HONEY. 87 



The honey coming from these appliances is very clouded with 

 the small particles of wax broken off by the pressure. Heather 

 honey is best eaten in the form of sections. 



136. Treatment of Honey before Packing. — The 



honey accumulated in the extractor should be strained into tall 

 vessels having treacle-valves at the bottom. All the cappings 

 and droppings from the combs should be strained into the same 

 receptacle, and should then be allowed to stand in a warm room 

 for some days. During this time — which will vary according to 

 the density of the honey, and also the temperature — all the 

 particles of wax, air-bubbles, and any thin, unripe honey that may 

 have been extracted will rise to the top, leaving clear, thick, well- 

 ripened honey at the bottom, which can then be drawn off from 

 the treacle-valve into nice white, clear, transparent glass bottles, 

 either holding lib. or 2lb. These bottles should be corked, and 

 tied over with vegetable parchment, first soaked in milk or 

 white of egg, and tied on damp ; it will then, on drying, 

 stretch smoothly over the top, giving the bottle quite a nice 

 appearance. The bottles should then be labelled " Pure British 



Honey from the Apiary of ," filling in the name of the 



producer in the blank space. There are a large variety of honey- 

 labels sold, some of very good design ; one description can be 

 bought having either English, Welsh, Scotch, or Irish Honey upon 

 it, according to the desire of the bee-keeper. All bottles, after 

 being nicely wiped, should be wrapped in bottling paper. When 

 extracted honey is intended for exhibition, it is usually taken 

 from sections, unless shallow frames are used expressly for this 

 purpose. After being extracted, it is heated, by means of steam 

 or hot water, until it has fined down and become bright ; fire heat 

 must on no account be used in direct contact with the bottles. 

 This system of heating honey is bad, as, unless a great amount 

 of care is exercised, nearly all the flavour is destroyed. Honey 

 when once highly heated rarely granulates thoroughly afterwards. 

 Sections after being removed from the hive should have all 

 propolis and brace-combs nicely scraped off; they should then 

 be glazed — a sheet of glass, of the exact size of the section, 

 placed on each side, and a strip of white paper, fin. wider than 

 the section, pasted round, turning the two iin. edges left over the 

 face of the glasses to secure them in their place. Boxes having 

 glass tops and bottoms are sold for this purpose. A much better 

 method of packing is in tin boxes with glass sides ; this style 

 was first shown at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, by Mr. 

 Griffin, where it attracted little attention, but was afterwards 

 improved by colouring the tin, and is now kept by a dealer who 

 has sold large quantities. It is, without doubt, the neatest package 

 yet introduced, but rather expensive — so much so, that it will only 

 answer for show purposes. Sections should be stored in a warm, 



