Texas Beekeeping. 93 



This matter is a very serious one. The beekeeper does not feel the 

 loss and the damaging effect, and hence his neglect of effort toward 

 remedying it. The result is, that many buyers of honey become dis- 

 couraged and cease handling it because they are not able to get honey 

 shipments without more or less loss from damage. The beekeeper 

 seldom has opportunity to know the facts, because he never hears 

 of the condition in which his honey was received; neither does he 

 learn the number of claims for honey shortages received by the rail- 

 road companies at the destination of the shipments. 



A close study has revealed that hundreds of honey shipments are 

 damaged to some extent each season, and the consequence will be a 

 serious one to the beekeeping and honey shipping industry unless 

 remedied. It was ascertained that during a period of less than one 

 month there were twelve claims made to one railroad company for 

 damaged honey shipments and loss by leakage. This was between 

 the dates of August 14 and September 10, a period of 27 days, long 

 after the main honey shipping season. Considering the numerous 

 other railroads and the thousands of other honey shipments, it is evi- 

 dent that this matter should be taken in hand and remedied at once. 



It is hoped that the beekeepers, small and large, will assist in re- 

 ducing this damage by using nothing but good, well-made honey cans 

 and pails, boxed securely in strong well nailed wooden cases that will 

 carry the heavy contents in first class condition to the purchaser. 



To neglect this, will ultimately mean disastrous results, in that 

 many buyers will refuse to handle honey at all, and, more serious 

 than this, is the fact that the railroads have threatened to refuse to 

 carry honey improperly boxed, or to raise freight rates for its trans- 

 portation. As all honey in cans properly protected in wooden cases 

 goes at a very low (fourth class) freight now, it behooves beekeepers 

 to take warning and keep it so. 



GRANULATION OP HONEY. 



Nearly all pure honey will become hard and white as soon as cool 

 weather approaches. Some persons look upon this with suspicion as 

 being a sign of adulteration of the honey with sugar, or otherwise. 

 On the contrary the granulation of honey is a sign of its purity, as 

 adulterated honey, especially that to which glucose has been added, 

 does not granulate or become solid. 



While many persons like, or even prefer, granulated honey, it is 

 easily made liquid again by simply setting the vessel into a larger 

 one filled with water on the stove, and heating slowly until the 

 honey is entirely liquid. Some thin pieces of wood should be placed 

 under the bottom of the vessel of honey to prevent scorching,, and it 

 should not be heated too long or the aroma of the honey may be 

 spoiled. 



Some honey granulates much more readily than others, and, un- 

 less the beekeeper is very sure that the honey will not granulate for 

 a long time, all the extracted honey must be heated to the temper- 

 ature of 152 degrees Fahrenheit. It is mutually understood between 

 producer and buyer that honey must reach destination in the liquid 

 form, unless granulated honey is especially ordered, and a virtual 



