1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



147 



we have once said; but in this one case I don't 

 know that I should wish any thing unsaid pro- 

 incling it will cause further experiment. 



State of the Union, designed to protect pure 

 honey from unjust competition. 



ADULTERATION ON THE INCREASE. 



In our last issue, page 113, I referred to the 

 fact that adulteration of honey, on the part of 

 preserving and syrup companies, seemed to be 

 on the increase, owing to the apathy and 

 " hush-up policy " of bee-keepers in general. I 

 also gave at that time a sample letter from one 

 of the preserving companies, asking if we had 

 empty comb for sale, from which the honey 

 had been extracted; that they wanted to use it 

 in "selling strained honey." Since that time, 

 another letter, quite in line with this, has come 

 to hand, and I give it for what it is worth, omit- 

 ting the name of the company. 



The A. I. Root Co.:— Do you furnish or manufac- 

 ture artiflcial comb not filled with honey ? There is 

 considerable sold in tumblers— that is, a piece of 

 artiflcial comb is placed in tumblers and then filled 

 up with strained California honey. If you can give 

 us price, method, and particulars as to how to go 

 about it, we believe that we cau sell considerable. 

 Awaiting your reply we are 



Tours truly, 



Feb. 1. 



By the heading they make a specialty of pre- 

 serves, mince meats, and •■ retined syrups." It 

 seems to me it is perfectly evident what these 

 people propose to do with the honey comb. 

 Strained honey! nonsensel They may use a lit- 

 tle of it, but I suspect glucose will be the prin- 

 cipal ingredient to surround a little piece of 

 comb — the only honest part of the whole. 



Two letters like this have come to hand with- 

 in a couple of weeks; and from reports of 

 " cheap honey " for sale at the groceries all over 

 the country, it is more than evident to me. at 

 least, that the adulteration of honey is gaining 

 on us, and just because there are a certain few 

 who feel that we ought to hush up and stay 

 hushed up, because, forsooth, so much talk and 

 clatter will injure the honey business. 



Now, there is no use, it is true, in howling 

 about adulteration unless bee-keepers do some- 

 thing; and one of the first things is to petition 

 your members of the State Legislature to pass 

 laws forbidding the adulteration of honey, 

 syrup, or any other product— if there are not al- 

 ready such laws on the statute-books. Some 

 States have fairly good pure-food laws; but the 

 majority of them are sadly in need of doing 

 something against this wholesale adulteration. 



Then, of course, bee-keepers can do some- 

 thing more: suggest ways and means for the 

 Union to take hold of these cases. When it 

 (the Union) becomes reorganized again, it can 

 work toward the passage of such laws as I have 

 spoken of. It has done a grand work in the 

 line of defense of bee-keepers against unjust 

 legislation, and here is open another grand 

 field in securing the passage of laws in every 



THAT BEE-BOOK BY FRANK BENTON; DUTIES 

 OP BEE-KEEPERS AT THE PRESENT HOUR. 



In our issue for January 1, I gave notice of 

 the publication from the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, Washington, D. C, a bulletin by Frank 

 Benton, entitled, " The Honey-bee; a Manual 

 of Instruction in Apiculture." At that time I 

 stated that 5000 copies were to be issued, and 

 that they would be for free distribution to 

 every one in the order in which the requests 

 were received. It seems that an order on the 

 public printer was made for 5000 copies, but there 

 was a limit t6 the appropriation, and so the 

 edition was reduced to 1000. These were sent 

 out as far as they would go, and now I under- 

 stand there are 1500 applications for the book, 

 which can not be supplied. Representative 

 Wadswonh has introduced a bill, which, from 

 present indications, seems likely to pass, au- 

 thorizing the public printer to get out 20,000 

 copies— 5000 for the use of the Senate, and 12,000 

 for the use of the House. While it is likely to 

 pass, it will not do so unless bee keepers peti- 

 tion their members in Congress. In relation to 

 this, Hon. Geo. E. Hilton sends in the following 

 letter which will explain itself: 



Friend Ernest:— WiW you please, through next 

 issue of Gleanings, urge all bee-keepers to write 

 their Senators and Representatives at Washington, 

 to support House Joint Uesolution No. 93, providing 

 for the printing of 20,000 more copies of Mr. Ben- 

 ton's Bulletin, "The Honey-bee" ? and it an amend- 

 ment is offered to make it 100,000, to support the 

 amendment. I am pulling every string to get these 

 printed for free distribution. All my Senators and 

 Congressmen have promised me their support, and 

 others will do the same if they are appealed to by 

 personal letter. I have told thtm there are 300,000 

 bee-keepers, and we should have 100,000 copies. 

 Everybody write, and they will think there is a mill- 

 ion of us. Geo. E. Hilton. 



Fremont, Mich., Feb. 6. 



It only remains now for bee-keepers to do 

 their duty. Let the government know that we 

 ar+! not a mere handful— that, when we ask for 

 a thing, if we ask unitedly, we are a big army. 

 I am well aware that the general distribution 

 of this book to the extent of 100,000 copies might 

 seriously interfere with the sale of our book. 

 All right. If we put aside all selSsh interests 

 we should wish for the general dissemination of 

 facts and figures about the bee-keeping indus- 

 try — in short, how to keep bees. All this, and 

 more, is set forth in Mr. Benton's admirable 

 work. If the government will issue a generous 

 edition, which I hope it will do, it will do more 

 for bee-keepers than it has ever done before. 



Should the bill pass, authorizing more copies 

 of the book to be printed, write to your repre- 

 sentative in Congress for a copy. Write him 

 any way, and so get in line with your order. 

 Please clon''t send to us. as we can't supply them. 



