88 
BARRELS 
ship them, and in all probability the bar¬ 
rels will begin to leak en route; and he will 
receive a complaint from the consignee 
that “the honey arrived in bad condition,” 
“half of it gone.” There have been more 
ill feeling and hard words because of in¬ 
excusable carelessness or lack of proper 
knowledge concerning this matter of ship¬ 
ping honey in barrels than, perhaps, any 
other thing connected with the marketing 
of extracted honey. If the directions are 
carefully followed, and good barrels are 
selected, there will be little or no trouble 
outside of the arid regions. 
Another frequent cause of complaint 
arises from the fact that the barrels are 
filled too full. Honey, during the process 
of granulating, will expand. If it is put 
into the barrel long before it is candied, 
the barrel should not be filled quite full. 
Just before shipping put in a little more 
and then ship. We have received several 
consignments of honey that had candied in 
barrels. The barrels had been filled full; 
the honey candied, and burst the barrels. 
HOW TO" TEST BARRELS FOR LEAKS. 
Barrels that are intended for the storage 
of honey should not be kept in a cellar but 
in a dry place. Before filling, the hoops 
should be driven down tight all around. To 
test for. leakage, A. C. Miller suggests the 
following plan: 
With a tire pump fitted over a specially 
prepared bung, force in air until there is 
quite a pressure in the barrel. Now listen 
for air leaks. If there are any, there will 
be a hissing in one or more places. Hold¬ 
ing the palm of one hand over the bung 
thru which the air was forced, dip the free 
hand into some water, and push it along to 
where the air seems to be hissing out. This 
will prove whether there is a leak at that 
point. If there is one, there will be a 
sputtering or bubbling. Wherever the air 
is found leaking thru, drive the hoops 
down until the openings are closed. Then, 
again, force air into the barrel and try for 
leaks as before. 
Do not, under any circumstances, test a 
barrel for leakage with water, as it soaks 
up the wood, and the latter would swell up 
and close the leak. After the honey is put 
into the barrel it would absorb the water, 
and the barrel would leak just at the time 
it could be least afforded—when it would 
be halfway on its journey. 
THE NEED OF PARAFFINING OR WAXING 
BARRELS. 
The author is well aware that some of 
the best honey-producers say it is not nec¬ 
essary to wax dr paraffin barrels inside; but 
our experience shows that it is very impor¬ 
tant, not so much for the purpose of clos¬ 
ing up any possible leaks as to prevent the 
honey from soaking into the wood of the 
barrel or the wood itself from giving a 
taint to the honey. The average person has 
little idea of the amount of honey that can 
be soaked up inside of an unwaxed barrel, 
and be charged up to the shipper. After 
having tested the barrels for leaks by the 
air-pressure plan recommended, and making 
them tight, wax or paraffin the inside of 
the barrels; don’t depend on the waxing to 
close up the leaks —the barrel should be 
tight before. 
Paraffin, being a good deal cheaper than 
beeswax, and melting at a lower tempera¬ 
ture, is, therefore, to be recommended. Melt 
up about 10 or 12 pounds, and when hot 
pour it thru a large funnel into one bung- 
hole of the barrel. Quickly drive in the 
bung, roll it around, twirl it. on eacli end; 
then give it another spin so as to cover 
perfectly all around the chine. This op¬ 
eration will warm the air inside to such an 
extent that the liquid will be forced into 
every crevice. As soon as the inside is 
covered, loosen the bung with a hammer; 
and if the work is well done the bung will 
be thrown into the air with a loud report. 
Pour out the remaining liquid, warm it up 
again, and treat the other barrels in a like 
manner. 
The operation as a whole takes but very 
little time; and if one has taken pains to 
prove the barrel tight by the air-pressure 
plan, the coating of paraffin on the inside 
will make it doubly secure. Second-hand 
barrels especially should be paraffined; and 
even new barrels should be so treated to 
prevent a great loss of honey that would 
necessarily soak into the wood. Steel bar¬ 
rels are not recommended. 
SLIPPING HOOPS. 
It is very important that the barrels be 
made tight before honey is put. into them. 
