1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



19 



DE LUXE COMB HONEY ; A NOVEL METH- 

 OD OF PUTTING UP COMB HONEY. 



How the Russian Bee-keepers have been Get- 

 ting Fancy Prices for all their Comb 

 Honey. 



BY A. E. TITOFF. 



' [Shortly after the St. Louis convention Mr. A. E. Titoflf , 

 who, it will be remembered, is studying bee culture at 

 Medina, showed me some very pretty tin boxes magnifi- 

 cently decorated in colors lithogi-aphed right on the 



lieve deserves most serious attention if not 

 adoption in the United States. 



Some years ago there appeared in the 

 Russian market comb honey packed in tin 

 boxes, weighing from one to five pounds. 

 Such boxes are now made specially for the 

 sale of honey; they are lithographed in sev- 

 eral colors, showing views of apiaries, land- 

 scapes, and bearing also inscriptions, such 

 as the brand of honey or addresses of bee- 

 keepers. They are called "Exquisite" be- 

 cause they represent the finest of the mfir- 

 ket, bringing fancy prices when filled with 

 honey. The boxes are one comb deep and 

 are liquid- tight, so that all drip that mry 

 ooze from the combs cut to a size to fit will 

 be taken care of. This manner of packing 

 honey has spread more and more, until to- 

 day it may be found throughout the breadth 

 of the empire. 



In order to demonstrate the appearance 



FIG. 1. 



-COMB HONEY PUT UP IN DE LUXE TIN BOXES, AS IT IS SOLD IN RUSSIA; 

 BOXES OPEN. 



metal. These, he explained, he intended to exhibit at 

 the big convention just mentioned, but unfortunately 

 they came just too late. He added that nearly all of 

 the Fancy comb honey sold in his country, Russia, was 

 packed in these tin boxes denominated " Exquisite," 

 which might appropriately be termed in the language 

 of the book-maker, '■ £)e Z/Wie." There is no tin pack- 

 age in the United States for comb honey or any thing 

 else that approaches it in its magnificent display of 

 colors. The fact that comb honey put up in them 

 brings almost fabulous prices in Russia ought to com- 

 mand at least some slight attention from the American 

 bee-keeper. I became interested, had some engravings 

 made, and in the meantime asked him to piepare an ar- 

 ticle, which he has done.— Ed.] 



In the present article I intend to acquaint 

 the bee-keepers of the United States with 

 the method used in Russia of putting up 

 honey for sale, that I have never seen 

 practiced in this country, but which I be- 



of these boxes there are here shown some 

 half-tones made from photographs of sam- 

 ples sent from Russia. Fig. 1 represents 

 open boxes filled with honey, the lid of the 

 round box bearing the inscription : ' ' Bass- 

 wood Honey." Fig. 2 shows the boxes 

 closed, the round box being inscribed: "Ar- 

 omatic Basswood Honey." On Fig. 3 is 

 seen the upper surface of the lid belonging 

 to the square box. It represents a pretty 

 meadow with bees flitting from flower to 

 flower. Here the inscription reads, "Pure 

 Aromatic Bee Comb Honey. " 



Our Russian bee-keepers do not produce 

 much honey in sections, considering it less 

 profitable, and preferring to let the bees 

 build up combs in the ordinary extracting- 



