74 Texas Department op Ageiculture. 



that will help make work during the busy season miich more agree- 

 able and easier to do. 



WHERE TO KEEP HONEY. 



One of the most serious and most common mistakes is to store 

 honey in the cellar or in a cool, often damp, room, or in the case of 

 consumers, with only a smaU quantity, to keep it in a refrigerator. 

 This mistake is made by many inexperienced beekeepers, as well as 

 others, and is the reason why attention is called to the matter here. 



Honey readily absorbs moisture if kept in a cool, damp place, and, 

 besides consequently losing in quality and flavor, it may sour and 

 ferment if not properly cared for, thus spoiling it entirely. Honey 

 should always be kept in a warm, dry place, during all seasons, be- 

 cause it thereby keeps from absorbing moisture and remains liquid 

 much longer. 



For small quantities no place is better than the kitchen cupboard, 

 or a place behind the stove. The warm temperature does not only 

 keep the honey well, but it improves in density and flavor, as it be- 

 comes very thick and heavy in body. It is a good plan to inform 

 consumers of honey of these simple facts. Beekeepers will gain 

 by giving such information to their customers. The beekeeper him- 

 self should strive, of course, to keep his own honey, if he has any 

 large amount of it, in a convenient dry place in his honey house, on 

 otherwise, so that moisture may not afilect it. Honey that has ab- 

 sorbed a great deal of moisture and is very thin, can be heated slowly, 

 to evaporate the surplus water, by setting the vessel containing it on 

 some thin boards to prevent scorching, inside a larger one filled with 

 water. Honey that has become sour can not be restored and is only 

 fit for making vinegar. 



HONEY AS A FOOD. 



Comparatively few people know the true value of honey as a food, 

 and to what extent it is used for medicinal purposes. Honey was 

 much more generally employed in olden times, before sugar came into 

 use. It was probably the only sweet then. It is mentioned many 

 times in sacred and early profane history. The honey of today is 

 nature's purest sweet. It is much more wholesome than cane sugar, 

 since it does not need to be changed by the digestive process, 

 like sugar, before it can be assimilated, nor tax the kidneys like sugar 

 does ; hence it has a tendency to prevent such ailments as diabetes and 

 Bright 's disease. It is already inverted by the bees. Especial care 

 should be paid to children for they crave sweets, and too much cane 

 sugar, or candies and other things containing it will have a tendency 

 to overtax their kidneys from an early age. Satisfying this longing 

 by the use of the more healthful, natural and already prepared sweet, 

 honey, is indeed a wise part of the parent 's duty, and the desire for 

 other sweets will be abated, to quite an extent. 



As a natural food, honey, while the price may seem high at first 

 thought, goes farther and contains more nutritive qualities than other 

 sweets. A tumbler of honey will spread more slices of bread than 



