Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884: A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and FiresideVarious
Science
Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884: A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and Fireside
Various
Agriculture -- United States -- Periodicals; Farm life -- Periodicals; United States -- Rural conditions -- Periodicals
A couple of copies of THE PRAIRIE FARMER have lately come to my desk, a
reminder of my boyhood days, when, in the old home with my father, I used
to contribute an article now and then to its columns. There is an old
scrap-book on the shelf, at my right, now, with some of those articles in
it, published nearly thirty years ago. But my object in writing now is to
add something to Mrs. Harrison's article on Extracted Honey. Last year my
honey crop was about 3,000 pounds, and half of this was extracted, or
slung honey, as we bee-keepers often call it; but for next year I have
decided to raise nearly all comb honey, for the reason that I do not get
customers so readily for extracted honey. I have never extracted until the
honey was all, or nearly all, capped over, and then admitted air into the
vessels holding it, so as to be absolutely sure of getting it "dry," and
proof against souring. This method has given me about half the amount
others obtained by extracting as soon as the combs were filled by the
bees, and ripening afterward.
But in spite of all these precautions I find so much prejudice against
extracted honey, growing out of the ignorance of the public with regard to
this sweet, ignorance equaled only by the ignorance in regard to bees
themselves, that the sale of such honey has been very slow; so slow that
while my comb honey is reduced at this date to about 150 pounds, I have
several ten-gallon kegs of pure white honey still on hand.
Especially is there a prejudice against candied honey, though that is an
absolute test of purity, and it can be readily liquified, as Mrs. H. says,
without injury. When I say that it is an absolute test of purity I mean
that all honey that candies evenly is pure, though some of the best honey
I have ever had never candied at all. In one case I knew the honey to
candy in the combs of a new swarm early in autumn; but some seasons,
particularly very dry ones, it will hardly candy at all. This difference
seems to be due to the varying proportion of natural glucose, which will
crystallize, and levulose, or mellose, which will not crystallize.
Manufactured glucose will not crystallize; and some of our largest honey
merchants, even the Thurbers, of New York, have mixed artificial glucose
with honey to avoid loss by the ignorant prejudice of the public.
WM. CAMM., MORGAN CO., ILL.
South'n Wisconsin Bee-keepers' Ass'n.
The bee-keepers met in Janesville, Wis., on the 4th inst., and organized a
permanent society, to be known as the Southern Wisconsin Bee-keepers'
Association. The following named persons were elected officers for the
ensuing year: President, C. O. Shannon; Vice-President, Levi Fatzinger;
Secretary, J. T. Pomeroy; Treasurer, W. S. Squire.
The regular sessions of the association will be held on the first Tuesday
of March in each year. Special meetings will also be held, the time of
which will be determined at previous meeting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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