706 



parcel post. If a single section is sent, it 

 might be in a light box with corrugated 

 paper around it. For a larger package use 

 a safety shipping case, and I don't know 

 whether it would be safer to have extra 

 corrugated paper around the case, or to 

 send without, so the honey can be seen 

 through the glass. [As we have said sever- 

 al times before in these columns, we I'epeat 

 again, we hope that, for the j^resent at least, 

 beekeepers will not commit the folly of at- 

 tempting to send comb or extracted honty 

 by parcel post. The disastrous experiences 

 of tliose who ha\'e tried it will, we fear, so 

 prejudice the postal authorities that they 

 will never allow honey to be shipped in that 

 way. We believe it can be done some time 

 in the future; but we ought not to make 

 the fearful mistake of prejudicing our 

 chances for all time by making the attempt 

 now. Nothing can disg-ust the general pub- 

 lic more, and the postal authorities as well, 

 than to have their parcels daubed with 

 honey. For pity's sake, brother beekeep- 

 ers, do not try it. Parcel post is on trial to 

 a certain extent. Wliile we believe it has 

 come to stay, we should give the system a 

 fair test, and that means, not to attempt 

 the impossible until suitable regulations 

 have been made wherebj^ honey and other 

 fragile articles can be given a classification 

 and handling by themselves. Just now, for 

 example, the women of Cleveland are send- 

 ing paving bricks by parcel post to the man 

 who has charge of the streets of Cleveland 

 to stir him up to the need of repairs. If 

 one of the " pavers " is put in a sack with 

 a section of honey there is going to be a 

 mess as sure as fate. See editorial column. 

 —Ed.] 



That item from the Farm Journal, p. 

 629, is fine, except where it makes too 

 strong a claim for hone3^ Aside from any 

 moral question, there's no gain in the long 

 run by going beyond the strict truth. I 

 wonder what is the average dryness of hon- 

 ey. Is it, as claimed, usually " less than 20 

 per cent of water'"? I don't know about 

 that, but I do know that another claim is 

 away off which says, " Honey will keep in- 

 definitely. . . . Actually, honey improves 

 with age." I kept a sample of beautiful 

 white extracted honey until it was as black 

 as molasses, and utterlj^ spoiled with age. 

 Would any one claim he ought to get a bet- 

 ter price for his honey because it is a year 

 old? There are enough good things about 

 honey that we ought to teach the public. 

 Please don't let's get in the way of lying 

 about it. [By consulting Bulletin No. 110, 

 from the Bureau of Chemistry, United 

 States Department of Agricultwre, by 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Brown, you will find the average analysis 



of honey as follows : 



Moisture 17.70 per cent 



Levulose 40.50 per cent 



Dextrose 34.02 per cent 



Sucrose 1.90 per cent 



Ash 0.18 per cent 



Dextrin 1.51 per cent 



Undetermined 4.19 per cent 



100.00 per cent 



It will be seen from this statement that 

 less than 20 per cent of water is correct, for 

 BroAvn is known to be one of the best chem- 

 ists in the United States. 



About honey keeping " indefinitely " and 

 improving with age, suppose you look at 

 the September issue of the Natio))al Geo- 

 graphical Magazine, p. 999. On that page 

 you will see where some findings from one 

 of the pyramids of Egypt are illustrated 

 and described. Among other things we 

 read : 



FRESH HONEY 3300 TEARS OLD. 

 Most startling of all was the discovery of a jar of 

 honey, still liquid, and still preserving its character- 

 istic scent after 3300 years! " One looked," said Mr. 

 Weigall, " from one article to another with the feel- 

 ing that the entire human conception of time is 

 wrong. These were the things of yesterday, of a 

 year or two ago." 



If we are correct, tiiere is another ac- 

 count of honey being found in the pyra- 

 mids, and it was in excellent condition. We 

 positively know this : We have tasted ex- 

 tracted honey that was twelve years old. 

 Some very interesting data on this subject 

 will be found on pages 712 and 713 in this 

 issue by R. C. Aikin. 



Refening to the sample that you kept 

 until it was " as black as molasses," the 

 question all hinges on how you " kept " it. 

 Honey should be kept in a dry dark place. 

 Conditions inside of the pyramid, as we 

 understand it, were ideal for the preserva- 

 tion of human bodies, of monkeys, of dogs, 

 and of cats, which were also mummified. 

 If that were so, why would not honey keep 

 under conditions which were perfect — pos- 

 sibly more so than we can supply in this 

 country ? 



Is it not true that good extracted honey 

 will improve with age up to a certain point 

 when conditions are right? Honey that has 

 not been thoroughly ripened will improve 

 A ery much if kept in open vats in a dry at- 

 mosphere. Even comb honey, up to six 

 months or a year old, will have a richer and 

 mellower flavor providing it does not gran- 

 ulate. Perhaps it is too startling for the 

 average mind to conceive of a honey .3300 

 years old, " still liquid," and still preserv- 

 ing its " characteristic scent." But is there 

 another food in the world, of a semi-liquid 

 character, thai will keoi> as lung? — Ed.] 



