than within the hive. Although I have closely followed most of the 

 writers on this side of the question, I have failed entirely to discover 

 anything beyond mere assertions that their method is the right one, and 

 all others wrong. No proof by tests or experience of both methods has 

 been adduced to support their assertions, so that to a close observer they 

 have been valueless. On the other hand, we have the ejperience and 

 testimony of some very eminent beekeepers who have practised with great 

 success and advantage the ripening of honey outside the hive. 



Ripening Inside the Hive. 



This can readily be done, and is, no doubt, the best plan for those 

 who are not prepared to exercise great care — that is, who are somewhat 

 careless. All that is needed is to leave the honey in the hive until all the 

 cells are sealed or capped over before removing the comb for extracting. 

 The capping of the hofney-cells denotes that the contents are ripe — ^that is, 

 that the surplus moisture has been evaporated, which in my opinion is 

 all that takes place. The time required for this depends in a great 

 measure on the state of the weather and the condition of the honey when 

 stored ; it may be several days before the honey is capped, or in dry 

 warm weather only a few hours after the cells are filled. Even honey 

 that is ripened in the hive should remain in a shallow tank after 

 extracting, to mature before tinning it — but more of this later. 



Ripening Outside the Hivb. 



If there were no disadvantages in the foregoing process, or no other 

 method of reaching the same end without disadvantages attached to it, 

 we should, as a matter of course, have to follow it; but I maintain we 

 can ripen our honey equally as well outside as within the hive, and by 

 so doing efiect an enormous saving of time, labour, and material, and 

 secure a larger crop of honey. Nothing has yet been brought forward to 

 refute the theory that the ripening of honey, as previously stated, is 

 simply a mechanical process — evaporating the surplus moisture by means 

 of heat, whether inside or outside the hive. 



In the season of 1883-84, after much thought, I determined to give the 

 process a trial, and had shallow tanks made, such as I recommend now. 

 The crop was ten tons of clover honey, none of which was more than par- 

 tially capped on the upper parts of the combs, and plenty was not capped 

 at all when extracted. It was duly ripened and matured in my tanks, 

 and finer honey I never had. It was sent to England and all over the 

 colony, and gave no cause for complaint. I followed the same process 

 with the same success all the time I was raising honey, including that 

 raised at the Exhibition Apiary, 3907. 



It gave me much pleasure sonae seven months after the publication of 

 the first edition of this bulletin, wherein I had suggested the adoption 



