GRADING COMB HONEY 
421 
other eastern States, altho not of great 
importance. It is apparently of more 
value in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. 
But in the white clover belt, in Iowa, Illi¬ 
nois, and the adjoining States, the golden- 
rods yield little or no nectar. Great masses 
of the clustered flowers are visited only oc¬ 
casionally by bees. The conditions which 
produce the secretion of a great amount of 
nectar in white clover do not produce the 
same results in the case of goldenrod. In 
the arid cactus region of the Southwest, 
and in the semiarid region of the Rocky 
Mountain Highlands these plants are either 
absent or no help to the beekeeper. Again, 
in California they are the source of a small 
amount of honey. In New England the 
bushy goldenrod (S. graminifolia) and the 
tall hairy goldenrod ( S. rugosa) yield the 
most nectar; in Canada, S. squarrosa and 
S. puberula; and in California S. califor- 
nica and S. occidentalis. 
While the bees are bringing in the nec¬ 
tar, the whole apiary is filled with a dis¬ 
agreeable sour smell, which on a calm eve¬ 
ning can easily be perceived at a distance 
of 100 feet. The odor observed during a 
goldenrod honey flow has sometimes been 
likened to that of decaying carrion, but 
this is a mistake. When such an odor is 
present in the apiary, it is caused in most 
cases by one or more stinkhorn fungi 
(Phallus impudicus). Where there is de¬ 
caying organic matter, as near old stumps, 
these fungi frequently spring up in the 
fall. They exhale a strong fetid scent like 
putrefying carrion, which may easily mis¬ 
lead the beekeeper, as we have learned by 
experience. The stem is hollow, and the 
caplike top deliquesces into a sticky, semi¬ 
liquid mass, filled with spores, which is 
very attractive to carrion flies. The flies 
feed on the thick syrup and thus become 
an agent in distributing the spores. As 
soon as the fungi are removed the carrion¬ 
like odor disappears. The sour smell of 
the nectar also vanishes in a few days. 
Goldenrod honey is very thick and heavy 
with the golden-yellow color of the blos¬ 
soms. The quality is poor when first 
stored, but when capped and thoroly rip¬ 
ened the flavor is rich and pleasant. It is 
the general testimony of New England 
beekeepers that many persons prefer this 
honey to any other. They regard its color, 
body, and flavor as the qualities of an ideal 
honey. W T hen served on a plate for table 
use it is hardly less attractive than white- 
clover Honey. Its genuineness is never 
questioned. But the flavor is stronger than 
that of white clover, which would probably 
be given the preference by the majority as 
the great universal staple to be used with 
bread and butter. Extracted goldenrod 
honey crystallizes with a coarse grain in 
about two months. 
Goldenrod seldom fails to yield freely 
even in cold and wet weather, but it does 
exceptionally well during a warm dry fall. 
The honey has always proven an excellent 
winter food for bees, and without it there 
would be little hope for bee culture in New 
England. So far as the beekeeper is con¬ 
cerned goldenrod is well named, and it 
would be a want of gratitude on his part 
not to uphold its claims as our national 
flower. 
GRADING COMB BONEY.— The aver¬ 
age comb-honey producer, unless he sells 
his product thru an association of beekeep¬ 
ers, either does not grade his honey at all, 
or else does it so poorly that it is not wor¬ 
thy of the name of grading. One large 
dealer in honey, who buys and sells hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of dollars’ worth every 
year, makes the statement that practically 
all the comb honey that comes into his 
hands must be regraded before it is fit to 
send out; and, of course, he has to charge 
this up to the producer. Even beekeepers 
who are supposed to be up to date, he 
says, apparently pay very little attention 
to this important matter. A poorly graded 
honey, or one that is not graded at all, 
brings two to three cents less per pound on 
the whole shipment. If the producer 
has not the time, he could easily find some 
one who would be willing to do such work 
for him for about half a cent a pound. As 
a rule the grading should be done by some 
member of the family, or some one inter¬ 
ested in the sale of the honey. A hired 
man is inclined to be careless, and a poor 
grader reacts on his employer. 
Ordinary marketable comb honey can be 
divided into three or four classes: Fancy, 
No. 1, and No. 2, or choice. Nothing but 
fancy should be put into the fancy, and 
nothing but No. 1 in No, 1. The author 
