'.IG 



GLEANING SN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



plied, and I give his replies in abbreviated 

 form, quotation-marks showing his own lan- 

 guage: 



1. " Comb honey (alfalfa), sealed before about 

 the 4th of July, will keep over winter if kept in 

 a warm place; but the same honey, if extract- 

 ed, will granulate if not kept at a temperature 

 of 145 to 150 degrees for about 34 hours. If the 

 heat is applied as mentioned it will pass the 

 winter and not granulate; but to start with 

 the honey must be well ripened; otherwise it 

 will granulate." 



"I have samples of alfalfa extracted honey 

 three years old that were heated, the samples 

 being taken at 145 degrees, and each additional 

 5 degrees thereafter up to 190. The 145 to 165 

 granulated in about 68 days." The greater the 

 degree of heat applied, the slower to granulate. 

 "The 190 sample is not fully granulated yet. 

 If Mr. Thompson will take a section of his fine 

 comb honey that will not granulate through 

 the winter, and pick the cappings off some of 

 the cells and stir it with a pin, he will find that 

 the cells so treated will granulate while the 

 others will not." 



2. "June comb honey, if kept in a warm 

 room, will keep overwinter; but if exposed to 

 the cold I expect all of it to partly granulate.' 



3. "About 50 per cent." 



4. Could not answer, experience being lim- 

 ited to alfalfa and cleome. "Some seasons 

 worse than others." Gathered in damp cool 

 weather it granulates worse than if gathered 

 in hot dry weather. 



Mr. W. L. Porter, North Denver, answered, 

 and I give the gist of his replies: 



1. " In 30 days, and sometimes sooner; cleome 

 more slowly." 



2. Had not observed closely, " but think 10 

 per cent on an average." 



3. This question he did not answer in a gen- 

 eral way, but says " winter stores are all gran- 

 ulated hard except in localities where cleome 

 is abundant. I have cleome gathered two 

 years ago in the brood-combs thatis still liquid." 



Mr. Porter has several apiaries. In regard to 

 tendency to granulate, he puts sweet clover 

 first, alfalfa second, anri cleome third. 



In 1889 I handled, from three apiaries, 12 tons 

 of honey, principally alfalfa. In 1890 the crop 

 was 12 tons. One year sincf , I produced 9 tons. 

 The remaining years since 1890 have had from 

 two to five tons each year, a total of over 40 

 tons in seven years, and about half and half 

 comb and extracted. The comb has, all but a 

 few cases, been marketed early, so I do not 

 know how it kept. Of the extracted, about 99 

 per cent granulated, and nearly all inside of 30 

 days. 



As to the body of this honey, it could not be 

 extracted except warm from the hives, or by 

 the application of heat. Many a time I have 

 had to stop extracting because it would not 



pass through a l}<^-inch hole as fast as extract- 

 ed in a two-frame machine, but filled up so the 

 reel dragged in the honey. Mr. Foster says, 

 "Alfalfa honey may be very thick and not ripe. 

 I think it can not be produced in perfect quali- 

 ty by ordinary methods." I know no reason 

 why not ripe if thick. I know the flavor of all 

 honeys changes somewhat as they get older, 

 but I understand the term "ripe " to apply to 

 consistency, in its general meaning as applied 

 to honey. I do not consider any honey of 

 " perfect quality " produced by ordinary meth- 

 ods. An apiarist of large experience in the 

 east has often told me that, in Colorado's dry 

 climate, it was altogether unnecessary to wait 

 for the honey to be sealed. I want mine sealed, 

 or largely so. 



I have before me samples of honey. First is 

 one of white clover 13 years old. It was never 

 heated, but granulated solid, and stayed so for 

 two or three years, then gradually liquefied 

 until about one-half liquid, where ii remains 

 unchanged. It has become about as dark as 

 light sorghum molasses. 



Next is a sample of alfalfa eight years old. 

 This was solid for over a year, then became 

 about one-fourth liquid, and remains so. Its 

 liquid portion has become slightly amber in 

 color. It was never heated. 



Next is alfalfa five years old, once heated to 

 liquefy. I do not know the degree of heat, but 

 just enough to melt it. This soon granulated 

 again, and is now about five-sixths granules. 



I also have a sample three years old, never 

 heated, but put into glass when extracted, and 

 it is apparently all solid, and has remained so. 

 This has not even been in a warm room. The 

 first and second samples mentioned were at 

 times in a warm place— one near a stove, the 

 other in the gable of the honey-house. The 

 heat helped to partially liquefy. 



I have also a sample three years old, once 

 liquefied, that has gradually granulated, till 

 now it is about one-half to two-thirds granules. 

 The last sample I have is two years old, liquefied 

 by heat, and is now about nine-tenths liquid. 



One thing is very noticeable in these samples; 

 The honey in those to which heat was applied, 

 when it does again become solid, is more strict- 

 ly granules mixed with the liquid portion; but 

 that which was never heated forms a body al- 

 most like lard, and quite firm. 



I have liquefied tons of honey, but never 

 tested the degree of heat necessary. This Is 

 one of the thing* I have planned to do, but as 

 yet have never found time. I am scarcely an 

 able-bodied man, but must earn my living, so I 

 find it hard to do all the experimental work I 

 wish. Time and money, properly applied, 

 would soon settle many disputed points. Ob- 

 serving, however, as I go along, I have come to 

 the conclusion that a low degree of heat, say 

 but little above 100 F., if applied for several 



