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THE AMERICAJSr BEE JOURNAL. 



For tlie American Bee JoumaL 



Extracted Honey. 



W. G. IISH. 



Honey, as an article of food, has 

 been known since very ancient times. 

 We (ind it mentioned many times in 

 Holy writ, and to reside in "a land 

 flowing with milk and honey " (two 

 of the most strengthening and nutri- 

 tious of food-siibiances) was the de- 

 sire of the ancient Jews. Honey is 

 the only pure natural sweet found, 

 and as such it commands a high place 

 in the products of the world ; and e,x- 

 tracted lioney is rapidly taking its 

 rightful place in the front rank of 

 honey-products. 



The only liquid honey with which 

 people were formerly familiar,was the 

 old - fashioned " strained honey " 

 which was taken by mashing combs, 

 bee bread, dead bees and larvte, in a 

 sticky mess, and lieating,when a dark, 

 rank, turbid honey would be ob- 

 tained, which contained a consider- 

 able quantity of bee- bread, legs and 

 wings of bees, etc. It was lioney 

 coarse in flavor and most repulsive in 

 its associations. Extracted honey is 

 honey in its purest condition — exactly 

 as gathered by the bees— without any 

 foreign admixture whatever. It can 

 only be produced through the modern 

 methods of scientitic bee-culture — by 

 the use of movable-comb hives and 

 the honey-extractor — in the following 

 way : 



The apiarist goes to the hive from 

 which he wishes to extract, removes 

 the cover and carefully raises the 

 quilt that covers the frames, at the 

 same time directing a stream of 

 smoke from his smoker upon the bees, 

 which alarms them and before which 

 they retreat. He then lifts out the 

 surplus combs, gives them a shake to 

 dislodge the bees, brushes off all that 

 remain, and carries the combs to the 

 extracting-room. The caps of the 

 cells, if they are capped, are shaved 

 off with a sharp knife, and the combs 

 then put into the extractor. If water 

 is poured upon a rapidly revolving 

 grindstone it flies off because of the 

 force of the motion imparted to it. 

 This force is called centrifugal force, 

 and the honey-extractor applies this 

 force in such a way that it throw^s the 

 honey from the combs which are left 

 entire, to be returned to the bees to 

 be again filled and extracted, and so 

 on till the end of the honey-flow. 



The honey, when drawn from the 

 extractor, has a . bright, sparkling 

 clearness never seen in strained 

 honey, and retains all the flavor and 

 perfume of the particular flowers 

 from which it was gathered. Hy this 

 means it will be seen that we can 

 preserve the identity of the clover, 

 basswood and buckwheat honey. 



This honey will granulate or candy 

 in cool weather as will, in fact, any 

 pure honey, unless heated and sealed 

 while hot. This granulation is a test 

 of its purity, and while in tlial state, 

 it will keei) for any length of time, 

 and may easily be liquilied by placing 

 the vessel containing it in warm 

 water. When served upon the tea- 

 table as a sauce to biscuits or hot- 



rolls, it makes a One appearance, and 

 is relished by every one ; and nothing 

 is better for breakfast than hot cakes 

 and honey. Thus the superiority of 

 extracted honey, and its special 

 superiority over strained, will be 

 recognized. 

 Ithaca, 9 N. Y. 



Prairie Farmer. 



Bee-Keepers at the Fairs. 



MKS. L. HARKISON. 



All bee-keepers ought to be inter- 

 ested in looking after and preparing 

 an apiarian exhibit for State, county 

 and district Fairs this autumn. At 

 no other time or place, as at these 

 great popular schools, can people see 

 the importance of this industry. 

 Honey has generally been regarded 

 as a luxury, or a medicine, and not as 

 a food for every man's table. People 

 must be taught that it is an excellent 

 article of diet, far more healthful 

 than the syrups in the market ; be- 

 sides, for several years, it has been 

 sold cheaper than butter. 



For these reasons, quantities of the 

 honey of each State should be on ex- 

 hibition at tlieir respective State 

 Fairs ; samples of all the different 

 kinds produced, from the earliest 

 spring honey to the latest gathered in 

 autumn. Some bee-keepers think 

 they have done their whole duty when 

 they put on exhibition a few pounds 

 of white clover or basswood honey, 

 and many persons are led to tliink 

 that all the honey the exhibitors pro- 

 duce is of that kind. The public must 

 be taught that neither the bees nor 

 their owners make honey, but that 

 bees gather it from flowers. 



Apple honey is dark, but fine- 

 flavored, resembling the aroma of 

 roses ; that from the raspberry is 

 light and of a delicate flavor. The 

 justly celebrated white clover is light, 

 and the comb is very delicate. The 

 linden or basswood produces light 

 brown honey, very rich in vegetable 

 oil. Goldenrod gives it rich and 

 thick, and of a golden color. The 

 autumn honeys, in many seasons, 

 appear to be niixed, different flowers 

 such as asters, polygonum, and many 

 others blooming at the same time. 

 Honey-dew, bark-lice or "bug-juice," 

 is generally very dark, and of a sick- 

 ening flavor, and the comb has no 

 strength ; sometimes the honey looks 

 as If sooty water from a coal chimney 

 was mixed with it. 



It would be well for the bee-keepers 

 to fill cases of comb and extracted 

 honey of all kinds produced by them, 

 and label them — as, apple, raspberry, 

 white clover, etc., in large lettei-s. 

 Persons haye said to the writer that 

 they thought bees made honey, and 

 that it vas all alike. 



In order to facilitate the introduc- 

 tion of honey, let exhibitors have 

 small iiackages of honey for sale, in 

 such shape as to be readily carried. 

 At a Fair in Toronto, Canada, one 

 autumn, a prominent bee-keeper sold 

 hundrec's of tiny tin-buckets contain- 

 ing a few ounces of fine extracted 

 honey, at aiiickleapiece. ]5ysodoing 

 many persons to whom honey was a 



strange food, got a taste of it, and an 

 appetite was acquired, creating a de- 

 mand for it in tliat market. Paper 

 boxes or buckets with handles are 

 just the thing in which to carry a one- 

 pound section. With the aid of 

 these, many pounds of honey might 

 be sold at Fairs. 



In getting up an exhibit, beeswax 

 is not to be forgotten ; arrange it in 

 attractive form. A collection of 

 honey-plants, mounted and arranged 

 scientifically, would add to the value 

 of the exhibit. Dealers in apiarian 

 supplies should exhibit tlieir goods so 

 that the people may have an oppor- 

 tunity of knowing what modern bee- 

 keeping is, and of judging intelli- 

 gently. 



Peoria,© Ills. 



Mistakes in Bee-Eeeping. 



It is a mistake to invest very largely 

 in any business that you are not ac- 

 quainted with ; better post yourself 

 thoroughly before commencing. 



It is a mistake not to feed bees be- 

 fore blossoms appear in the spring, to 

 encourage breeding. 



It is a mistake not to have your 

 colonies strong at all seasons of the 

 year. 



It is a mistake to neglect to put on 

 supers darly enough in the spring, if 

 comb honey is required for breeding 

 purposes. 



It is a mistake not to use comb 

 foundation ; for by its use we can al- 

 ways depend upon straight combs and 

 greater conveniences for handling. 



It is a mistake to neglect to remove 

 all full boxes or sections as soon as 

 properly sealed. Bees sometimes soil 

 them by traveling over them with 

 their dirty feet. 



It is a mistake not to supply an 

 abundance of room for them to store 

 their surplus, when honey is plentiful. 

 Bees often remain idle for want of 

 space to store their treasure. 



It is a mistake to extract or take 

 honey from the bees too late in the 

 season without supplying them with 

 more. It is cruel to rob them and 

 then leave them to starve. 



It is a mistake to visit the bees too 

 often during the winter ; better have 

 their winter quarters so constructed 

 that their condition can be ascertained 

 without disturbing them. — Fireside 

 Friend. 



Convention Notices. 



t;S~ The Kentucky State liec-Keepers' So- 

 ciety will meet in Walker Hail, at Covington, 

 Ky.; on Sept. 2:i and -24. 188.5. The Reverend 

 L. L. Lang'stroth is expected to be present, 

 and all bee-keepers are invited to attend. 



J. T. CONNLEY, Sec. . 



Z^T The Progressive Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, of Western Illinois, will meet at Ma- 

 comb, Ills., on Thiii'sday, Oct. 15, ISK."). Let 

 everybody come and have an enjoyable time. 

 Good speakers are expected. 



J. G. Norton, Sec. 



J^W The :)rd annual convention of the 

 Iowa State Bee-Keeiiers' Association will be 

 held on the Fair Grounds at DesMoines, 

 Iowa, during the Fair week. The first meet- 

 ing will held be at the bee-keepers' tent, on 

 Tuesday. Sept. 8, at 2 p. m. ; also their will 

 be !i MMM'tiii^.- held on each succeeding'- niyiit, 

 or as often as the convention may desii-e. 



