20 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



A rather novel point is brought out in this connec- 

 tion; and that is, that the wosdwork is to be done 

 away with in this new factory, for the reason that the 

 life of a glucose-factory is admitted by its builders not 

 to exceed ten years, because of the deterioration of 

 wood as affected by the processes in use. If the man- 

 ufacture of glucose from corn starch and sulphuric 

 acid destroys destroys the buildings in which the ma- 

 terials are manipulated, what can we expect that this 

 same combination will do to the human anatomy that 

 is now called upon to take in this country some 1500 

 tons of it per day — an amount far in excess of the Louis- 

 iana cane-sugar crop, and about equal in weight to the 

 present beet- sugar crop? 



Again, the following on the same subject 

 appears in Louisiana Planter for Dec. 14: 



The appeal of the producers of glucose to be per- 

 mitted to call it " corn syrup" is causing considera- 

 ble interest in food circles. The extraordinary way 

 in which modern glucose is made by boiling starch 

 in an attenuated solution of sulphuric acid, is a 

 chemcial process that seems to have a bad name 

 because of its objectionable origin in the process of 

 its conversion from corn starch to the liquid or solid 

 glucose. The Corn Products Co. have changed their 

 own title from the American Glucose Co., of years 

 back, and are now desirous of labeling their goods 

 "corn syrup," which is essentially a misnomer, as 

 the production of this kind of corn syrup is not possi- 

 ble by the ordinary presence of evaporation, which 

 produces sugar-cane syrup, sugar-beet syrup, sor- 

 ghum syrup, and maple syrup. 



The use of injurious (and, in fact, of dangerous) 

 chemicals in the manufacture of food stuffs was prac- 

 ticed more than half a century ago. It is well known 

 that the sugar of lead is probably the best clarifying 

 agent for refining sugar. Dr. Evans refers to it in 

 his " Sugar Planters' Manual," published about 1845, 

 and says that it became necessary to prohibit by law 

 the use of lead in sugar-refining, owing to the dangers 

 to human health and life incident to that process. In 

 the earlier history of the glucose industry it was a 

 notable fact that one of the chief difficulties connected 

 with it was that of entirely eliminating the free sul- 

 phuric acid in the concentrated syrups. In order to 

 do this it was necessary to use considerable lime; and 

 this, combining with the free sulphuric acid, produced 

 gypsum, or land plaster, which floated like clouds 

 throughout the liquid mass, and was very difficult of 

 removal, even by filter-press filtration. Liquid glu- 

 cose manufactured from corn starch by the sulphuric- 

 acid process is now turned out apparently as clear as 

 crystal; but the central fact remains; that is, its 

 manufacture with that very dangerous agent, sulphuric 

 acid, and that free sulphuric acid has very frequently 

 been present in samples of glucose offered for sale. 

 The word " corn," if utilized in labeling glucose, will 

 be so utilized in order to conceal some of the features 

 of its objectionable origin. The label should properly 

 read, "corn and sulphuric acid for table use." 



W. K. M. 



BEE-TALKS BEFORE SCHOOL-CHILDREN. 



Some time ago Mr. E. W. Pease, of Chica- 

 go, wrote us concerning a talk on bees which 

 he had given before one of the primary 

 schools of that city. To give some idea of 

 the interest shown, he obtained and sent to 

 us the essays written on the subject by the 

 children the day following. All of these 

 showed that the most careful attention had 

 been given, and that, in most cases, every 

 part had been clearly understood. This is 

 all the more remarkable since the children 

 were in only the third grade, and were, 

 therefore, not over nine or ten years old. 



From about twenty-five papers we have 

 selected four to place before our readers — 

 not because they are the best, particularly, 

 but because they more nearly represent the 

 average. 



BEES. 



The queen bee is a little larger than the others. A 

 man by the name of Mr. Pease has an apiary. The 

 father bee is called the drone, i iThere are three differ- 



ent kinds of bees in each hive. They are the queen, 

 drone, and worker. If a bee ever gets into the wrong 

 hive the other bees will kill him. There are about 

 forty or sixty thousand bees in each hive. The queen 

 lays her eggs in the cells. The bees put the honey in 

 the cells. The honeycomb is made of pure wax. The 

 bees go to some fiowers and get nectar and put it in 

 their honey bag. The bees take hold of the corner of 

 the cell and pull the wax out. When you want to have 

 an apiary you number the hives. There is only one 

 queen in each hive. If there is two one will kill the 

 other. A bee has two pair of wings. The queen bee 

 looks nearly the same as the rest except that she is 

 larger. If the honey-comb is not pure wax the bees 

 will not touch it. A bee will not sting if you will not 

 hurt it. When the bees swarm the queen is always 

 with them. When they swarm you take a dishpan and 

 hit the twig and they will fall into the pan and then 

 you put them in the hive. When a bee stings you it 

 will die. Arthur Friberg. 



MR. PEASE AND HIS BEES. 



Thursday Mr. Pease said he would tell us a story 

 about his bees. Frst he talked to us a long time about 

 bees, and then showed us some bees he had in a case 

 It was very interesting. There was a swarm of bees, 

 and with them there was a queen. Mr. Pease said 

 that the bees would not hurt us unless we hurt them. 

 Mr. Pease said the bees and the queen-bees are very 

 nice when they are not angry. There are thousands 

 of bees in one hive. 



Did you ever know that bees are mailed to other 

 countries? 



They are put in a box, and sent away. One bee 

 must lay at least two or three thousand eggs a day. 

 He said he was going to give us some cheese and hon- 

 ey. Adena Halbebg, 



MR. PEASE and HIS BEE-FARM. 



Mr. Pease owns a'bee-farm. He is a very nice man. 

 He told us that there were forty to sixty thousand in 

 a hive. Mr. Pease's office is on the corner of Winne- 

 mac Ave. and N. Robey Street. He has a nice office. 

 A bee never stings when he comes back from the hon- 

 ey-field. He is full of honey, and is too stiff to sting 

 then. 



You have to put a vail over your face or else you 

 will be stung. There is only one queen bee in each 

 hive. I like bees because they give honey. But I 

 would not like it if I should get stung by one. The 

 queen should make two to three thousand eggs a day, 

 or else they would not think much of them. 



Everett Lindstrom 



BEES. 



Across the street from our school is an apiary. A 

 man named Mr. Pease owns the farm. Yesterday he 

 was in our room and told us about bees. He said 

 " Bees will not sting when going to the honey-fleld or 

 coming back, because when going to the field they are 

 too anxious to get the honey, and when coming back 

 they can not curve the abdomen. Bees will sting un- 

 der only two circumstances: that is, when thpy are 

 hurt and when excited. The queen is supposed to lay 

 two or three thousand eggs a day. Bees almost al- 

 ways swarm. Allen Trimble. 



A study of the papers as a whole reveals 

 the fact that certain parts were remembered 

 rather better than others, showing that chil- 

 dren appreciate the wonderful revelations in 

 nature. For instance, nearly every pupil re- 

 membered that a good queen should lay from 

 two to three thousand eggs in a day; that the 

 queen is larger than the workers; that there 

 are three differents kinds of bees in a colo- 

 ny, etc. Children have wonderful memories; 

 and if they are told such things in an inter- 

 esting way they almost never forget them. 

 The bees in the observatory hive doubtless 

 helped to impress the lesson on their minds. 



It is an oft-repeated statement, but one 

 which is, nevertheless, true, that it pays a 

 bee-keeper to educate the public. Giving 

 a simple and interesting lecture before 

 school-children is one way of doing this, and 

 there are many otlter^, 



