MARKETING HONEY. 483 



absorbing moisture from the air, are very apt to become 

 acid by fermenting. But, even after granulation, it can 

 easily be brought to a flno grain by melting it, and exposing 

 it to the cold of our Northern Winters. Basswood honey 

 would even be benefited by this, as it would lose a little of 

 its too strong flavor. 



Basswood and clover honej' are more apt to ferment than 

 any other class of honey, even when thoroughly granulated, 

 if they remain exposed to the heat of the following Sum- 

 mer, and it is advisable to keep these two kinds in a cool, 

 dry place during the hot weather. A damp cellar would 

 be objectionable, since honey readily absorbs moisture from 

 the air. 



S33. Those bee-keepers who will follow our methods, of 

 extracting (751) after the honey crop, will have but little 

 trouble with honey fermenting, even if they have to keep 

 it through the following Summer. If any honey should fer- 

 ment, however, let them not think that it is spoiled, unless 

 it was really unripe and has turned quite sour. A slight 

 amount of alcoholic ferment can be evaporated readily by 

 melting the honey over water, when the ferment escapes in 

 the shape of foam. As this fermentation is caused by the 

 presence of unripe honey, some of our friends succeed in 

 entirely preventing it by melting all their honey immedi- 

 ately after granulation. The melting evaporates all excess 

 of moisture contained in it, and we highly commend this 

 method. 



Mr. C. F. Muth of Cincinnati, whose large experience 

 in handling honey makes him a high authority, ripens all 

 his honey by keeping it in open vessels in a dry and ven- 

 tilated room, for a month or two after extracting. 



834. Melting Honey. Honey should never be placed 

 directly over a fire to melt it. The least over-heating will 

 evaporate its essential oils, and give it the burnt taste of 

 dark molasses instead. It should be put in a tin or copper 



