THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



13d 



What Constitutes Ripeness in Honey, and 



How it May be Secured. 



B. m'knight. 



A can of honey soldered in so well — 

 A watermelon proudly on the swell- 

 Is either ripe ? How can a body tell ? 



VTT HE subject of ripening honey is receiv- 

 T" ing some consideration at present. It 

 is a subject, too, that deserves consideration 

 because honey is at its best when ripe. This 

 implies that there is a time when it is un- 

 ripe, and a possibility of its being over ripe. 

 We know that honey is found, and sometimes 

 marketed, in the three conditions above men- 

 tioned. But we do not all know the exact 

 properties that constitute ripeness in honey, 

 because no fixed standard of perfection has 

 been decided upon, or one that embraces all 

 the constitutents of honey in their highest 

 state. One, and only one, of the conditions 

 that constitute perfection in honey is ageeed 

 upon and accepted as a standard of quality, 

 that is that it shall weigh at least Vi}^ lbs. 

 to the gallon. But the specific gravity of 

 of honey is not the only test of perfection. 

 Flavor and aroma are quite as important. 

 Its density may decide its nutritive proper- 

 ty ; but it is the other two that make it 

 grateful or otherwise to the sense of the 

 taste and smell — in a word, that make it 

 palatable. But people's tastes differ and 

 honey collected from dififerent classes of 

 flowers has a corresponding diversity of fla- 

 vor ; hence the difficulty in fixing a standard 

 of quality for honey. I am now speaking of 

 extracted honey, because its quality is deter- 

 mined by the three properties above named ; 

 not so comb honey, however, because the 

 flavor of the beeswax it contains masks the 

 inherent flavor and aroma of the honey with 

 which it is partaken. I do not mention col- 

 or in this connection because I am treating 

 of the ripening of honey, and the ripening 

 process has no appreciable effect upon its 

 color. 



I define unripe honey as that in which 

 there is an excess of water ; and ripe honey 

 as that which has been brought to the recog- 

 nized standard of density and possessing the 

 highest possible degree of its inherent flavor 

 and aroma. I say the highest degree possi- 

 ble, because the ripening process, whether 

 carried on in the hive, or by artificial means, 

 prejudicially affects both flavor and aroma. 



Most honey when first stored has an excess 

 of water in it. If the flow be scant, and it 



remains a sufficient length of time in the 

 unsealed cells, this excess of water will evap- 

 orate. The high temperature of the hive 

 facilitating the work of curing. If rapidly 

 gathered it is quickly sealed, and will remain 

 unripe till the excess of water escapes 

 through the pores of the cappings in the 

 form of invisible vapor. If extracted before 

 the excess of water has passed off, the honey 

 will be unripe honey. The fact of its having 

 been sealed is not a proof of its ripeness. 

 A little experience will enable one to tell if 

 honey is up to the standard of density (with- 

 out an instrumental test) provided its tem- 

 perature is not t30 low. But it is not so easy 

 determining this if the honey is cold, there- 

 fore the man who is in the habit of curing 

 his honey outside the hive is more likely to 

 put a uniformly good article on the market, 

 than he who is governed by the sealing test. 

 We may now consider what changes honey 

 undergoes in the process of curing, apart 

 from bringing it to the requisite density by 

 evaporation. The principal change, other 

 than the above, is the partial dissipation of 

 its aroma. What then is aroma ? I think it 

 may be defined as the property imparted to 

 honey by the flowers in which it is secreted, 

 manifesting itself mainly through the sense 

 of taste, and this has something to do in con- 

 stituting flavor but only in so far as the sense 

 of smell manifests itself through the medium 

 of the mouth. It is chiefly by its aroma we 

 are enabled to determine the class of flowers 

 from which honey has been gathered. Aroma 

 is fleeting in its nature. Time and exposure 

 will destroy it to a great extent. Therefore 

 it is never so pronounced in honey as im- 

 mediately after it has been taken from the 

 flowers. The process of ripening honey in 

 the hive, and out of the hive, is identical in 

 its nature and effect. When once ripe it 

 should be immediately bottled or canned 

 and hermetically sealed, if we wish it to re- 

 tain its flavor and aroma in their fullest de- 

 gree. If it be allowed to remain in open 

 tanks or cans when once ripe, both will be- 

 come deteriorated. It is nonsense to say, 

 as some say, that honey can only be ripened 

 in the hive, and retain its flavor and normal 

 consistency. None who have made this 

 statement have given any reasons for the 

 faith that is in them, unless it be Mr. Dem- 

 aree, and his are not conclusive. 



Owen Sound. 



April .S, 1894. 



