112 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



ing to admit, even to themselves, of their 

 susceptibility to the attractions of beauty, 

 but what do we care ? 



Bottles of honey can be shipped safely 

 when packed in sawdust. We have shipped 

 thousands of them packed in this manner, 

 without having one broken. We would put 

 cautionary labels on all packages, stating 

 that, in cool weather, honey will granulate ; 

 but may be liquified by placing the ves- 

 sel in warm water. 



If we have plenty of suri)lus cases (supers) 

 when taking off comb honey, we leave the 

 honey in them, simply stacking the cases up 

 criss-cross in the honey house, where they 

 remain until we have leisure for scraping off 

 the propolis, and putting the honey in the 

 shipping cases. (Let's don't say shipping 

 " crate " any more ; it's a case.) 



There have been, of late, some interesting 

 articles in the journals about the size of 

 shipping cases for comb honey. Lack of 

 space prevents our giving the pros and cons 

 of the arguments, but the decision is in fa- 

 vor of the 12 lb. case. Excellent reasons 

 can be given showing why this case is the 

 most desirable, but the strongest proof of 

 merit is the manner in which it is driving 

 other sizes from the market. Much has 

 been said about these cases being so small 

 and light that freight handlers do not dump 

 them. Freight men do not handle them 

 singly, but usually take about four at once, 

 and load them on a truck, if the distance is 

 great. We very much doubt if it is dumping 

 by freight handlers that does most of the 

 damage. It comes about by the railroad 

 men putting the cases in the car the wrong 

 icay, or, perhaps, piling them up too high, 

 which allows the bumping together of the 

 cars to break out combs, or tumble down the 

 pile of cases. Where the shipment is so 

 large that a whole car, or half a car, is need- 

 ed, and the cases can be snugly stacked up 

 with the combs parallel with the track, 

 straw underneath and at the sides, and boards 

 across the end of the pile nailed fast to the 

 sides of the car, honey can cross the conti- 

 nent uninjured. It is the small lot that 

 must be transferred that meets with topsy 

 turvy treatment. 



When our well-filled sections of wliite 

 honey have been put into their cases of clean 

 white basswood, and are stacked up in the 

 honey house awaiting sliipment, what a beau- 

 tiful sight ! So dainty, so neat, so white. 

 We have sometimes stopped work long 



enough to step back and gaze in silent admi- 

 ration. These self-same, beautiful, white 

 cases have again met our gaze after having 

 made the journey to Detroit, to Cleveland, 

 or to Chicago. But our gaze was no longer 

 one of admiration. It was one of wonder, 

 of chagrin, of sorrow, of indiynation. Had 

 it not been for the stencil marks that we 

 had put on with so much care, we should have 

 felt inclined to disown the cases. Dirty t 

 Well, yes. Coal dust and nastincss from the 

 floor of cars and warehouses had besmirched 

 the beautiful, white wood until — well, do you 

 wonder that we have sometimes wrap- 

 ped paper around our cases before ship- 

 ping ? 



Well, friends, we are happy to say there is 

 a remedy for all these troubles ; it is simply 

 putting several of these cases into one crate. 

 J. A. Green described such a crate in a recent 

 number of Gleanings, and M. S. West, of 

 this city, has been using, with increasing 

 satisfaction, such an arrangement for two 

 or three years. 



CRATE OF OASES KEADY FOR SHIPMENT. 



The picture almost tells the whole story 

 without any words. It is simply a crate 

 with two of the side pieces projecting for 

 handles. A crate may be made to hold nine, 

 twelve, or sixteen cases. A little straw is 

 put in the bottom. The position of the 

 handles shows which side up the crate should 

 be kept. In fact, these handles are so inviting 

 that there is no disposition to put the crate 

 in a wrong position. The handles are so 

 short that the crate cannot be dumped with- 

 out dumping it upon the toes of the carriers. 

 Cases of honey crated in this manner are 

 never tumbled over, and they reach their 

 destination free from even the finger marks 

 of a dirty hand. Such a crate can be made 



