452 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 30, 1904. 



means of detection to thousands of people who never saw a honey-bee, 

 or know anything of its sting. 



We are of the opinion that when the money was claimed, tlie 

 party offering the same would get out of pa;yment by saying that if 

 the honey is manufactured, it is not " honey," etc. 



Very truly yours, R. F. Gilder. 



Whereupon, Mr. Secor replied to Mr. Gilder's letter in this fashion : 

 Forest City, Iowa, May 21, 1004. 

 Mk. R. F. Gilder, 



Care Tri-City Press Club, Omaha, Nebr. 



Dear Sir :— Replying to yours of April 25, addressed in care of 

 Northwestern Agriculturist, which was forwarded to me here, I beg to 

 say that the letter did not reach me until about Ave days ago, and my 

 absence from home for three days of that time is the reason for the 

 delay in answering. 



From the tone of your letter you evidently think that comb honey 

 can be and is made by machinery. I should be pleased to see a sample 

 which you think has been made without the aid of bees. I have had 

 enough practical experience with bees, and have had enough oppor- 

 tunities for observation, to believe the thing can not be done, but I am 

 open to conviction when I see the proof. Please send me a sample, 

 prepaid; and you might also send me a sitting of those machinery- 

 made eggs. 



That offer of $1000 for a pound of comb honey manufactured by 

 machinery was made in good faith by The A. I. Root Co., of Medina, 

 Ohio, and I think the requirements are about as set forth in my 

 department from which you quoted. 



If you are unable to obtain a sample of the article which you think 

 is manufactured, perhaps you could tell the exact location where it is 

 made, and I will investigate. 



I shall be glad to hear from you, because it is the truth we want 

 in this matter. Very truly yours, 



Eugene Secob, 



Editor Bees and Uojiey Department in Northwestern Agricnlturisi. 



It seems utterly impossible to overcome the evil effects of that 

 over-30-years-old manufactured-comb-honey misrepresentation. We 

 know of only one thing to do about it, and that is, to strike it when- 

 ever its miserable head appears to view. Mr. Secor's method is com- 

 mendable. It is just what every bee-keeper should do whenever 

 opportunity offers. The bee-papers can do but little to counteract the 

 evil effects of the republication of the lie about comb honey, as their 

 readers know that their is no such thing as artificial or manufactured 

 comb honey. 



We are glad to know that Mr. Secor is continuing to do what he 

 can to stop the further spread of the story that has done so much to 

 injure bee-keeping. 



Getting Increase vs. Honey. 



" About this time,'' as the almanacs used to say, inquiries will be 

 raised by beginners as to what method to pursue to get a large amount 

 of increase without interfering in any way with the honey crop. 

 They may as well learn first as last, that there is no secret plan by 

 which such a thing can be done. As a rule, a swarm can be had only 

 at the expense of so much taken from the honey crop. In localities 

 where there is a large fall flow, it is possible that a colony swarming 

 somewhat early may, together with its swarm, give a larger harvest for 

 the entire seasoB than the colony alone would have done if it had not 

 swarmed. Even in such a locality, too much dividing up of the force 

 by means of swarming will lessen the honey crop, the colonies not 

 being strong enough for profitable storing, if indeed they are strong 

 enough to gather enough for th.eir own winter stores. 



In most localities, the largest amount of honey will be obtained if 

 the forces are kept together, with no swarming. The beginner is wise 

 who makes up his mind that at least until he has considerable experi- 

 ence he will try to repress all swarming beyond one prime swarm for 

 each colony. 



( 



Miscellaneous Items 





A Great Work on the Bible. — We have just bought the 3- 

 volume set of "The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopiedia," re- 

 cently completed and now offered for sale by The Howard-Severance 

 Co., 173-175 Fifth Ave , Chicago, 111., who should be addressed for 

 full information. 



While we have not had the time necessary to examine this Bible 

 Encyclopaedia thoroughly, still we have seen enough of it to appreciate 

 its great value to Sunday-school teachers and workers, and Bible 

 students of all grades and classes. We are pleased here to give the 



judgment of the well-known and popular Epworth Herald, whose able 

 editor. Rev. J. F. Berry, was just recently elected a bishop of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church: 



A WORKING BIBLE CTCI.OFJSDIA. 



There is a place waiting in thousands of private libraries for The 

 Popular and Critical Bible EncyclopLedia. This is a new work, in 

 three superb quarto valumes, and it has unquestioned claims on the 

 attention of a great army of Bible students. There has long been real 

 need for a cyclopaedia which should satisfy careful students, and yet 

 be moderate in cost. That need is completely met in this work. It is 

 full, scholarly, and much less expensive than any work which will 

 stand comparison with it. The editors are Bishop Fallows, Prof. A. C. 

 Zenos, and Prof. H. L. Willett, who have associated with them a great 

 company of distinguished scliolars. They have drawn freely on all 

 available sources for the foundation material, and have added a 

 wealth of new matter which is of the utmost interest and value. The 

 editors have wisely omitted lengthy discussions of minor critical ques- 

 tions, and have given the largest space to the essential facts for which 

 a Bible cyclopedia is most often consulted. While the name limits the 

 work to Bible themes, the articles have gone far beyond the boundary, 

 treating church history, the history of doctrine, and many of their 

 related subjects. This adds largely to the value of the work, and gives 

 it a decided advantage over Bible dictionaries which keep strictly 

 within the limitations of their title pages. The critical standpoint of 

 the work is modern, and yet conservative. Full recognition is given 

 to the established conclusions of present-day scholarship, and the 

 theories of the critics are freely and fairly staled. But there is no in- 

 clination to surrender the strategic positions of evangelical Christi- 

 anity at the command of critics whose theories are destructive, not 

 only of orthodoxy, but of each other. The publishers have done their 

 part of the work admirably. The three volumes are strongly and 

 beautifully bound, and the typography is all that could be desired. 



National Convention at St. Liouis. — We have received the 

 following from Secretary Brodbeck : 



Los Angeles, Calif., June 18, 1904. 

 Editor American Bee Journal. — 



Dear tiir : — The annual session of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation for 1004 will be held in September, at St. Louis, Mo. 



September 27 and 2s will be devoted to Association work and its 

 interests. 



September 'JO, International Day. We expect many prominent 

 foreign bee-keepers to be present on this day. 



September 30, Inspectors' Day. Twenty bee-inspectors from all 

 over the United States and Canada are counted on to introduce and 

 discuss " The Diseases of Bees," etc. 



Mr. N. E. France will exhibit, in the Convention Hall, a large map 

 of the United States, Canada, Cuba and Europe. Each State and 

 Country will have a shelf attached to the map with a one-pound 

 sample of each kind of honey produced. Many other exhibits of spe- 

 cial interest will be shown. 



We expect to see the largest gathering of bee-keepers ever held in 

 this country. A more detailed program will appear later. 



Respectfully, Geo. W. Brodbeck, Sec. 



We hope that just as many of our readers as possible will plan to 

 be in St. Louis the last week in September, so as to attend the sessions 

 of the bee-keepers' convention. It should easily meet the expectation 

 of Secretary Brodbeck. 



Remember, it is the last week in September, beginning with Tues- 

 day, the '37th. 



The Apiary of M.r. W. A. Bowles, of Barren Co., Ky., ap- 

 pears on the first page. When sending the photograph he wrote thus, 

 under date of June 3 : 



I send a picture of my apiary of 48 colonies. The hives face south. 

 This is the worst season for bees I ever saw, so cold and wet all 

 through the spring. Bees are weak. We will not get any honey this 

 time. 



I have kept bees since 1894, and have been a reader of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal since 1896. 1 winter my bees on the summer stands. 



The man in the picture is myself, and the other is " my cook.'' I 

 "stole" her about 20 years ago. Then I hail to appear before a 

 preacher and make some promises, that I fear I have not kept as faith- 

 fully as I should, for I have heard some grumbling about stove-wood. 



W. A. Bowles. 



" The Alfalfa and the Omega."— At a meeting in the West 

 last winter Secretary Wilson was the chief speaker, but also on the 

 stand almost unnoticed and unknown was Mr. Colmau. the first Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture after the bureau was established. One old farmer, 

 noting that the first and last were present, ami being something of a 

 stump speaker, thought he saw a chance to lunke a point. At the first 

 opportunity, therefore, he arose and grandiloquently informed the 

 assembly that they had with them "the Alfalfa and the Omega." He 

 never got any further, however, the rest of tie speech being drowned 

 in laughter. He certainly had hay in his eye, if not in his hair. — 

 American Farmer. 



The Apiary of J. Li. Strong, of Page Co., Iowa, is shown on 

 the first page of this number. Mr. Strong wrote as follows: 



I send a view of my apiary taken from a point looking northeast. 

 That old man is the proprietor, and rears th« queens. The other two 



