92 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING 
The honey, should be drawn off into a honey- 
ripener. This is a tall, cylindrical vessel, shaped 
something like a milk churn, and is fitted with a 
strainer and lid. Its purpose is to ripen the 
honey. When honey is extracted there is a con- 
siderable quantity thrown out of the cells which 
has not been- sealed over by the bees. This 
honey is unripe, and if it is bottled along with 
the ripe honey. will cause fermentation. 
The ripener is for the purpose of separating this 
thin honey, which should not be sold, but may 
be fed back to the bees. Having filled the ripener, 
then, place it in a warm corner and allow it to 
stand for a week. It will now be found that the 
thin honey has risen to the top, and as all ripeners 
are fitted with valves at the bottom the good 
honey may be drawn off, leaving the thin behind. 
We now come to the putting up of honey for 
sale, and the methods employed are various. First 
let me say that cleanliness and neatness, combined 
with good taste, are the great secret of it all. 
Take whatever form of package you like, but your 
ultimate success in finding a market rests in the 
main on your observance of the qualities men- 
tioned. 
For the retail trade, or for shopkeepérs, ex- 
tracted honey is usually sold in pound and half- 
pound screw-cap jars. These jars are fitted with 
a cork wad, and if tastefully labelled they are 
‘particularly attractive. For the wholesale market 
