I2d 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



them, while at some transfer places there is 

 only one man convenient to be had, and if 

 there is a necessity of haste this makes it 

 inconvenient. One other important item, 

 which you failed to notice, is the thorough 

 ripening of comb honey before it is prepared 

 for market. Comb honey should stand in a 

 very warm, dry, airy room from one to two 

 months if possible before it is sent to market, 

 so that it may become so thick that none will 

 run from the unsealed cells which may by 

 chance be next the sides of the sections ; for 

 during transit, and after it arrives at its 

 destination, it is sure to be exposed to damp- 

 ness, which, unless it leaves the apiary thor- 

 oughly ripened, will cause it to grow thin 

 enough to leak, thus making things so sticky 

 and dauby that it will disgust the house 

 which handles it, and often the purcliaser. 

 When well ripened and sent to market as 

 you advise, its attractive appearance is sure 

 to secure a sale for it. 



BoKODiNO, N. Y., July 5. IWtO. 



The Requisites to Success in Bee Culture ; 

 Sorting Comb Honey, Packing it in 

 Cases and Crating the Cases for 

 Shipment ; Preparing Extract- 

 ed Honey for Market. 



K. m' KNIGHT. 



1 ,iERE are three essentials in the char- 

 acter of a good bee keeper, the absence 

 of any one of which will militate 

 against his success. 1st. To be able to 

 manage his bees in such a way as to get the 

 greatest return of honey for the least expen- 

 diture in time and money. 2ud. When pro- 

 cured, to prepare his honey for market in the 

 best form possible. 'AC. To have some 

 acquaintance with the markets, and know 

 where to place his goods on sale to the best 

 advantage. Time alone will enable him to 

 acquire the tirst and third of these qualifica- 

 tions. It is with the second we are more 

 particularly concerned just now. " From 

 the hive to the honey market," is the topic 

 to be discussed ; and this embraces only the 

 preparation and shipment of the crop. If 

 the text had been enlarged and made to read 

 from the hive to the breakfast table it would 

 have included the work of every producer. 

 As it is, it embraces only the work of those 

 who ship. As it stands, it does not apply to 

 the man who draws it off from the faucet of 

 his store can into the pail or crock of his 

 customer, and only partially to him who 

 caters for only the home trade. There is a 

 vast difference between the honey market of 

 one man and the honey market of another, 

 and this difference necessarily modifies his 

 practice. I live in a town of r),OOU people, 

 but have not, for five years, solicited any 

 one ill the town to buy from me. I have left 

 this market largely to the smaller producers 

 of the neighborhood, and have sought and 

 secured a market outside ; not only for all I 

 produce myself, but also for a portion of the 

 product of others. I have therefore learned 

 something of the best method of sorting, 

 packing and shipping, which constitute the 

 passage from the liive to the honey market. 



when that market lies from fifty to one 

 thousand miles from home. There are three 

 requisites in making and maintaining a 

 market. The first is to supply a uniformly 

 good article, the second to pack it safely, 

 and the third is when unpacked and exposed 

 for sale it shall present a tasty and attractive 

 appearance. 



In comb honey an uniformly good article 

 can only be had by careful selection. The 

 first work of the producer is assorting his 

 crop. Two grades are as many as it will 

 pay to ship. G^ade one should be all it 

 claims to be. It should be good in quality, 

 good in form, clean in itself and neat in its 

 surroundings. Any departure from this rule 

 is sure to produce results prejudicial to the 

 best interests of the shipper. It will inspire 

 a want of confidence and eventuallj lose 

 him his trade. Honesty in packing is the 

 best course to follow, even if begotten in no 

 higher motive than one of policy. What is 

 said of grade one is equally applicable to 

 grade two. 



Sorting completed, the next consideration 

 in the kind and character of the cases in 

 which it is to be packed. These should be 

 neat and well made. They should be glassed 

 in front and open at the back with a slide, 

 after the fashion of a matcli or starch box. 

 This is mucii preferable to having the slide 

 on top. When opened at the back and ghiss- 

 ed in front the purchaser has a full view of 

 fully half the contents. When open on top 

 he can only look down on the wood in which 

 the honey is stored. A good deal has bei n 

 written lately on the most desirable size of 

 the comb case. Most people favor the one 

 dozen section comb case. In my judgment 

 they should never exceed that capacity. 

 Experience has taught me that half dozen 

 cases are better in every way. They preserve 

 the honey better in transit than larger cases. 

 They cost the bee keepi r no more, because 

 they sell for a better price. They make 

 double the display on a grocer's counter, 

 and sell more readily. This is the way I 

 now put up most of my comb honey. 



Sorting and packing completed, prepara- 

 tion for shipment istlie next thing to engage 

 attention. There are but two ways of doing 

 this : enclosing the section cases in outer 

 cases, and sending them forward without 

 any outside protection. When enclosed, the 

 outside cases should be strong and neat, and 

 contain not more than six one tlozen comb 

 cases, or twelve half dozen cases. If the 

 outer cases are properly made no packing 

 material such as straw, sawdust, or the like, 

 need be used. This statement may take 

 some people by surprise, but there is nothing 

 haphazard about it. I believe I was the first 

 man in America to adopt this plan of pack- 

 ing comb. When going to the Colonial 

 Exhibition in 188() I wished to add more 

 comb to my own contribution than I had in 

 stock. I purchased 1,01)0 pounds, from Mr, 

 Alpaugh of St. Thomas, in one dozen section 

 cases. I instructed him to pack them in 

 outer cases of six dozen each, without any 

 packing material whatever, and he did the 

 packing as instructed, shipping it by rail to 

 my address at Toronto, about 100 miles. 

 Here it was reshipped by rail to Montreal, 



