}\)c (|)ee- 



eepeps' J\e\^ie6j. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$L00 A YFAR. 



W, Z, HDTCBINSON, EdUor and Proprietor, 



VOL XII, 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, APRIL 10, 1899 NO 4 



THE GRADING OF HOXEV. 



Also Some Hints and Suggestions Regarding 

 its Shipment. 



V. I,. THOMPSON. 



'HIT the last annual convention of the 

 ■^ Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, held Nov. 30 and Dec. i and 2, 

 the committee on grailing recoiinnended 

 the following rules, which were adopted 

 by the Association: 



No. I. — Sections to be well filled; hon- 

 ey and comb white; comb not to project 

 bevond wood; wood to be well cleaned; 

 sections to weigh not less than 21 pounds 

 net, per case of 24 sections; but cases in 

 lots must average 22 pounds net. [That 

 is, if a few cases in a lot weighed 21 

 pounds each, that would not prevent the 

 whole lot from being first grade honey, 

 provided the average of the whole lot was 

 22 pounds.] 



No. 2. — Includes all amber hone\ , and 

 all white honey not included in No. 1; to 

 l)e fairly well sealed, and not weigh less 

 than 18 pounds net per case of 24 sections. 



Culls. — .AH cull honey shall be sold in 

 the home market. 



No doubt, plenty of minor criticisms 

 could be made on the above; and while it 



may not correspond to what many would 

 think 6>//<,'7//to be, yet it may be taken as 

 perhaps as close an approximation to the 

 actual commercial conditions in this State 

 as is possible to obtain. The most rea- 

 sonable objection I have heard comes 

 from a bee-keeper on the western slope, 

 who says his whole crop of white honey 

 averages a fraction less than 21 pountls 

 net, and yet he got better prices and bet- 

 ter grading than some of his neighbors 

 who had full weight, i-lb. sections. He 

 does not wish to discard separators. 1 

 have been told, however, that the same 

 buyer who cleaned outmost of the Mon- 

 trose County product last year said that 

 he might insist on a 22-lb. average another 

 year. That will be seen when the time 

 comes. The experience of the Denver 

 bee-keepers seems to be in favor of the 

 22-lb. average. My own experience 

 shows that to get a 22-lb. average of sep- 

 aratored honey, with our long flows, dur- 

 ing /><)'/-/ of which the yield is scanty, will 

 recjuire con.siderable picking over and 

 rejection of otherwise desirable .sections. 

 But I am willing to follow the majority 

 if it seems necessary. 



The object of adopting a special grad- 

 ing was to have a chance of putting a good 

 share of our nice white honey in the best 

 grade. The Washington grading can not 



