Vol. XVI. 



MAV 1, 1888. 



No. 9. 



TERMS: 81.00 Peb Annum, nf ADVANCE;") Tp q+ riJJ -J oT, n rl i-n 1 Si '7 ^ 



2Coplesfor91.90;3for«2^6;5for«4.00; -C^O^tt'Oi't'A/Z'CJCt/ VrV ±0 lO. 



rUBLISHED SEMI-MOXTHLY UV 



10 or more, 75 cts. each. Single num- l 

 ber. 5 cts. Additions to clubs may be f 



':^^tt^At^lTol.o^^^^.'''''''^''''\k. I. ROOT. MEDINA. OHIO. 



Clubs to different postoflSces, not less 

 than 90 cts. each. Sent postpaid, in the 

 U. S. and Canadas. To all other coun- 

 tries of the Universal Postal Union, 18 

 cts. per year extra. To all countries 

 . NOT of the U. P. U., 42 cts. per year extra. 



FRIEND 



CHRISTIE'S FACTORY 

 CANNING HONEY. 



FOR 



SOME VALUABLE HINTS IN PUTTING IT UP SO IT 

 WILL KEEI' LIQUID INDEFINITELY. 



fRIEND ROOT:— Reaching home a lew daj-s ago 

 for the first time since early in December 

 last, my attention is called to an article in 

 Jan. 1.5th Gleanings, copied from the Smith- 

 land Exponent, referring- to my mode of can- 

 ning ray honey for the market. You inquire 

 whether I succeed in putting up the honey in such 

 a manner " that it remains liquid year in and year 

 out." I think I can answer affirmatively. It is 

 true, I sometimes find a can that is candied when 

 opened; but I believe these instances are evidence 

 only of the fact that carelessness was used in put- 

 ting it up. It has either been heated not quite hot 

 enough, or has been allowed to cool off before seal- 

 ing, or possibly some slight defect in the sealing, so 

 as to render the can not absolutely air-tight. Very 

 few cans, though, are found candied on opening. 



In ray price list I make this very claim for my 

 honey: " The honey is all heated by steam to expel 

 the air in it, then sealed air-tight ivhile hot. Put up 

 thus, it retains its liquid condition until the cans 

 are opened and the air again admitted. Now, you 

 will observe that I do not " seal the honey up and 

 then heat it to the proper temperature," as you 

 seera to understand, but I first heat to proi)er tem- 

 perature and then seal up. 



What is the proper temperature? I can not an- 

 swer accurately, as I have never used an absolute 

 test, but I heat to that point where the cans can 



barely be handled by the naked hand in lifting from 

 the fillers' to the tinners' tables, and again in mov- 

 ing from the tinners' tables as soldered or sealed. 



Three years ago I had a few thousand pounds of 

 honey put up in one, two, and three pound cans, 

 which, by a leak in one of the steam-chests allow- 

 ing a leakage of condensed steam, was somewhat 

 diluted by water. Upon discovering the leak this 

 honey was laid aside to feed liees when needed; and 

 in feeding it out T found that it had all candied 

 more or less. Some of it was solid all through. 

 Most of it, however, was only partially candied, 

 being liquid and solid honey mi.xed. This fact 

 would seem to indicate that the heating process 

 might not prove ett'ective with unripe honey. 



I want ray honey all capped over before it is ex- 

 tracted, unless where I have solar evaporators for 

 finishing the ri])ening proeeess. and 1 believe the 

 honey immediately and fully ripened in the evapo- 

 rator is equal in flavor to that ripened in the hive. 



Referring to the article copied from the Exponent, 

 permit me to say there are some slight and uninten- 

 tional mistakes. When we commence canning we 

 find most of the honey candied solid, or nearly so. 

 Some of it is much more solid than that in other 

 barrels or cans, and the " capacity of the factory '" 

 is gauged by the solidity of the honey. Where can- 

 died hard, we can not melt as fast as indicated, 

 without making our heaters hotter than I think 

 the safety of the flavor of the honey will admit. 

 Again, I make use of no lead pipes; and as to my 

 traveling most of the year, I plead guilty so far as 

 the winter is concerned; and sometimes, too (this 

 season for instance), until pretty well along in the 



