

43d YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL, FEB. 5, 1903, 



No. 6. 





* Editorial. ^ k 



Bee-Keeping in Illinois.— The follow- 

 ing concerning the value and importance of 

 the bee, honey and beeswax iudustrj of the 

 State of Illinois, is taken from the United 

 States census report for 1900 ; 



Number of bee-farms or apiaries . 81,932 



" colonies of bees 179,953 



" pounds of honey a,961,0S0 



" " beeswax.. 75,290 



Value of honey and beeswax $343,300 



In the order of largest amount of honey 

 produced by States, Illinois is 5th. Texas 

 takes the lead, except in average number of 

 pounds per colony, and in this Arizona is 

 first. 



Surely, with such a showing as Illinois is 

 able to make, her bee-industry deserves recog- 

 nition at the hands of the Legislature, by way 

 of an anti-foul-brood law, which should be 

 passed this winter. It will not do for Illinois 

 to be the last in the list of progressive States 

 in this regard. Already Wisconsin, Colorado, 

 California and Michigan are ahead. 



Bee-Keeping in the South is, in its 



leading features, the same as in the North. 

 The natural history of the honey-bee and its 

 habits are the same everywhere. Tet there 

 are differences due to locality that can not be 

 ignored except at a loss. Wintering in the 

 South scarcely needs a thought ; in the North 

 it is a perplexing study; and if the attention 

 be closely given to this and some other differ- 

 ing points, one is likely to imagine a greater 

 difference than really exists between the two 

 regions. This leads a correspondent from the 

 South, .while greatly appreciating the value of 

 the American Bee Journal, to say: 



" I am somewhat disappointed in not seeing 

 anything from this section, or anywhere near 

 us at all. Our climate and conditions are very 

 different from those described by most of your 

 writers. I am only a beginner, and therefore 

 not able to write for old veterans, or I would 

 try now and then. Can't you stir up some of 

 the Southerners ?" 



This journal, as its name implies, is not sec- 

 tional. It is intended for the whole country. 

 If our correspondent will go through the dif- 

 ferent numbers of the American Bee Journal 

 for the past year, and cross out all matter not 

 applicable to his section of country, he will 

 probably be surprised to tind how little will 

 be crossed out, and what a large mass of use- 

 ful reading he will have left. 



Moreover, it is largely what its subscribers 

 make it. If one part of the country sends in 



more contributions than another, it is mainly 

 because the contributors so will it. Neither 

 is our correspondent alone in finding no con- 

 tributions from any one within easy hailing 

 distance. This is a country of a good many 

 siiuare miles, and correspondents are well 

 scattered. Many a reader at the North can 

 also say, " I find no writer from anywhere 

 near us at all." 



Our correspondent, and others like him, 

 may help the matter by putting aside their 

 modesty and sending in contributions them- 

 selves, telling of their experiences and their 

 wants, and they will probably find that noth- 

 ing will more quickly draw out others situated 

 in like conditions, so that they will not have 

 long to complain of hearing from uo one 

 "anywhere near us at all.'' 



Insects and Plant Diseases. — At the 



Universal Exposition to be held in St. Louis 

 in 1904, under the classification of Useful In- 

 sects and Their Products, Injurious Insects 

 and Plant Diseases, there will be installed in 

 the Agriculture Palace displays as follows: 



Systematic collections of useful and inju- 

 rious insects. 



Bees. Silkworms and other bombycids. 

 Cochineal insects. 



Systematic collections of vegetable parasites 

 of plants and animals. 



Appliances for rearing and keeping bees 

 and silkworms. Their products — honey, wax, 

 cocoons. 



Appliances and processes for destroying 

 plant-diseases and injurious insects. 



There will be no charge for space occupied 

 by such exhibits, and a limited amount of 

 power for the operation of mechaaical devices 

 to illustrate processes of special interest will 

 be furnished to exhibitors without charge. 



Producer's Name on Honey. — We 



have received the following from Mr. P. D. 

 Jones, of Livingston Co., N. Y. : 



Editor Yokk :— Will you allow me a small 

 space in the American Bee Journal to say a 

 few words on your comments on marking 

 honey-cases, on page 027 (1902) ; 



You say that you received a nice lot of 

 honey with the producer's name on each sec- 

 tion and case, and that you scraped off all the 

 marks, and put on your own name. Now, I 

 ask, Was that act an honest one ; I say no. 

 You robbed that producer of the honor and 

 credit of producing and shipping a fine crop 

 of honey, and look all the credit yourself. 

 His address on his eases was to let dealers 

 know where to find honey that was all right, 

 and well put up for the market, so that next 

 season there might be others that would want 

 to deal with him, and it would make competi- 

 tion for his honey, and a better price, which 

 means more money for his honey. 



You say that it is not a safe rule to put your 

 name on comb honey. Why uot * I have 

 kept bees aud soUl honey for .55 years, and I 

 have never been hurt yet. I have no trouble 



in getting rid of my honey, and my name is 

 on every case that I ship. 



You say that you have worked up a demand 

 for "York's Honey," and not Smith's, or 

 Miller's, or Nelson's. But how did you do it! 

 You bought some very nice honey that some 

 one had taken a great deal of pains to pro- 

 duce, and put up in very fine style, and scraped 

 off his name and put on your own, and 

 palmed it off as your own production. Now, 

 is that right { I say no. Had I ever sold you 

 honey and learned that you scraped off my 

 name and substituted yours in its place, I am 

 certain that our dealings would have ended 

 right then and there. 



If the commission merchant wishes his 

 address on the honey he buys, let him send 

 his stencil-plate to the seller and ask him to 

 use it on the cases, and not object to the pro 

 ducer's name being on at the same time ; his 

 wishes will be granted without fail. 



You say that you have a right to put your 

 name on it you are willing to stand responsi- 

 ble for its purity. What an idea ! Did you 

 ever buy any comb honey that was adulter- 

 ated ? If you have, and get any more, please 

 send me some at my expense. 



Some persons are ever ready to criticise 

 others, but do not like to take the medicine 

 themselves. P. D. Jones. 



We do not expect to buy any honey of Mr. 

 Jones — wouldn't take it as a gift, if we were 

 compelled to keep his name on it. We are 

 not quite so foolish as to keep the producer's 

 name on any honey we offer for sale, for 

 Jones, nor Smith, nor several other producers 

 would each produce all we sell during a sea- 

 son. Aud we don't care to have grocers ask 

 us for more of Smith's honey, and be com- 

 pelled to tell them we are out of it, when we 

 have a lot more on hand from several other 

 bee-keepers that we know Is just as good, 

 if not better than Smith's. 



It is all right for Jones to put his name on 

 his honey if /"■ is retailing it hiinnelf, or selling 

 directly to grocers, but we wouldn't care to 

 have his nor anybody else's honey with name 

 of producer on it. 



We never say on our labels that we are the 

 producers of the honey we sell, not even if it 

 is really from our own apiary. That isn't 

 necessary at all. 



We hope that on the next wheat, or corn, 

 or potatoes, or hogs, Mr. Jones produces and 

 sells he will be sure to put his name — he 

 should brand the hogs, see that his name is 

 on every grain of the wheat, on every ear of 

 corn, and on every potato ! Any one can see 

 the ridiculousness of all this. 



We have spent hundreds of dollars in work- 

 ing up a demand for " York's Honey," and 

 not that of Jones, Smith, or even Yon Yonson. 

 And our conscience is as clear as a bell on 

 this subject, too. 



Bees Carrying Pollen. — Do bees use 

 judgment in carrying pollen ! In some cases, 

 perhaps in some places, bees carry in more 

 pollen than in others. Some complain that 



