114 



SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



this is a point on which many other 

 bee-keepers and experts in honey-tast- 

 ing do not agree with them. It must 

 be admitted that, for general sale, the 

 delicate aromas of well -ripened honey 

 are not necessary, since the purchas- 

 ing public is, as a rule, not educated 

 on this point; but it certainly pays to 

 "produce the very best article possible 

 for the further education of the trade, 

 and, therefore, a thorough ripening in- 

 side of the hive is very much preferable. 

 To insure this, it is better to tier up the 

 hives rather than extract as soon as a 

 hive-body is full. 



On all honeys, after extracting, if al- 

 lowed to stand in a vessel, a scum will 

 rise to the top, made up of impurities, 

 such as wax, brood, dead bees, and 

 particles of dirt which may get into it. 

 This is particularly the case with 

 honeys which are extracted when not 

 thoroughly ripened. In all cases honey 

 should be strained as it' leaves the ex- 

 tractor and subsequently skimmed un- 

 til no further impurities come to the 

 top. It is frequently the practice to 

 draw honey from the bottom of the 

 tank in which the honey is stored, 

 through a "honey-gate," so that the 

 impurities do not get into the smaller 

 receptacles in which the honey is to 

 be packed. 



The thorough ripening of honey can- 

 not be too strongly recommended. 

 Honey attracts moisture, and there is 

 always a tendency for a very thin 

 layer to form on the top of the honey 

 in which the water content is very 

 high. In such a film the amount of 

 sugar is low, the acetic-acid-forming 

 a film of thinrwer honey is always pres- 

 bacteria can grow rapidly and the 

 honey becomes sour. In thoroughly 

 ripened honey it is very probable that 

 ent, but, in such a case, the sugar con- 

 tent is so high that the bacteria cannot 

 grow. 



It is desirable that honeys from 

 different sources be kept separate as 

 far as possible if the product is to be 

 used for the bottling trade. This can 

 be done only by extracting at the 

 close of each honey flow. "While it 

 is probably impossible to get a honey 

 from only one species of plant, ex- 

 cept under the rniost abnormal cir- 

 cumstances, at the same time honey 

 may generally be removed at the close 

 of each flow so that the total quantity 

 will have the characteristic flavor im- 

 parted by a single kind of flower. 



The Granulation of Honey. 



Almost all honeys granulate or 

 "candy" after a certain time, and may 

 become solid. This phenomenon varies 

 greatly in different honeys. For ex- 

 ample, alfalfa honey produced in Col- 

 orado will often granulate solid within 

 a few weeks from the time it is ex- 

 tracted; while the white sage honey 

 of southern California will often re- 

 main liquid and entirely clear of crys- 

 tal for two years and often longer, if 

 properly put up. The reason for this 

 difference in the time of granulation 

 will be discussed under the 'heading of 

 "Types of Honey." Honey from the 

 same species of plant varies somewhat 

 in different localities. 



Formerly the general public was 

 suspicious of granulated honey, in the 

 belief that it contained carie sugar, 

 but, fortunately, it is now generally 

 understood that pure honeys will gran- 

 ulate in time, and this crystallization 

 is generally considered as a test of 

 purity. The education of the purchas- 

 ing public has so far progressed that 

 now some bee-keepers prefer to sell 

 their honey in a solid granulated con- 

 dition, it being cut up into bricks and 

 wrapped in oil paper. 



In bottling honey, or in putting honey 

 from any large receptacle into smaller 

 ones, it is necessary to liquify the 

 entire quantity completely before the 

 operation is begun. This may be done 

 by immersing the receptacle in water 

 which has been heated to 160 degrees 

 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, and letting 

 it remain xintil the honey is all liquid 

 and free from crystals. Honey should 

 never be liquified by direct application 

 of heat, and it is extremely important 

 that it should not reach a temperature 

 of more than 160 degrees F. It is well- 

 known to almost all bee-keepers that 

 honey heated to higher temperatures 

 will become darker in color and lose 

 flavor, and, consequently, they are gen- 

 erally very careful on this point. There 

 is, however, a very much more impor- 

 tant reason for avoiding high tempera- 

 ture. When honey is heated to 180 

 degrees Fahrenheit, and more, the high- 

 er alcohols which give honey its aroma 

 are driven off, and, more than that, a 

 decomposition of certain of the sugars 

 takes place; this is what gives the 

 darker color to the honey. Of all the 

 various substances used for the adul- 

 teration of honey the one most nearly 

 resembling pure honey is inverted 

 sugar, of which the Herzfelt artificial 



