194 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



September; 



shows that j^ou are expecting us to 

 assist you in marketing j-our i ju5 crop 

 of honey, so here goes for a starter. 

 We certainly do intend to be of service 

 to all our meml)ers so far as possible. 

 Last year experienf-'^ showed us that 

 our o-reatest field for labor to start 

 with was instructing our members how 

 to grade and pack honey properly. 

 While some bee-keepers know how 

 and do put their honey up in first class 

 shape, the majority are rather careless 

 in grading and packing. We hope 

 you are one of the careful ones, but 

 however, we wish to give a little ad- 

 vice in this letter v/ith reference to 

 grading and packing comb honey and 

 package to be used for extracted hon- 

 ey. Out in Colorado the bee-keepers 

 have adopted a set of rules which we 

 believe suits the white clover ano bass- 

 wood localities first rate and is better 

 than any other grading rules that have 

 come under our observation. They 

 are as folh^ws. 



COMB HONEY RULES. 



No. I. Sections to be well fil!>'d 

 and capped, honey white or slightly 

 amber, comb white and not projecting 

 bej'onn the wood, wood to be well clean- 

 ed; cases of separatored honey to aver- 

 age 21 pounds net per case of 24 sec- 

 tions, with a minimum weight of not 

 less than 20 pounds for any single 

 case; cases of half separatored honey 

 to average not less than 21 3-4 pounds 

 net per case of 24 sections, with a mini- 

 mum weight of 20 3-4 pounds for any 

 single case; cases of unseparatored 

 honey to average not less than 22 1-2 

 pounds net per case of 24 sections, 

 with minimum weight of 21 1-2 

 of a pronounced tinge, and all white 

 pounds for any single case. 



No. 2. Includes all amber honey 

 and amber honey not included in No. 

 i; to be fairly well sealed, uncapped 

 cells not to exceed 50 in number ex- 

 clusive of outside row, wood to be 

 well cleaned; cases of separatored 

 honey to average not less than 18 

 pounds net per case of 24 sections; 

 cases of unseparatored honey to aver- 

 age not less than 19 pounds net per 

 case of 24 sections, cases of unsepara- 

 tored honey to average not less than 

 20 pounds net per case of 24 sections. 



Cases weighing over 25 ponds go 

 in No. 2 grade. 



EXTRACTED HONEY RULES. 



Extracted honej' shall be classified 

 as white and amber, shall w^eigh twelve 



pounds per gallon, shall be perfectl; 

 free from particles of wax, and shaj 

 always be marketed in new cans. Al 

 rendered honej^. whether obtained b;, 

 solar heat or otherwise, shall b 

 classed as strained honey and not a 

 extracted. . 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 



It is recommended to sell all cul 

 honey around home as much as possi 

 ble; to grade only in daylight, near 

 window. 



Pack all sections in stout basswooc 

 no drip shipping cases, to put pape 

 above and below sections, to stor 

 honey in a warm dry room well pre 

 tected from flies and dust; if the hea 

 of the room causes the wax moth t 

 become troublesome treat the hone' 

 to the fumes of bysvilphide of carbor 

 to haul carefully, well protected fror 

 dust and rain; do not nail covers o 

 tight as it often becomes necessary t 

 remove them in order to inspect hone 

 or remove a broken section; do nc 

 put au}^ names or marks on cases ex 

 cept grade marks. 



FOR LOCAL SHIPPING. 



We prefer to pack eight 24 poun 

 cases in a large crate, first puttin 

 about four inches of straw in it. Thi 

 will act as a cushion and prevent 

 breaking down of the combs from jai 

 ring or jolting. The glass fronts c 

 the cases should show through th 

 crate so that freight handlers ca 

 easily see what it is and handle ac 

 cordingly. Then th'^re should be tw 

 long strips nailed near the top of th 

 sides of the crate (one on each side 

 and extending out six or eight inches 

 formip' handles by which to carr 

 it. Another good thing is to tack o; 

 top a large card having on it in plai: 

 letters.: "Comb Honey, Handle witl 

 Care." When so prepared, comb hon 

 ey should go almost anywhere b; 

 freight in good condition. 



The most popular package for ex 

 tracted honey is the 2 pound frictioi 

 top can, 5 and 10 pound friction toi 

 top pail, and the 60 oound square cai 

 boxed one or tw-o cans in a box, an( 

 the 60 pound round, flat top can witl 

 a veneer jacket bail for handle and ; 

 3 inch screw cap in top. Any of thi 

 above recommended packages for ex 

 tracted honey can be had by ordering 

 through the National Bee-Keepers 

 Association. 



