wind prevail 

 on account of the nearness of the Alps and 

 the elevation of the country. 



The country here is a natural pasture. 

 The meadows are not excelled anywhere. 

 The secretion of nectar from a gi'eat variety 

 of plants from about the middle of May till 

 the end of June would be good, and the 

 quality of the honey excellent ; but the 

 weather does not favor the beekeepers. 

 Usually in this immediate vicinity about 

 July 1, the honey harvest is over. What 

 the bees get afterward they need themselves, 

 and usuallj^ a few pounds of sugar has to 

 be fed in the fall to provision them amply 

 till the following spring. Some years (the 

 exception) bees may store surplus in July 

 or the first of AugTist, depending on the 

 weather. Considerable difference may be 

 noted of ajDiaries only a mile or two apart, 

 depending on the configuration of the coun- 

 try — a protected valley, for instance — " lo- 

 cality." Oranges may do well on a hillside, 

 but freeze on land onl}' a few hundred feet 

 further down. 



THE HONEY CROP IN GERMANY. 



From reports of different parts we may 



