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A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to the Interests of Honey Producers. 

 $L00 A YEAR, 

 w. z. HDTCfllNSOK. Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL. XVII. FLINT, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 15, 1904. NO. 8. 



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.^tracte( 



BY E. D. TOWNSEND. 



JN handling honey after it is extract- 

 ed, we work on the theory that the 

 quicker it is canned, after the impuri- 

 ties have separated, the better the hon- 

 ey. After honey is well-ripened on 

 the hive, it is a question whether it 

 can be improved by any practical 

 known method, but all will probably 

 agree that the body and flavor can be 

 practically ruined by a little careless- 

 ness, or inexperience, in handling. 



KKEP DAMPNESS AWAY FROM HONEY. 



With the method we are about to 

 describe, dampness is the only thing 

 we have to guard against; and, as our 

 honey remains in the tank only one 

 day, all we have to do, when through 

 extracting for the day, is to shut up 

 the extracting house as close as pos- 

 sible, so that the damp night air will 

 not penetrate the house; in fact, when 

 we open the door the next morning, 

 the air inside will feel warm and dry, 

 showing that a part of the heat of the 

 previous day has been retained over 

 night; making an ideal place for the 

 honey in the tank to clarify itself. We 



prefer our tanks large enough so that 

 an ordinary day's extracting will fill 

 one full, and another say, one-half full; 

 then, when practical, one goes ahead 

 in the morning, and skims, and cans, 

 the partly full tank, to make room for 

 the forenoon's extracting; and then 

 there are usually odd times, before the 

 room is needed, to can up the honey in 

 the other tank. 



SKIMMING HONEY. 



In skimming honey we use a large 

 iron spoon, the honey being of so 

 heavy body, it is not practical to use a 

 very large skimmer; then, we do not 

 try to get the skimmings all off clean, 

 unless it is the last time, when we 

 want to draw all the honey out of the 

 tank. It does not take long to run 

 over a tank with this small skimmer, 

 as we work right along lively, no mat- 

 ter if we do get quite a lot of honey 

 with the skimmings, as we set the 

 pail aside, and, at night, when through 

 uncapping, we empty it in the uncap- 

 ping tank, and the honey will drip 

 down through the cappings, while the 



