290 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 11, 1899. 



tion is to have a funnel larg-e enough to hold a pailful, with 

 the small end just the right size to fit in the bungholes of 

 the barrels or kegs that I wish to store the honey in. Then 

 have a cheese-cloth strainer large enough to tie over the top 

 of the funnel and bag down into the funnel enough so that 

 it will hold a pailful. Put the funnel into the barrel or keg 

 tight, then draw from the extractor a pailful and empty it 

 into the funnel. While that is straining 3'ou can be ex- 

 tracting more. When the barrel is full, bung it up and let 

 it stand in the honey-house, or any other dry room, until 

 ready to ship. 



But in the season of 1897 the honey was thin when 

 gathered by the bees, and during basswood bloom it came in 

 so fast that the hives were full before any of it was fit to ex- 

 tract. After having used all the supers I either had to extract 

 some to give them, or else let the bees lie idle while the 

 honey was ripening-. So, rather than have them idle, I ex- 

 tracted a few combs from each hive every two or three 

 days, taking the best combs, or the ones that had the most 

 sealed honey, each time, and stored it in kegs, and put 

 cheese-cloth over the bungholes for ventilation; and yet, 

 after taking all the care of it that I knew how, about 1,000 

 pounds of it soured. 



Since having the above trouble. I have bought two 

 galvanized sheet-iron storage-tanks holding about 1,800 or 

 1,900 pounds each, to use for holding honey, particularly 

 any honey that I think is not well ripened before extract- 

 ing. Then, after standing in the tanks a few days, or un- 

 til I have to put more honey in the tanks, I draw it off from 

 the bottom of the tank thru the faucet, and fill into barrels, 

 or whatever I want to store and ship the honey in. 



My experience is, that honey after standing in kegs or 

 barrels will partially separate — the heaviest and best will 

 be at the bottom of the barrel, and the poorest and thinnest 

 will be at the top. These storage-tanks being 4'i feet hig-h, 

 give a good chance to draw off the best of honey, and leave 

 the poorest in the tank ; then what poor honey there is 

 can be put by itself, and not have a little poor honey in 

 every barrel. 



For convenience in handling, I prefer barrels, kegs or 

 kits. I have handled thousands of pounds in 60-pound tin 

 cans, crated two in a case, and consider them the most un- 

 handy and inconvenient package to handle extracted honey 

 in that I ever used. It takes more muscle to handle them 

 with ease than I have. You dare not end them over for 

 fear of smashing the box; they won't slide worth a cent ; 

 and it makes me red in the face to pick one up and carry it. 

 Barrels or kegs can be rolled into or out of a wagon quite 

 conveniently, and 30-pound kits can be pickt up one in each 

 hand and carried easily. 



I have shipt honey to 10 or 12 different States, and I 

 have had no reports of leakage or loss in shipment, conse- 

 quently I have not had much experience (that is, not much 

 bad experience). Before shipping I always drive the hoops 

 tight, then nail the chime hoops with three or four penny 

 nails. I drive the bungs tight, and saw them off even with 

 the head. I put plain directions on the shipping-tag, and 

 tack it fast to the head of the barrel. G. W. Wii.son. 



Vernon County. 



Selling Honey- 

 To one who would engage in the pursuit of bee-keeping 

 the numerous text-books supplj' all the needed information 

 as to how to handle bees so as to attain the best results. 

 But when the crop is secured, these same books fail to g-ive 

 any instruction as to how that crop is to be disposed of. 

 The reason is obvious : Different circumstances and dif- 

 ferent localities require different methods. It is not, there- 

 fore, my purpose to lay down some set rules for the success- 

 ful selling of honey, but rather to give some results of my 

 experience in that line, hoping, in the discussion that will 

 follow, to profit by the experience of others. 



And at the start I would submit to you the proposition 

 that honey is not a staple but a luxury. While it is true 

 that some people use it daily, and may regard it as an arti- 

 cle necessary to their table, it is also true that such people 

 are like angels' visits — few and far between. In my whole 

 acquaintance I know of but two, and they both belong to 

 the same family. 



While times are good and money is plenty one can dis- 

 pose of honey very easily, but let the crops fail, and econ- 

 omy become necessary, honey will always be found among 

 the first articles to be put on the retired list. Such being 

 the fact, it follows that in the case of honej', more than in 

 that of any other article of food, customers must be hunted 

 after and not waited for. 



For me, it has always been easier to sell comb honey. 

 There maj- be several reasons why people prefer it. In the 

 first place, because of the looks, for what is prettier than a 

 nice, full section of white honey ? And that leads me to 

 submit another proposition : With very few exceptions 

 honey sells more by looks than bj' taste. 



Then, comb honey, if properly cared for, will not 

 change its appearance, while the extracted will after awhile 

 candy, and whenever that happens, people look on it with 

 more or less suspicion. I have had store-keepers tell me 

 that my honey had soured(l). Getting them to put it on the 

 stove a few hours soon convinced them of their mistake. 

 Besides, the flavor of comb honey will not be affected by 

 the lapse of time, while the extracted will after awhile be 

 found to have a different flavor from what it had at the 

 time of extracting. (On this point my experience is limited 

 to basswood honey.) Then it has a mild flavor; for me it 

 is the most delicious honej- in the world ; later on it takes a 

 strong minty flavor, which is disliked by those who are not 

 used to it. 



In order to realize a good price for comb honey, it is 

 essential to have it reach the market in good shape. I have 

 found that 12-pound cases, showing three sections, are pre- 

 ferred in the large cities. Such I fill with Sections of the 

 same quality, putting the nicest. side next to the glass. I 

 always make it a point to so arrange it that the sections 

 can be taken out easily, nailing the covers with smooth 

 nails, not larger than one inch. I ship by freight always, 

 using crates holding 18 cases, which crates have handles, 

 and my honey has always reacht the market without break- 

 age. 



I mark the boxes with my name and address, and 

 weight, putting it an ounce or so below actual weight, for 

 honey will lose a little if kept three or four months. I have 

 never yet used labels on sections, but I am inclined to 

 think that it would be a help, and propose to give them a 

 trial nest season. 



In disposing of my crop I have had the best success 

 while working up mj' home market. For the same kind of. 

 honey I often get a better price than in the large cities, and 

 certainly so if I count the commission, which I save by be- 

 ing my own salesman. Besides, the home market does not 

 grade honey so closely as commission men do. In my 

 neighborhood only two grades are recog-nized — the dark and 

 the white, with a difference of only two cents between them. 



Another thing in favor of the home market is its steadi- 

 ness ; mine has not varied more than 2'2 cents in nine 

 years for comb honey, and has been at the same price for 

 extracted. 



The home market is also the place to dispose of all the 

 off grades. Once I sold about 400 pounds of such to a store 

 at 7'2 cents a pound. It netted me a little over $30, which 

 I thought was better for me than extracting or feeding. 



What I said about the home market for comb honey will 

 apply equally well to extracted honey. One that has never 

 tried it will be surprised to find how much extracted honey 

 he can dispose of in his own neighborhood ; but to succeed 

 one must be persistent, neglecting- no one, for in the same 

 town some stores would have a constant sale for my honey, 

 while others would not handle it, having- a different class 

 of customers. 



The style of package used may have some importance. 

 After several trials I prefer now the one-quart Mason jar. 

 It will show oft' the honey to the best advantage, and when- 

 empty it is always useful to the buyer. If kept too long, 

 and it candies, I replace it at my next visit. I believe that 

 honey would sell more freely in a smaller package, that 

 would be retailed for 10 cents, but a great objection to such 

 is their increast cost compared to the value of the honey. 

 I once tried glass tumblers with tin lids, but altho I sold a 

 goodly number, I soon gave them up on account of the 

 work involved in filling them. Muth's glass bottles, which 

 might do for a fancy trade, would not sell in the country 

 because of their cost. 



It has always been easier for me to eft'ect sales after be- 

 coming acquainted with prospective customers, for I found 

 the fear of adulteration very prevalent among the people, 

 and there has been good g-round for that feeling. To my 

 own knowledge a Milwaukee firm has sold a large quantity 

 of so-called honey, put up in pint jars, selling it at the same 

 price I was offering mine. I have found it in Watertown, 

 Jefferson, Fort Atkinson and Whitewater. Since the new 

 law has taken effect, it has almost disappeared, for it has to 

 be labeled adulterated or mixt. 



After the home market has been supplied, and there is 

 some honej' left, one maj' have to send it to the large cities 

 to be sold on commission, but I would do it only as a last 



