262 MARKETING THE HONEY CROP 



remains as yet to be demonstrated. Fear is expressed that the}' 

 will not protect the fragile contents as well as the wooden case 

 with paper lining. 



The use of the best possible protection to the honey shipped 

 to market is cheap insurance and the risk of resulting loss will 

 be sufficiently reduced to overbalance the greater expense. 



Care of Comb Honey. — Comb honey should be fully finished 

 and ripened before taking from the hive, but should not be left 

 until the appearance is spoiled by travel stain. 



As soon as it is removed it should be stored in a warm room. 

 Care should be used that it does not freeze, as low temperatures 

 hasten granulation and granulated comb honey is likely to be 

 a " drug " on the market. While candied extracted honey can 

 readily be liquefied, it is difficult to do anything with granulated 

 comb honey. In this case " an ounce of prevention is worth 

 a pound of cure." Fortunately comb honey does not usually 

 granulate quickly and there is usually ample time to dispose 

 of it before it will begin to candy in the comb. 



The novice is likely to store his honey in the cellar, the worst 

 possible place for it, thinking to keep it cool. The author some- 

 times receives letters from bee-keepers who have spoiled a nice 

 lot of honey by storing it in a cold, damp place, wishing to know 

 what can be done to restore it. If it is merely candied the situa- 

 tion is not so bad, but honey stored in a cold, damp cellar gets 

 weepy and sour so that it is of little use for any purpose with 

 which the author is familiar, unless it be for making vinegar. 



A warm and dry place is the best storeroom for honey. It 

 should by all means be dry. Well ripened honeys are much 

 less likely to granulate and for this reason the honey gathered 

 early in the season gives much less trouble than that gathered 

 late in summer. The source from which the nectar is gathered 

 makes some difference also, as some honeys are much more likely 

 to candy than others subjected to the same conditions. 



Early Sales. — As a rule the early market is best and the man 

 who depends on the general market instead of establishing a 



