338 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



SHIPPING EXTRACTED HONEY 



October 



RECENT decisions by the Rate 

 Committee of the Y\ 

 Classification have resulted in 

 slight advances in rate on extracted 

 honey in different styles of contain- 

 ers. Beekeepers are apt to be sur- 

 prised at this and wonder why the 

 rates should be advanced when the 

 rate on other liquid sweets is not ad- 

 vanced in proportion. 



The fault, f course, lies with those 

 beekeepers who are not careful in 

 putting up and packing their product 

 in proper manner for shipment. 



A rate committee does not raise the 

 rate on one article without reason. 

 They take the list of claims which 

 have been paid by the different rail- 

 . road companies as a basis for formu- 

 lating such increase. If there have 

 been many claims presented for ship- 

 ments of honey, the railroad com- 

 pany must defend itself by raising the 

 rate sufficiently to cover the damage. 



In the case of other liquid sweets, 

 such as corn syrup, etc., these are 

 practically all put up by large and 

 reliable firms, that are well acquaint- 

 ed with the requirements necessary 

 for getting their product through in 

 good shape. They pack such products 

 so as to reach the customer safely, 

 not only to save claims and additional 

 freight charges, but also that the 

 product may give satisfaction. 



Another thing is that these liquid 

 sweets are usually shipped in car- 

 loads to distributors, and from these 

 distributing houses shipped out to the 

 retail grocers. The amount of local 

 freight business is, therefore, very 

 small, and the distance such freights 

 go is usually short. The amount of 



BY M. G. DADANT 



damage should be proportionately 



small. 



Of course, not all beekeepers pack 

 their honey poorly. But the i 

 thrifty beekeepers who pack their 

 honey securely must help pay the 

 damages claimed through shiftless 

 packing and leakage. It behooves 

 every beekeeper, therefore, to pack 

 his own honey securely and urge in 

 every instance that his neighbor do 

 the same. 



In considering shipments of honey, 

 there are three factors which enter 

 into consideration, in determining fin- 

 ally the proper freight rate. The first 

 of these is the quality of the product, 

 the second is the containers, and the 

 third is the packing case in which the 

 container is shipped. 



Quality of Product 

 In spite of continued urging on the 

 part of all educators and bee papers, 

 there are still large numbers who 

 keep bees and do not know what ripe 

 honey is. So a great deal of honey 

 is extracted when it is yet unripe, 

 and it ferments after being placed in 

 the packages. 



We believe that the reader would 

 be surprised if he were to visit any 

 of the large distributing centers 

 where honey is received in all styles 

 of packages and from all directions. 

 Many such shipments come in leakv, 

 the cans bulged, barrels with staves 

 broken in and in some instances con- 

 tents completely gone from bursting 

 of containers, owing to the fact that 

 this honey was shipped when unripe, 

 and had fermented enroute. 



The honey commission merchant 

 and the large dealer must guard him- 





Ends without cleats are in danger of splittir 



self against such shipments and the 

 result is that the loss is prorated in 

 many instances against the good 

 shipper as well as the poor one. This 

 also accounts for the fact that in 

 many instances beekeepers are dissat- 

 isfied with returns on their honey 

 when it left their hands in appar- 

 ently good order. We recall one 

 shipment of three or four barrels 

 from the South which had been put 

 up unripe. One barrel came, or at 

 least one or two staves of the barrel 

 came, most of it being left on the 

 car floor. Another barrel was about 

 half full, the other two were badly 

 leaking. 



Another item, entering into this, is 

 whether the honey is to be shipped 

 in liquid or granulated form. Of 

 course, if the beekeeper intends to 

 hold his honey until granulated and 

 then ship, there will be considerably 

 less danger from loss on the road, 

 and he could afford to use a little less 

 strong package, although it is not 

 desirable. 



In any instance, honey that is to be 

 shipped should be of high grade, not 

 only to guarantee its safe transport, 

 but that it may give satisfaction at 

 the other end. 



The Honey Container 



It would hardly be advisable for the 

 1" i keeper to insist upon a heavier 

 grade of glass in choosing his glass 

 packages. Glass containers, as made 

 by (lie large factories, conform to 

 certain standards and are sufficiently 

 strong to stand freight shipments if 

 i operly packed. Of course, there 

 will be the usual breakage, as with 

 all shipments of glass. 



In tin honey containers, the bee- 

 keeper lias a little more choice. The 

 ordinary friction-top pail, in the 

 small-size pails is, of course, the bi il 

 e. The other style of tops. 

 loose fitting, should not be used in 

 making shipment. All friction-top 

 pails are usually made of the same 

 standard of tin, so that the beekeeper 

 cannot go far wrong if he orders any 

 of the standard friction-top packages. 



It is in the S-gallon or 60-pound con- 



