AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



177 



it was too "green." Then, again, we 

 might have been a little short of jars, 

 and emptied it out too soon in order to 

 receive a new filling. Some who ripen 

 honey thus artifically adopt some special 

 length of time for its exposure, and 

 there comes some weather when evapor- 

 ation is slow, but unnoticed by the 

 senses. It turns a little cooler, the 

 honey appears to be as thick as some 

 that was canned up on a hot day pre- 

 viously, and again the mark is missed. 



The "spec" of difference lies In 

 whether we shall allow the bees to do 

 their work alone, or we are to turn 

 in and assist them. One is a ques- 

 tion of hives, combs and bees ; the other, 

 buildings, vessels, and time of the api- 

 arist. We may have plenty of bees, 

 combs, etc., and still not be able to fore- 

 go the expense of constructing buildings 

 or .the purchase of ripening facilities. 

 In Illinois a building would be absolutely 

 necessary, and in California an equally 

 expensive platform in order to keep the 

 honey from ants. In Iowa, my former 

 location, ripening-pans might be used 

 without danger. Here, in fifteen min- 

 utes, ants will find it, and by an hour's 

 time, they will move into it by platoons. 

 In fact, the California apiarist's mind is 

 pretty thoroughly taken up with ants, 

 spiders, gnats, dust, weeds, brush, rocks, 

 stings, melting, heat and dilapidated 

 hives and frames, and freight bills, and 

 if hi| honey-house is as good as a cloth 

 tent without a floor, he feels blessed. 



When the Eastern bee-man comes here 

 and looks at an apiary he invariably 

 says, "How soon I would construct 

 hives of planed lumber and paint them, 

 build a honey-house, grub out the brush, 

 and introduce order." One or two trips 

 in a rocky canyon shakes this superflu- 

 ous energy out of him. He may jostle 

 along a bit, as a second effort, but he 

 soon settles down into the smoothly 

 worn rut pursued by the majority. He 

 avoids everything but the absolutely 

 necessaries, and leaves the labor as 

 much to the bees as possible, and trans- 

 fers the honey from the combs into the 

 receptacles in which it is to remain by 

 the easiest and quickest possible plan. 



If it is extracted before sealed it is to 

 save labor of uncapping. This country 

 is far ahead of the East for ripening 

 honey artificially — being rainless and 

 hot all through the summer season. 

 Notwithstanding this, I saw, the past 

 season, in a single apiary where evapor- 

 ating facilities were in use, several tons 

 of honey which had the tart of unripe- 

 ness. It was at the apiary, in the shade 

 of a tree. It needed a little hauling in 



the sun to make it foam. More of the 

 same sort was added to the pile ; sealed, 

 boxed, stamped, ready for shipment. 

 Called, " extra fine." 



Some bee-keepers get so well up in the 

 art of extracting before sealing, that 

 they begin to shirk the ripening in a 

 corresponding measure. The practice 

 of one seems to lead to the neglect of 

 the other, and while they are so in haste 

 after quantity at the expense of quality, 

 never looking back at their wake of dis- 

 satisfied consumers, we almost wonder 

 that they do not contrive some plan to 

 snatch the nectar from the blossoms be- 

 fore the bees. 



Mr. Robbins quotes rightly in that I 

 " think comb honey should remain on 

 the hives long enough to become travel- 

 stained." That is not expressing any 

 particular liking for the stain. I be- 

 lieve travel-stain is nothing less than 

 propolis and dirt. For combs to become 

 travel-stained requires a considerable 

 lapse of time. During this time it is 

 covered with bees, which keeps it warm 

 and dry, and in a ripening condition. 

 The honey departs from a raw, watery 

 consistency. How much stain there is 

 upon it will depend upon how far it is 

 situated from the entrance. The nearer 

 the entrance the more stain, the same as 

 a carpet in a room is worn most nearest 

 the door, yet it may be just as warm 

 and pleasant back in some corner where 

 feet seldom go. So with combs of honey, 

 which may be situated as to receive lit- 

 tle travel-stain, and still receive a bene- 

 fit from the warmth of the bees. The 

 greatest warmth is high up in the hive — 

 the most travel-stain, low down. 



In the case of the beef which was 

 hung up until it began to smell before 

 being ready to eat, there is misapplica- 

 tion. The meat was simply spoiled. If 

 we wish to spoil honey, hang it in the 

 damp cellar. For a long time after the 

 honey harvest the bees continue to oc- 

 cupy and protect the whole hive space, 

 which may include two supers of sections 

 or an extracting story. Pull the lid off 

 the top, and we find bees at our fingers' 

 ends. 



About the first of September, in Illi- 

 nois and Iowa, or Colorado, the brood 

 diminishes, the bees gather into clusters 

 lower in the hives, and on cool mornings 

 we find the upper combs being deserted. 

 Honey should be removed before the bees 

 desert it, as outside the clusters the con- 

 dition is the same as in the cellar. The 

 clusters of bees are warm. The sur- 

 rounding air and combs are cold, and 

 the condensation of moisture and sweat- 

 ing is the result. The honey upon which 



