Marketing the Honey Crop 



321 



charred, but it is better to have them of some wood softer 

 than oak. They must be kept in a dry place and before 

 using must be made as dry as it is possible to get them, the 

 hoops thoroughly tightened and the barrels tested. The 

 inside may then be coated with paraffin as an extra pre- 

 caution, but it should be 

 remembered that the 

 barrels must be tight 

 first. If the wood in 

 the barrel is wet, honey 

 will take up this moist- 

 ure, causing the wood 

 to shrink and the barrel 

 to leak. The usual sizes 

 have a capacity of about 

 thirty gallons, but those 

 holding fifty gallons are 

 frequently used. Unless 

 one is producing a cheap 

 grade of honey for which 

 a cheap package is required 

 use the 5-gallon tin cans. 



Fig. 137. — Crate holding two 5-gallon 

 honey cans. 



it is better and safer to 



Retail packages for local markets. 



In preparing extracted-honey for the local trade, it is 

 customary to put it in cans or tin buckets of 2^, 5 or 10 

 pounds capacity. Fruit jars and jelly glasses are also 

 commonly used. These containers can be considered only 

 as articles to hold honey and are entirely unsuitable for a 

 market demanding neat attractive packages. They may 

 often be used in less exacting markets and carry with them 

 the advantage of being useful after the honey is eaten. 

 To the beekeeper, they are desirable on account of their 

 low cost in case his market will not pay a good price for his 

 honey. Many beekeepers are, however, guilty of putting 

 fancy honey into these unattractive receptacles, thereby 

 stamping their product as a cheap article. 



