162 



TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



honey, because it must be sealed in 

 order to be marketable, and its at- 

 tractive appearance has much to do 

 with its ready sale. Therefore, we 

 must consider this point and not allow 

 it to become dark and travel-stained. 

 No doubt most of us have seen the 

 nectar in the open cells of our im- 

 maculate sections become bubbly and 

 sour, and the faces of the sections 

 become watery and greasy appearing, 

 even when kept in a warm, dry place. 

 This shows that the preserving prop- 

 erties are not complete. 



In the production of extracted honey 

 the perfect ripening is more essential 

 as the extracting process causes the 

 honey to take In the ferment germs 

 that attack the particles that are not 

 thoroughly inverted or changed from 

 nectar to honey. 



In my position as manager of the 

 Western Honey Producers, 200,000 

 pounds of extracted honey comes un- 

 der mj- observation annually. The 

 ■first two years of our existence as 

 packers and distributers nearly all the 

 honey came in small lots, and we no- 

 ticed that there was quite a difference 

 in the quality and density of the 

 honey. This led to close examina- 

 tions and tests, and the cause was 

 soon located. Some of the honey had 

 been extracted too "green." One such 

 lot that was received in the fall of 

 1908 showed signs of outgrowing the 

 cans soon after it was placed in the 

 warehouse. Some of the cans were 

 hissing quite loudly when it was dis- 

 covered. This honey was at once 

 treated by our clarifying process to 

 see if the fermentation could be 

 stopped. We succeeded in putting it 

 in a condition so that it would keep 

 indefinitely, but the flavor was in- 

 jured so that it could not be used as 

 table honev. 



Last season we were offered some 

 carload lots that were slightly fer- 

 mented, at half the price good honey 

 was bringing, but we could not use it. 

 A large grocery house bought it, and 

 by cooking it in a steam kettle made 

 an ingredient that they sell for pure 

 honey. It will pass the pure food 

 inspection, but it will not pass the 

 lips of the consumer the second time. 

 It is such honey as this, put up by ig- 

 norant persons (in the case mentioned 

 above I think it is largely ignorance 

 and a desire to get a large package 



for little money), that is ruining the 

 honey market. 



Give the consumer that rich, thick, 

 delicious honey, that is extracted later 

 in the season, and it will tax the 

 bloom of our fertile fields to supply 

 the demand. 



Our honey business has expanded 

 in the past four years more than we 

 anticipated, and this has been brought 

 about by our putting out the best 

 honej'. We have secured this best 

 honey by getting next to the pro- 

 ducers, and showing them where they 

 are making their mistake. As a re- 

 sult, they were anxious to please the 

 consumer, and today our warehouse 

 is full of extracted honey, every can 

 of which will test perfectly in density, 

 formic acid and flavor. 



The question will be asked, "how 

 are we to let all of our honey ripen 

 or age on the hive?" 



My answer to this will depend much 

 on the locality and kind of bloom. If 

 the flow is practically light honey, 

 then tier up and leave it until fall. 

 If there is a light honey-flow followed 

 by a dark autumn flow from buck- 

 wheat and other blossoms, that im- 

 part a strong flavor, I would say, 

 leave the light honey until the dark 

 honey begins lo come in, and if a 

 little of the dark is mixed in it, it is 

 not so iferious a fault as to extract 

 green honey or nectar. 



I have read with interest the arti- 

 cles written by G. C. Greiner, E. W. 

 Alexander, and others, on extracting 

 often during the season, and the 

 methods of artificial ripening. At 

 the same time I have considered what 

 constitutes honey, and would refer my 

 hearers to the bulletin published by 

 the Agricultural Department at Wash- 

 ington, D. C, entitled, "The Chemical 

 Analysis and Composition of Honey." 

 In this we find the following: 



"In the modification of the nectar 

 by the bees several changes in the 

 composition are produced. Among 

 the most important of these is evap- 

 oration of the nectar to a water con- 

 tent of about 20 per cent. This is 

 effected in the hive by the bees ex- 

 posing the nectar in thin layers to the 

 action of a current of air produced by 

 the fanning of the wings. This evap- 

 oration is further hastened, according 

 to some, by process of regurgitation, 

 the nectar being continually thrown 



