756 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



^oxxtspotidtnu. 



This mark Indicates that the apiarist Is 

 located near tne center or the state named ; 

 6 north of the center; 9 south; O* east; 

 •O west; and thls(< northeast: X3 northwest: 

 ©> southeast; and 9 southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



For toe American Bee JoumaL 



Nortli American Bee-Keepers' Society. 



THE SECOND DAY. 



MORNING SESSION. 



The convention was called to order 

 at 9 a.m., by President Miller, when 

 Mr. T. E. Bingham,of Abronia,Mich., 

 read an essay, entitled. 



Production of Extracted Honey for 

 Table Use. 



The heading of my essay implies 

 that extracted honey has other than 

 table uses. Those uses, however, are 

 not in this essay to be even alluded 

 to. I am merely to disertate upon 

 this special sweet as it relates to table 

 purposes. 



The above heading also implies 

 that there is a difference in extracted 

 honey— either because it is differently 

 produced, or that after its production 

 it is subject to common and material 

 changes as ordinarily handled by bee- 

 keepers or honey-producers. 



Let us first consider that honey, 

 while being a peculiar sweet, is in no 

 wise an exception to other non-crys- 

 tallized saccharine substances in its 

 tendency to absorb water and undergo 

 fermentation. Honey, like other 

 sweets, takes on these abnormal con- 

 ditions, slowly or with rapidity, in 

 proportion to the heat and moisture 

 with which it is surrounded ; the only 

 exception to this rule being in the 

 consistency of the honey itself. Thus 

 if the honey is very thick, its changes 

 are slower, while if thin, they are 

 more rapid. 



This view will enable every one 

 familiar with honey, whether in the 

 comb or extracted, to understand why 

 there is such diversity in the keeping 

 qualities of honey. Comb honey often 

 undergoes changes while in the hives, 

 rendering it necessary for the bees 

 further to refine it. 



I dwell upon this point particularly, 

 as it lies at the foundation of the suc- 

 cessful production of all strictly No. 1 

 honey. Much has been said and writ- 

 ten concerning adulterated honey, etc., 

 but it remains for the bee-keepers 

 themselves to determine the future 

 demand for honey. 



The above outline of facts leads us 

 directly to the conditions necessary 

 to the production and maintenance of 

 strictly No. 1 honey of any class, 

 whether American clover honey (in 

 which even Canada sympathizes 

 heartily), or American basswood lin- 

 den Canada honey, in which we all 

 sympathize. 



The first condition not depending 

 upon the flowers from which honey is 

 obtained, may be briefly stated thus. 



viz., to be left long in the hive of a 

 populous colony of bees, before ex- 

 tracting. On this point much has 

 been said and written, and while I 

 shall not attempt argument on this 

 disputed question, I will humbly ask, 

 who shall decide V 



No one will deny that bees have a 

 large stock of " bee-sense," and that 

 among bees" doctors never disagree !" 

 Then if the bees do not regard honey as 

 having keeping qualities until it has 

 been refined and gauged and sealed, 

 why should bee-keepers y Assuming, 

 then, that clover or other honey has 

 been duly refined, gauged and sealed 

 by the bees before extracting, and 

 that we have just now placed it upon 

 the table in a neat Muth two-pound 

 bottle, just in time to cool before tea, 

 need we hope for a better presentation 

 for table use ? 



As I have now the honey upon the 

 table, and have outlined the method 

 of its production and presentation, it 

 would seem that the leading query 

 had been answered. But I wish to 

 further intimate how,having obtained 

 the best quality of honey of any class, 

 whether buckwheat or other, it may 

 be maintained in its pristine excel- 

 lence V 



If extracted late in the season, after 

 the weather has become cool, it will 

 keep perfectly sound in a clean pine 

 barrel, bunged tightly if stored in a 

 cool place. The barrels should be 

 stood on the end not having the 

 bung, if designed to be kept long into 

 the next season. By io doing the 

 head having the bung may be easily 

 removed, and one or two inches of 

 the surface honey taken out. 



The object of separating this sur- 

 face honey from the honey below or 

 deeper in the barrel, is to avoid mix- 

 ing that which has suffered by con- 

 tact with the air, from that which has 

 not. Upon opening the barrel, if any 

 change has taken place, the surface 

 will be found to be soft, perhaps 

 foamy. Remove this soft honey until 

 you find the solid honey below. Use 

 the foamy honey for vinegar ; melt 

 the other in a water bath, skim and 

 put it in Mason jars, nicely sealed and 



E laced in a cool place, the colder the 

 etter. Such honey will remain clear 

 for a long time, and will be as fine as 

 if just taken from the combs, as long 

 as it may be desirable to keep it. If 

 only sucn honey were offered to the 

 public, the market would not be over- 

 stocked, and the prices would be sat- 

 isfactory. T. E. Bingham. 



After the reading of the above 

 essay, it was discussed as follows : 



J. A. Green— I prefer tin for use in 

 storing honey, as barrels sometimes 

 impart a flavor to the honey, and the 

 honey cannot be liquified without first 

 removing it. 



R. E. Holtermann— I prefer the 

 square tins with a wooden jacket. 



A. B. Mason— I like the barrels. 

 The honey can be easily and quickly 

 removed by using a small-sized garden 

 spade. 



A. I. Root— I am not sure that bar- 

 rels taint the honey, but I do know 

 that it is never tainted by the use of 

 tin. 



Geo. E. Hilton— Second-hand lard- 

 tins can be secured of grocers and 

 butchers for 15 cents each, and they 

 are excellent for storing honey, and 

 will even answer for shipment. 



President Miller— Several years ago 

 Mr. Doolittle mentioned wooden 

 boxes, coated inside with wax, as a 

 cheap package for shipping honey. 

 The honey was put in just as it was 

 beginning to granulate, and left until 

 granulation was completed, when it 

 was ready for shipment. 



James Heddon— I tried that 16 years 

 ago, but it is of no value. I produce 

 honey by having it perfectly ripened 

 in the hives. It is first stored in large 

 settling tanks, then drawn off into 

 the square, jacketed tin cans^each 

 holding about 50 pounds. The open- 

 ing of the cans are securely closed by 

 screw caps with corks inside, and the 

 honey is then stored in a cool place 

 until the time comes for shipment.. 

 You may talk as much as you please, 

 but the majority of customers prefer- 

 their extracted honey in a liquid state. . 

 I will now tell how I liquify it be- 

 fore shipment : One end of the cellarr 

 under my honey-house is partitioned, 

 off from the rest of the cellar. In .this . 

 small space is a stove, and in connec- 

 tion with the stove is a coil of steam - 

 pipe which heats not only this smalli 

 space, but a large box above it on the 

 first floor. In this box can be placed ■ 

 800 pounds of honey in cans.. The 

 cans are put in at night, a chunk of 

 wood put into the stove, and the next 

 morning will find the honey. aU i 

 melted ; when it may be removed and ' 

 a like amount of candied honey put 

 in its place. I can in this manner 

 liquify 1,600 pounds of honey per day 

 with very little labor. The square, 

 jacketed tin cans are the best package 

 for a jobbing trade. 



Prof. Cook— There is a difference 

 in tin. Lead tin should not be used 

 on account of the chemical action. I 

 C charcoal tin is best. 



James Heddon— Would not Coke 

 tin answer ? 



A. I. Root— It does not look so nice. 



N. W. McLain— Some chemist of 

 Europe reported in "the British Bee 

 Journal that there was no danger from 

 chemical action upon any tin that is 

 heavy enough to hold honey. 



T. E. Bingham— So far as chemical 

 action is concerned, it makes no dif- 

 ference as to the kind of tin, so long 

 as it is tin, not lead. 



R. F. Holtermann— Unless Coke tin 

 is carefully washed, it is more likely 

 to rust when standing empty. 



J. A. Green— When honey is in- 

 tended for table use, tin should be 

 used ; but for shipping large quanti- 

 ties, oak barrels, paraffined, as you 

 would wax them, answer a good pur- 

 pose. 



James Heddon— It depends upon 

 circumstances. 



A vote on the matter of vessels 

 used for shipping honey resulted as 

 follows : Thirteen members preferred 

 tin ; 4 preferred wood ; and 40 pre- 

 ferred both. 



At this time Prof. A. J. Cook, of 

 Agricultural College, Mich., took oc- 

 casion to speak of the recent enjoy- 

 able visit to America, of Mr. Thos. 



