26 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



careful and impartial man, and he went 

 over the exhibits very carefully several 

 times before giving the awards. So far as 

 I could observe, the honey was judged al- 

 most entirely by its flavor, although the 

 aroma received some consideration, and the 

 appearance also was noted. This refers to 

 extracted honey. 



When the judge came to the comb honey 

 I was almost knocked down with astonish- 

 ment to see him break holes in beautiful 

 white sections in order to taste their con- 

 tents. The appearance of the exhibits was 

 thus entirely ruined. According to my own 

 ideas, comb honey should be judged by ap- 

 pearance only. The wholesale purchaser 

 and the consumer, both of them, pay for the 

 article according to its appearance. The 

 best-filled sections, and those with the whit- 

 est cappings, are the ones that command 

 the highest price, no matter who it is that is 

 buying. A purchaser of comb honey does 

 not ask to be allowed to taste the article, 

 and he would not be allowed to do so, even 

 if he did ask; therefore is it not reasonable 

 that it should be judged according to the 

 way in which it is sold, and be judged by its 

 appearance only? 



If I were judging I would give most points 

 to smooth, well-filled combs. Such sections, 

 with no pop-holes— well filled solid to the 

 wood, and every cell sealed— would be placed 

 above those which might be a little whiter 

 in color, yet having a few cells not sealed 

 over. 



I would place the whiteness of the cap- 

 pings second, and the cleanness and white- 

 ness of the section itself third. Flavor I 

 would not consider at all. We must remem- 

 ber that it is necessary to please the eye 

 first, if we would draw from the pocket of a 

 consumer. These conclusions are borne out 

 by the grading-rules you publish in each is- 

 sue of this paper. I can not help saying 

 again that it seems to me a very strange 

 proceeding to break open a section and 

 judge by its contents. 



As regards judging extracted honey, I 

 would put appearance first, flavor second, 

 density and weight third, and aroma fourth. 

 A purchaser in a store would take a bottle 

 of clear white honey in preference to a dark- 

 colored one. The lighter the color, the 

 more attractive to the eye; and, as before 

 mentioned, it is generally the eye that con- 

 trols the pocket. This is also proved by the 

 market quotations you publish. I copy the 

 following from the last number of GLEAN- 

 INGS I have received: 



Buffalo.— Fancy white comb, 14 (<i 15 ; A No. 1, 13 (n 

 14 ; No. 1, 12 (a 13 ; No. 2, 11 <'f 12 ; No. 3, 10 rti 11 : No. 1 

 dark. 11 C<i 12 ; Np. 2 dark, 10 (" 12. Fancy white extract- 

 ed, 6M! ({' 7 : amber, 5V2 (" 6 ; dark, 5 (" 5V2. 



The above proves my claims. Very few 

 retail purchasers would ask to taste even 

 the extracted honey, and fewer still would 

 be gratified. 



As regards the third point, all bee-keepers 

 agree that a heavy-bodied well-ripened hon- 

 ey is the best. I might almost say the 

 heavier weight would be given preference 



to a lighter-colored honey that is lighter in 

 weight; and all agree that thin unripe hon- 

 ey should not be pldced on the market at all. 

 The aroma is the last thing a buyer would 

 think about. 



Another feature about this fair that I no- 

 ticed was that there were no samples of 

 granulated honey exhibited. There were 

 only two classes — extracted honey and comb 

 honey. This year the exhibits were all liq- 

 uid, but other years I have seen samples of 

 both liquid and granulated honey competing 

 in the same class. 



Now, for my part I do not see how it 

 would be possible for any man to judge both 

 together. I have in my possession at the 

 present moment some granulated honey as 

 hard and solid as any cheese. It is now, in 

 the crystallized state, as white as any su- 

 gar; yet when it was in a liquid condition it 

 was very dark and cloudy. How, then, could 

 this be judged with the liquid article? There 

 are three very good reasons why I should 

 not be expected to reduce this honey again 

 to a liquid state. First, because the neces- 

 sary heating would injure it more or less in 

 color, flavor, and aroma; second, because 

 most people prefer honey in the crystallized 

 or granulated condition; third, because gran- 

 ulation is an absolute proof of purity. 



I intend, therefore, to request the com- 

 mittee to place these classes of honey on 

 their next program, to read thus: 



Class No. , comb honey in sections. 



Class No. , extracted honey, liquid. 



Class No. , extracted honey, granu'ed. 



The judge referred to above is a grocer by 

 trade. He is a thoroughly honest, impartial 

 man, and, without doubt, an experienced 

 taster. At the same time, however, he 

 knows nothing whatever about how honey is 

 produced, nor any of the fine points on which 

 bee-keepers place the most value. Would it 

 not be more satisfactory to exhibitors if a 

 judge could be obtained who has had several 

 years' experience as a modern bee-keeper? 



Fernhill, Napier, N. Z., Oct. '60, 1904. 



[I don't know much about judging honey, 

 but so far as I can see your points are all 

 very well taken. It may be permissible, if a 

 judge desires it, to taste comb honey from 

 the same super, but he should not mutilate 

 those perfect sections on exhibition, especi- 

 ally if the exhibit is to stand after the premi- 

 ums are awarded. —Ed.] 



THE DANZENBAKER HIVE FOR THE PRO- 

 DUCTION OF HONEY. 



Should the Brood-nest be Crowded with Brood? 



Some Comments on a Recent Article by 



Mr. Doolittle. 



BY WM. A. STEWART. 



Mr. Root:— I have often thought of writ- 

 ing you something of our experience with 

 the Danzenbaker hive; and after reading 

 Mr. Doolittle's letter in the Oct. 1st issue I 

 decided to do so, for I think your readers 

 have not been fully informed as to its merits. 



