CHAPTER XVIII 

 MARKETING THE HONEY CROP 



THE production of honey necessitates skill in the manage- 

 ment of bees but the preparation of the crop for market and 

 the selling of the honey are equally important to financial 

 success and are sometimes equally difficult. In the follow- 

 ing discussion, the procedure in getting honey into its final 

 package ready for the consumer will first be considered, 

 after which some general principles of honey selling, which 

 apply to all types of honey, will be briefly given. 



PREPARATION OF EXTRACTED-HONEY FOR MARKET 



The beekeeping part of the work may be considered as 

 ended when the honey reaches the tank or barrel. Honeys 

 from different sources should so far as possible be extracted 

 separately, for they are not of equal money value and the 

 mixing of honeys of two colors or flavors usually reduces 

 the wholesale price of the mixture to that of the least valuable. 



Wholesale packages. 



The usual wholesale package is the 5-gallon (60-pound) 

 square tin can, such cans most often being shipped two 

 in a crate (Fig. 137). Most of the foreign honeys that 

 reach the United States markets come in barrels and 

 these are also much used by southern beekeepers. In the 

 West they are rarely used and are not considered safe. 

 Considerable care must be exercised in their choice and in 

 preparing them to receive the honey. Second-hand alcohol 

 or whisky barrels are suitable, provided they have not been 



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