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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



comb honey, however, because the flavor 

 of the beeswax it contains masks the in- 

 herent flavor and aroma of the honey 

 with which it is partaken. I do not 

 mention color in this connection, because 

 I am treating of the ripening of honey, 

 and the ripening process has no appre- 

 ciable eiJect upon its color. 



I define unripe honey as that in which 

 there is an excess of water ; and ripe 

 honey as that which has been brought 

 to the recognized standard of density 

 and possessing the highest possible de- 

 gree of its inherent flavor and aroma. I 

 say the highest degree possible, because 

 the ripening process, whether carried on 

 in the hive, or by artificial means, pre- 

 judicially affects both flavor and aroma. 



Most honey, when first stored, has an 

 excess of water in it. If the flow be 

 scant, and it remains a sufficient length 

 of time in the unsealed cells, this excess 

 of water will evaporate, the high tem- 

 perature of the hive facilitating the work 

 of curing. If rapidly gathered it is 

 quickly sealed, and will remain unripe 

 until the excess of water escapes through 

 the pores of the cappings in the form of 

 invisible vapor. If extracted before the 

 excess of water has passed oflf, the honey 

 will be unripe honey. The fact of its 

 having been sealed is not a proof of its 

 ripeness. A little experience will en- 

 able one to tell if honey is np to the 

 standard of density (without an instru- 

 mental test) provided its temperature is 

 not too low. But it is not so easy de- 

 termining this if the honey is cold, there- 

 fore the man who is in the habit of cur- 

 ing his honey outside the hive is more 

 likely to put a uniformly good article on 

 the market, than he who is governed by 

 the sealing test. 



We may now consider what changes 

 honey undergoes in the process of cur- 

 ing, apart from bringing it to the re- 

 quisite density by evaporation. The 

 principal change, other than the above, 

 is the partial dissipation of its aroma. 

 What, then, is aroma? I think it may 

 be defined as the property imparted to 

 honey by the flowers in which it is se- 

 creted, manifesting itself mainly through 

 the sense of taste, and this has some- 

 thing to do in constituting flavor, but 

 only in so far as the sense of smell mani- 

 fests itselt through the medium of the 

 mouth. It is chiefly by its aroma we are 

 enabled to determine the class of flowers 

 from which honey has been gathered. 

 Aroma is fleeting in its nature. Time 

 and exposure will destroy it to a great 

 extent. Therefore, it is never so pro- 

 nounced in honey as immediately after 

 it has been taken from the flowers. 



The process of ripening honey in the 

 hive, and out of the hive, is identical in 

 its nature and effect. When once ripe it 

 should be immediately bottled or canned 

 and hermetically sealed, if we wish it to 

 retain its flavor and aroma in their 

 fullest degree. If it be allowed to re- 

 main in open tanks or cans when once 

 ripe, both will become deteriorated. It 

 is nonsense to say, as some say, that 

 honey can only be ripened in the hive, 

 and retain its flavor and normal consis- 

 tency. None who have made this state- 

 ment have given any reasons for the 

 faith that is in them, unless it be Mr. 

 Demaree, and his are not conclusive. 



Owen Sound, Out. 



Oueeiis for Fall fort 



Written Jor the Americayi Bee Journal 

 BY MRS. EFFIE BROWN. 



On page 595, I find that H. G. Acklin 

 has given his experience with Southern 

 queens, and, as the editor, on page 232, 

 requested all to do so, I will drop in my 

 mite with the rest. 



I must agree with Mr. Acklin, and 

 others who have also written, that 

 queens reared in a Southern latitude do 

 not stand our cold weather and sudden 

 changes as well as the Northern bred 

 queens and their progeny. 



Before I go any farther, let me tell 

 those of the South, that I am not writ- 

 ing merely for the sake of opposition. I 

 have only one purpose, and that is to 

 help place the merit where I justly feel 

 it belongs. 



Through all that I have seen and 

 learned of Southern Italians (I keep 

 nothing but Italians), I have found them 

 to be beautifully marked, and very well 

 bred as to color. No doubt they are as 

 nearly perfect as it is possible to rear 

 them in their own latitude. They are 

 great " hustlers " here during July and 

 August, but in September they begin to 

 fail. 



I know some of you are saying to your- 

 self now, that no wonder queens stop 

 laying at that time ; there is no honey 

 coming in. There you are mistaken, 

 for many bee-keepers here receive no 

 surplus at all until buckwheat bloom, 

 which comes just before the fall frosts. 

 Then we have an abundance of golden- 

 rod and other fall flowers for brood- 

 rearing. For working on these and fill- 

 ing the hive with young bees late in the 

 fall, I think there is none equal to the 



