1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



113 



shipments, to make careful inquiries of the 

 publishers of bee-journals, as well as of the 

 bee-keeping fiiends, who maybe able to give 

 them some information. We will ourselves, 

 free of charge, give you the standing of any 

 commission houses, whether they quote prices 

 for us or not. We keep in our office both the 

 Dun and Bradstrtet Commercial Agencies; 

 and besides that we have other faciliiics for in- 

 vestigating the responsibility of any firm. It is 

 true, we may be deceived in the reports, and 

 may be deceived in the representations of the 

 tirms themselves; but we will endeavor to 

 give you an honest opinion, and one very 

 likely that may save you hundreds of dollars. 

 It is peculiarly provoking to know, for in- 

 stance, that you can sell your honey at home 

 for 12 cts., and then send it to the city, expect- 

 ing to get 14 cts., then realize only 10 cts., and 

 perhaps a good deal less. 



SELLING HONEYi'OUTRIGHT. 



One! commission firm with whom I talked 

 •(S.T.I Fish & Co., of Chicago) expressed their 

 purpose of buying, in the future, honey out- 

 right, which 1 am sure will be to their advan- 

 tage as well as to that of the bee-keepers. 

 Then it will be known in advance just what 

 the honey is to bring, and the bee-keeper can 

 •decide for himself as to whether he will let the 

 honey go or not. The bee- keeper gels his mon- 

 •ey; and if the commission house can make two 

 •or three cents a pound on the honey, that is 

 their privilege; and if they lose two or three 

 cents, that is their loss and not the bee-keeper's. 

 The whole thing will then be a straight deal. 



But on the other hand, with hooest houses 

 sometimes more money is realized when the 

 honey is sold on commission than when sold 

 outright. You see, the point is right here: 

 The buyer, being uncertain what the market 

 price v/ill be in the future, desires, if he pays 

 cash down, to buy close; and the probabilities 

 are that he will buy at a point where he will 

 not lose. 



ADULTERATION IN CHICAGO. 



The matter of adulteration received consid- 

 erable attention at the convention. The edit- 

 or of the American Bee Journal made the 

 statement that, in a walk of five minutes from 

 the convention room, he could take us to about 

 30 places where they were glucosing honey. 

 When I called upon one commission house, 

 their representative said that, if I had time 

 to go with him, he could take me to places 

 where they made no concealment of adultera- 

 tion; that all I should have to do would be to 

 assume the role of a buyer, and state that I 

 wanted "cheap goods." In fact, the mixers 

 would be? willing, he thought, to tell me Itoiv 

 much glucose they put in,, so that I might 

 know just what I was buying. 



You see, friends, the point is right here: 

 These houses are safe enough in adulterating 



so long as they sell the goods for just what 

 they are— glucosed honey; but if I, a buyer, 

 am dishonest I can take these same goods and 

 distribute them out to the retail trade, or to 

 consumers direct, and lab'.'l them as pure honey 

 or not, as I choose. Jf I leave off my name and 

 address, there is no one liable except the one 

 who makes the actual sales to the consumer 

 direct; and if he is convicted of selling adul- 

 terated honey he will be liable for only the 

 trifling amount sold.' I tell you, friends, the 

 situation is a bad one indeed. 



A few days ago we received the following 

 letter from a firm whose name I omit. The 

 letter speaks for itself: 



Have you any empty honey-comb— that is, comb 

 from which the honey has been extracted? We 

 want it io use in selling- strained honey. If you 

 have not, any information which you can give us as 

 to where we can proi^ure the same will be appreciat- 

 ed. Also please quote prices. 



What in the world do these people want to 

 do with empty comb, unless it is to put it into 

 glucose mixture, and palm the whole off as 

 pure honey ? By the heading of the letter I 

 notice the firm advertises syrups, molasses, 

 jellies, and preset ves; and in "pure" white 

 letters engraved on a black background, are 

 the words "Puritan Maple Syrup." Puritan 

 nonsense ! Any firm that wants to buy empty 

 honey-comb for the purposes specified above 

 probably would not hesitate at all to sell glu- 

 cosed syrup as pure maple. 



Let me suggest, as a caution to bee-keepers, 

 that they be a little shy of men who make a 

 specialty of syrups, molasses, and preserves, es- 

 pecially when they claim to be manufacturers 

 and refiners. It does not necessarily signify 

 that they are dishonest, but the temptation is 

 great, and some of them are not overscrupulous. 



If Mr. York's statement can be relied on, and 

 I have no reason to doubt it in the least, from 

 some things I did see and hear, and if the rep- 

 resentations of the house referred to are true, 

 then it is time that bee-keepers were asking 

 themselves if there is any remedy. I look to the 

 Union itself, when it shall be finally reorgan- 

 ized' to give us some relief. I look to the bee- 

 journals and bee-keepers themselves for assist- 

 ance. I look toward new food laws, and honest 

 officials to see that they are enforced. The 

 Lexow investigating committee of New York, 

 and similar committees as well, in Chicago, 

 give me hope that a good time is coming some 

 time: and that "time" will come sooner pro- 

 viding we do the right thing at the right time. 



Now, dear friends, in closing I hope I have 

 not given a picture that is too black. I have 

 tried to give you one that is true. Perhaps 

 some of you may feel that it should have been 

 held back and "covered up;" but, dear me! 

 what will become of us if we continue " cover- 

 ing up," and keeping "covered up" such sort 

 of work as this ? 



