FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 269 



tion before taking the care necessary to avoid injuring others. 

 But when the knife makes an ugly gash in the face of a beau- 

 tiful white section of honey, that settles it that care will be 

 taken afterward. 



PACKING SECTIONS IN SHIPPING-CASES. 



The scraper has in easy reach two shipping-cases. In one, 

 as fast as they are scraped, are put all sections that are not in 

 any way faulty, such as appear in Fig. 100. In the other are 

 put any which are a little off color, either as to comb or honey, 

 or which have some cells unsealed. These must be sold as 

 second-class at a reduction of about 2 cents a pound. In Fig. 

 101 are shown six such sections, the upper three having the 

 best side out and the lower three having the poorest side out. 



KIND OP SHIPPING CASES. 



For some years I used double-tier shipping-cases holding 

 twenty-four sections each, the upper tier resting on a little 

 board supported by two other little boards, so that no weight 

 came upon the lower tier. A pile of such cases showed a 

 greater proportion of honey in its surface than a pile of single- 

 tier cases, and for this reason I liked it, but it was odd goods, 

 and so I changed to single-tier .cases. I have used mostly the 

 twelve-section case, as shown in Fig. 102. But please do not 

 think that all my honey looks as well as that in Fig. 102. The 

 specimens in Fig. 100 are-fair samples, although they are pos- 

 sibly a little below the mark. 



I have used some single-tier eases holding twenty-four 

 sections (Fig. 103). These are not so nice and Arm to handle 

 as the smaller cases, but it costs less to pack a ton of honey in 

 the larger than in the smaller cases. Grocers who sell by the 

 case are inclined to prefer the larger case, for they say a 

 customer who buys a ease at a time will as readily buy a 

 twenty-four-section ease as a twelve-section case. 



I have used several hundred safety shipping-cases, but am 

 none too sure they are worth the extra cost. 



The most difficult thing about the packing is to prevent 

 veneering. It seems to come so natural, when a particularly 

 white and straight section goes into the case, to put it next the 



