846 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



ot these queens, although received by mail, proved 

 good and prolific. Therefore, to our mind, Ernest 

 was right when he wrote: "The shipment, by mail 

 or express, does not deteriorate the laying of a 

 queen." We may add, " Even when she is taken 

 from a full colony during the height of the laying 

 season." Chas. Dadant & Son. 



Hamilton. Hancock Co., 111. 



It can not lie urged that the Dadauts are 

 prejudiced in this matter, fur they are not, 

 at the present time, if I am correct, in the 

 business of selling and sending queens by 

 mail. 



PAPER RECEPTACLES FOR EXTRACT- 

 ED HONEY. 



FKfEND GREEN SUGGESTS PAPER PACKAGES FOR 

 VERY SMALL. QUANTITIES OF HONEY. 



"Up ND now it is Mr. Will Heddon who has 

 qilk brought one of my cherished ideas before 



jR«' the public, before I was quite ready to make 

 -^^ it known. It is a little aggravating, under 

 such circumstances, to find that somebody 

 else is just as smart as you are, or more so. How- 

 ever, we have been working in somewhat different 

 directions, and I must confess that he has gone 

 ahead of me. I never expected to ship 60 pounds 

 of liquid honey in a paper can. I believe it can be 

 done, though I think a heavier paper than ordinary 

 manilla will be found necessary— something like 

 Hour-sack paper, or some of the Japanese papers, 

 which are almost untearable. Waxing would prob- 

 ably be advisable. One objection would be, that 

 the surplus wax could not be got out without get- 

 ting wax on the outside of the paper, and 1 do not 

 think glue would stick well on this waxed paper in 

 putting ou the cover. However, I think it would he 

 much better to glue on the block for drawing off 

 the honey before shipment, using a cork covered 

 by a tin slide, or piece of paper glued ou. In ship- 

 ping, lay a board over the top, of the same thick- j 

 ness as the block, and cut to fit. Undoubtedly such 

 receptacles will answer if the honey is allowed to 

 candy before shipment, though this would not suit 

 our California friends. My experiments have 

 shown that very light paper will hold honey. 



PENNY I'ACKAGES. 



I decided long ago, that, jf candied honey could be 

 put up in small and inexpensive packages, selling 

 at, say, a cent apiece, and giving the buyer as much 

 for his money as he can get of ordinary candy, an 

 immense trade could be opened up in selling honey 

 as confectionery. With this idea in view I made a 

 number of blocks, 'A x I x 2 inches. To facilitate 

 handling, a wire nail was driven into one end of 

 each. Pieces of paper were then cut 4 inches square. 

 Placing two of the blocks together on end, in 

 the center of a square of paper, it was folded neat- 

 ly around them, and the whole set away in a square 

 tray with shallow sides. This was repeated until 

 the tray was full of these wrapped blocks, pressed 

 closely together. The blocks were then drawn out 

 of the paper covering, the advantage of a double 

 block being apparent in this opei-alion. This left 

 the fray full of neat little paper boxes. My idea 

 was to partly till these bo.xes with well-ripened hoii- 

 e.v of any variety that will candy hard and dry, 

 then when candied fold down the sides and sell just 

 as caramels are sold. This was last November. I 



had such faith in the practicability of the scheme, 

 that, if I had had any good honey, I would have 

 tried it on a scale large enough to demonstrate its 

 practical value. I had none, though, and did not 

 think I could get any good enough for the purpose, 

 so I concluded to wait another year. I filled a few, 

 though, with such honey as I had— dark, rank, vile- 

 tasting 8f(/#— that is the only name for it. It did 

 not candy at all, nor show any inclination to do so. 

 Some of them are in my honey-room yet. These 

 were made of Gleanings paper, just such as this 

 is printed on; and although they have held liquid 

 honey for nearly a year, they have not leaked a 

 drop, being only a little sticky on the outside. 

 Manilla paper was better. Waxed butter-paper 

 leaked, but was of poor quality. Caramel paper 

 would probably be best. These packages could be 

 made by machinery very cheaply, and sold packed 

 in the trays in which the honey was to be shipped. 

 Machinery could readily be devised to fill them rap- 

 idly with a definite quantity of honey. Larger 

 packages, holding 5, 10, and 35 cents' worth of hon- 

 ey, can be made in the same way. For the last, and, 

 indeed, for any thing larger, the ordinary manilla- 

 paper sacks would probably answer. For retailing 

 in stores, a pasteboard case or wrapper of fancy 

 paper could be used outside to prevent any possible 

 stickiness. Do not say that honey will not candy 

 hard enough. If properly ripened it will. I have 

 been selling just such honey for years. Some kinds 

 will not do. White clover and basswood are the 

 best. The heart's-ease honey, of which so much 

 has been gathered this year, is not very good for 

 the purpose. 



This idea, if it proves successful in practice, as I 

 feel sui"e it will, will be of Immense value to honey- 

 producers, affording a market for thousands of 

 pounds of honey at remunerative prices. I give it 

 to the fraternity freely, and hope as many as pos- 

 sible will try it and report. James A. Green. 



Dayton, 111., Oct. .5, 1888. 



Friend G., we liave little paper pails now 

 stowed away, to hold a nickel's worth of 

 honey. We have several times tried to start 

 a retail trade ; but everybody preferred the 

 glass pails, even if they cost a little more 

 money, and therefore a paper package has 

 always been in the background. Now, 

 there is one thing you have come pretty 

 near striking on, that is very much needed. 

 It is some sort of an arrangement that al- 

 lows people to take a taste of honey without 

 daubing it on their clothing or whiskers, 

 and without being obliged to dip the same 

 spoon into the dish of honey a great many 

 times, and convey it to ever so many differ- 

 ent people's mouths. At every convention 

 we have this sort of work. I think I am 

 tolerably careful, but I always get honey on 

 my whiskers, and then, very likely, on my 

 clothing. Where some one has a jar of 

 honey from Florida, or something new and 

 wonderful in the honey line, everybody 

 wants a taste ; but there is no way yet in- 

 vented, that I know of, for giving every- 

 body a taste in a genteel and respectable 

 way. If it is grapes or strawberries or ap- 

 ples, it can be managed nicely. I have been 

 wondering if we could not have a little pa-* 

 per bag that would hold say a good-sized 

 spoonful. Put the bag and all in your 

 mouth, chew up the paper, and then thro\v 



