38 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 17, 1901. 



Department on the subjects relating- to bees and fruits, and 

 has put into my hands copies of correspondence in several 

 instances where litigation was threatened, but which was 

 averted by prompt and prudent action. 



A Case at Evansvili.e, Indiana, was reported to the 

 entomological Division stating that the city authorities 

 proposed to pass an ordinance prohibiting the keeping of 

 bees within the city limits and for four tiiiles outside. The 

 matter was referred to me, and such literature as was avail- 

 able was forwarded to the attorneys for the bee-keepers, 

 and they were also referred to McLain's experiments. No 

 doubt the matter was dropt by the citj', as nothing further 

 was heard of it. 



Several other cases have been reported to me during 

 the past year, of cities and towns threatening to rule the 

 bees out, but copies of the celebrated Arkadelphia decision 

 sent, no doubt had a restraining iniluence. 



The general manager has written more than a hundred 

 official letters during the year, besides hectograph copies 

 sent the directors at different times, and besides the regu- 

 lar routine of official notifications and receipts. 



Many of these letters have been lengthy legal opinions 

 in answer to members who have been threatened with law- 

 suits. 



The Association sent Mr. Abbott as delegate to the 

 Third annual convention of the National Pure Food and 

 Drug Congress, which convened in the city of Washington, 

 March 7, 1900, and paid a small portion of his expenses. 

 The work of this congress is in the interest of purity and 

 honesty of all foods and medicines consumed by man. It is 

 laboring for the enactment of laws to protect innocent pur- 

 chasers from deceit and fraud. The board of directors be- 

 lieve such efforts worthy of aid. 



THE HAKES ADULTERATBD-HONEY TRIAL. 



January 22, 1900, Secretary Dr. A. B. Mason, at my re- 

 quest, attended and assisted in the trial of a groceryman at 

 Jackson, Mich., who had been arrested by the State Food 

 Inspector on the charge of selling adulterated honey. The 

 suit was in the circuit court of Jackson county, and it ap- 

 pears to have proven bej'ond doubt that the honey offered 

 for sale and sold by Mr. Hakes, was largely adulterated 

 with glucose syrup. The court instructed the jury to re- 

 turn a verdict of guilty, which was done. I have no doubt 

 that this trial will have a wholesome effect in Michigan and 

 in all other States where pure-food laws are in force. 



If impure extracted honey can be driven from the mar- 

 ket, and consumers led to believe that what they buy as 

 honey is really the product of the hive-bee, a better price 

 may be realized by the producer of a first-class article. It 

 may be well to state here that quality as well as purity is es- 

 sential. No unripe honey ought ever to be offered for 

 sale. 



In conclusion I wish to admonish our members to keep 

 out of trouble if possible. Don't get the idea that this As- 

 sociation can do everything. Bee-keepers inust keep within 

 the law if they wish to have the protection of law. Bees 

 may become trespassers like other domestic animals, and 

 bee-keepers maybe liable for damages done by bees in some 

 instances. It is therefore wise to avoid any conflict with 

 near neighbors which your care can prevent. Infuriated 

 bees in a thickly settled neighborhood may bring legal con- 

 tests which this Association can not win. The Golden 

 Rule is the highest law. Fraternally yours, 



Eugene Secor, General Manager, 



Mr. Secor closes his report with a financial statement 

 showing a balance of cash on hand of $521.15. 



The Association now numbers 560. It is unfortunate 

 that so large a number of bee-keepers have not yet discov- 

 ered the personal benefit and security there may be for them 

 in uniting with the National Bee-Keepers' Association, yet 

 it is pleasant to know how much has been already accom- 

 plisht by organization, and the present number of members 

 gives hope that it may continue to increase. There ought 

 to be a large gain in membership with the beginning of 

 the new century, and now is a good time to act. 



\ Convention Proceedings. | 



Report of the Proceedings of the 31st Annual 



Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' 



Association, held at Chicago, 111., 



Aug-. 28, 29 and 30, 1900. 



By DR. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



The American Fruit and Vegetable Journal is just 

 what its name indicates. Tells all about growing fruits 

 and vegetables. It is a fine monthly, at 50 cents a year. 

 We can mail you a free sample copy of it, if you ask for it. 

 We club it with the American Bee Journal— both for $1.10. 



(Contiaued from page 24.) 



Pres. Root — We are very fortunate in having Prof. Ea- 

 ton of the Pure Food Commission of Illinois with us, and 

 Mr. Moore, who knows him well, I have askt to introduce 

 him. 



Mr. Moore — Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association, it gives me great pleas- 

 ure to introduce to you Prof. Edward N. Eaton, who was 

 formerly chemist to the Minnesota Pure Food Commission. 

 He has been a member of the Chicago Bee-Keepers'Asso- 

 ciation, and has been very much interested in our work, and 

 is really one of us. He used to analyze samples for us, and 

 the time came when the Illinois State Legislature organ- 

 ized a Pure Food Commission. Under this Commission 

 there must be a chemist appointed. The Chicago Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association recommended Prof. Eaton for this ap- 

 pointment. He is now the analj-st of the Illinois Pure 

 Food Commission, and I present him to j'ou. 



Prof. Eaton — I thank Mr. Moore for his very kind in- 

 troduction, and the kind words he has to say, and I appre- 

 ciate them fully. I didn't expect to take up any of your 

 time this afternoon, I didn't expect to make anj' sort of a 

 speech, simply express to you the gratification I feel in be- 

 ing able to attend this convention, and the pleasure I al- 

 ways have in attending bee-keepers' conventions. This is 

 the first of your national conventions I have ever had the 

 pleasure of attending — I hope it will not be the last. I also 

 wish to express regret that Commissioner A. H. Jones, the 

 Illinois Pure Food Commissioner, is not able to meet with 

 you and address you this afternoon. He has been out of the 

 city some little time on business connected with the Com- 

 mission and returned this noon. I expected to see him this 

 afternoon and invite him to come this evening, and per- 

 haps he will be here. The members of the Chicago Associ- 

 ation know how much interest he takes in the question of 

 pure food, especially in regard to adulteration of honey. 

 Before he had accepted the duties of the office he came 

 before the Chicago Association and outlined to them 

 his policy in regard to preventing this fraud and deception 

 in the sale of honey, and that policy he has continued, and 

 to-day there are but very few adulterated goods upon this 

 market. Of course this is not the season for honey, but we 

 expect to make a more vigorous crusade in the winter 

 months when honey becomes a prominent product on the 

 market. Adulderation has had a long and prosperous reign 

 in this State. Mr. Moore referred to the work of the Chi- 

 cago Association in trying to prevent the sale of fraudulent 

 honey before the commission was started. We did not suc- 

 ceed in making any convictions. However, we did succeed 

 in purifying the market to a great extent of the adulterated 

 goods in Chicago, but not so in the small cities of the State. 

 About six months ago, I think it was, we got a large num- 

 ber of samples from Aurora and from Rockford, in this 

 State, and of the samples in Aurora, I believe, almost 

 half of them proved to be adulterated. In Rockford the 

 situation was not quite so bad. This was before the law 

 went into effect, which was July 1st. As I said, we have 

 not done much in the line of honey since July 1st. I have 

 examined a few samples, and what I examined were pure 

 honey. Heretofore the manufacturers of adulteratfd honey 

 that has been put upon the market in the past few years 

 have come to me and said that they will hereafter comply 

 with the pure-food laws and sell as the State requires, with 

 the name "adiltkrated honey" in large type on the front 

 of the label. When the situation comes to that, it will not 

 be so bad for the bee-keepers. I brought along a couple of 

 samples of goods that came in, within the last week, which 

 shows to you another phase of adulteration. The goods 

 are not honey, don't pretend exactly to be honey, but they 

 use the word honey in describing the adulteration ; the 

 word honey is another name, and the manufacturers of 



