1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



305 



amount that has become candied, but I always 

 tell them I prefer to do that myself, as it is so 

 easy to spoil it by overheating. And right 

 here is a serious objection to the plan of giv- 

 ing the consumer his honey candied. A large 

 proportion will be ruined by overheating ; and 

 it won't help the matter any to say it was their 

 own fault, as the directions were on the can. 

 After a customer has spoiled his honey he will 

 be likely to try something else next time. 



It may be said that the people should be ed- 

 ucated to eat honey candied. I reply that can- 

 died honey is in an unnatural condition, and 

 we should try to supply it to the people in as 

 nearly the natural condition as stored by the 

 bees as may be practicable ; and the most feasi- 

 ble way is to seal it up tight in the liquid 

 state ; and the liquefying should be done by 

 an expert, as the danger-point is at a lower 

 temperature with some honeys than with oth- 

 ers. 



If I were to peddle from house to house I 

 think I could sell candied honey ; but I have 

 about given up this kind of work. For vari- 

 ous reasons it is more satisfactory to sell to 

 the grocers ; and for purposes of display, can- 

 died honey is " not in it " at all. Most people 

 buy honey because it looks tempting — yes, 

 twice as much will be sold when put up right 

 and in plain sight. 



" Out of sight out of mind " fits the case ex- 

 actly. I asked one of our grocers if olives sold 

 any better in glass cans than in tin, and he 

 said, "Yes, they will take the glass bottles 

 every time, even at a higher price." People 

 don't like to buy a cat in a bag. 



In conclusion I wish to call attention to what 

 Wm. A. Selser is doing. He liquefies and bot- 

 tles his honey, and grocers are selling it at 15 

 and 25 cts. for half-pound and pound bottles, 

 and his trade now reaches 40,000 pounds a 

 year. 



Gentle reader, consider these prices. For 

 my part I find them very interesting and in- 

 spiring ; and then, go thou and do likewise. 



Oberlin, O. 



[Say, friend Fowls, if you will take a trip 

 through Colorado, and study the markets and 

 their conditions, you may have occasion to 

 change your mind. What may answer for you 

 and your market might not answer for them. 

 This whole question is a good deal a matter of 

 education and locality. Why, there are many 

 who eat the candied comb honey as they 

 would so much candied confectionery, and 

 they prefer it. 



Your position is exactly right for you and 

 Oberlin; and in saying that, I wish to draw at- 

 tention to the fact that white-clover honey 

 under the same conditions will remain liquid 

 much longer than alfalfa. If you had such 

 honey to deal with, you possibly would find, 

 inside of six months, fifty per cent of your 

 honey to take back and reliquefy. 



Referring to candied honey you say a large 

 proportion will be ruined by overheating be- 

 cause the average consumer does not know 

 how to handle it. Are you sure of that? No 

 danger of overheating unless he or she puts 

 the can right on the stove ; and most people 



would stop long enough to read the label 

 wherein it is directed to put the can into hot 

 water. 



There is no doubt you could do a better job 

 — that is, make the cans present a prettier ap- 

 pearance, for you know just how to pour the 

 honey, how to seal it, and how to relabel, 

 when that is necessary ; whereas an awkward 

 bungling grocer might make a bad mess of it. 

 —Ed.] 



CANDIED COMB HONEY. 



How to Save Both Comb and Honey. 



BY M. M. BAI^DRIDGE. 



A bee-keeper says, on page 88, that he has 

 some frames of honey in which about one- 

 fourth of the cells are filled full, or nearly 

 full, of candied honey. He says he has tried 

 a number of plans to remove the honey and 

 save the combs, but thus far has failed to do 

 so. The editor replies that the best use to 

 make of such combs that he knows of is to 

 put them into the solar wax-extractor next 

 summer and melt them up ; but that, if there 

 is another and better way of treating them, he 

 would be glad to know it. 



Now, my plan of treating such combs is to 

 uncap the sealed cells and extract the liquid 

 honey, if any, and then fill the empty cells 

 full, or partly full, of water. I then set one 

 or more of the prepared frames of honey in 

 an empty hive, and under or over a strong 

 colony of bees. Sometimes I remove one or 

 two combs from the brood-chamber, and re- 

 place with the frames of candied honey pre- 

 pared as stated, with water. Any of these 

 plans will do. The bees will then liquefy the 

 candied honey and remove it from the combs, 

 and with no loss of honey whatever, nor dam- 

 age to the combs. 



A good way to fill the cells with water is to 

 lay each comb flat side down in a clean wash- 

 boiler, and pour the water over all the cells 

 with a dipper or a tea-kettle, from the height 

 of a foot or so. Then turn the comb over 

 and fill the other side with water. Now rest 

 the comb in the boiler right side up for a few 

 minutes, and let the water drip. The comb is 

 now ready to give to the bees. The plan giv- 

 en is both simple and practical, and no one 

 need lose a drop of honey, nor worry here- 

 after over combs of candied honey. 



One spring I treated more than 100 frames 

 of basswood honey, candied nearly solid, as 

 stated, and with no loss whatever. In fact, 

 for several years past I have had each spring 

 a number of combs I have been compelled to 

 treat as stated, with water. It is, of course, 

 some trouble to do so ; but I find that it pays, 

 fori can then "kill two birds with one stone." 

 It not only saves without loss both comb 

 and honey, but at the same time it gives my 

 bees water to nurse the brood. 



I find sometimes that more than one treat- 

 ment is necessary to enable the bees to liquefy 

 all the candied honey. This depends, of 

 course, on how many empty cells there may 

 be to hold the water. In that event I repeat 



