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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



It is time for the administration to stop taking to 

 itself credit for the enactment of a national pure-food 

 law, now that it has practically nullified one of its 

 most important provisions, namely, an honest label. 

 It has decreed that a syrup made by converting the 

 starch of corn, through the action of hydrochloric 

 acid, may be called cMsm syrup and not glucose, as it 

 is named commercially. 



This decision strikes at the vitals of the food law 

 and opens the way to blenders of spirits to sell their 

 product as whisky ; for the users of that fraud, sac- 

 charin, to resume operations again, so that the flavor 

 of creosote will again be found in preserved fruits and 

 canned corn. 



It is up to the administration to ask Congressmen 

 to introduce at the White House some distillers of 

 pure whisky and manufacturers of pure food, who un- 

 derstand the art of putting up mincemeat, fruit but- 

 ters, catsups, jams, jellies, and preserves, without the 

 use of chemical preservatives. Thus far the delega- 

 tions have been from the ranks of whisky-blenders, 

 the users of coal-iar colors, preservatives, and the 

 makers of "corn syrup," They preaoh the gospel of 

 license; juggle with names with the exception of the 

 honest users of benzoate of soda, who advocate their 

 product being labeled as containing the much-debated 

 article. 



There is a national election ahead, and the grocery 

 trade and its allied branches have half a million votes, 

 and we trust every voter interested in pure food will 

 note how the party in power has begun a campaign to 

 nullify the most popular law passed by Congress, and 

 again open the sluiceway of adulteration. Do not be 

 fooled with party protests asserting credit for passing 

 a national pure-food law which is intended to stop ab- 

 solutely the sale of unwholesome food and secure hon- 

 est labeling. The ballots of the grocers can punish 

 the sinners. 



We do not look at this matter quite as se- 

 riously as does our contemporary. If the 

 administration has made a mistake (as it 

 surely has) the mighty protest that is going 

 to be raised will make the "powers that be" 

 more careful in rendering decisions of an 

 allied character in the future. 



Of course, this most unfortunate decision 

 will be used as a powerful precedent. The 

 blenders of whisky, and all others who de- 

 sire to conceal and cover up certain ingredi- 

 ents, are doubtless having a regular jollifi- 

 cation, for now they have a precedent by 

 which there is a chance and even a likeli- 

 hood that they can, to some extent at least, 

 misbrand their product. But be it said to 

 the everlasting credit of Dr. H. W. Wiley, 

 he stoutly stood out against the cabinet. 

 Even though our great and good President, 

 influenced by the majority of his subordi- 

 nates, was made to feel that "corn syrup" 

 was the proper and legitimate name for glu- 

 cose, yet, notwithstanding. Dr. Wiley dared 

 to stand alone. 



Our government ofticials can not be too 

 strenuous in enforcing the provisions of the 

 national pure-food law. Their decisions, 

 therefore, should be on the side of safety 

 rather than take the chance of opening the 

 floodgates of fraud. 



HOW GLUCOSE (CORN STRUP) IS MADE. 



The following clipping was sent through 

 the mails, and we reproduce it here for the 

 benefit of our readers: 



Although the glucose-factories all have a big sign 

 of " No Admittance " nailed to their doors. I was once 

 admitted with a chemist, and had the process of the 

 manufacture of glucose described to me as it was be- 

 ing done. The corn is first ground, then soaked in 

 water to get the starch, and the starch water is boiled 

 with sulphuric acid added in the proportion of 1 quart 

 of the acid to 100 gallons of the starch water. This is 



then sweetened with cane syrup, my Early Amber 

 cane syrup being largely used for this purpose be- 

 cause of its being strongest in saccharine matter. 

 The syrup thus made contains only one-sixth saccha- 

 rine content, and this is the syrup most people buy. 

 The State Board of Health does not consider this glu- 

 cose syrup wholesome, and at the Red Wing and Far- 

 ibault institutions they now make their own syrup. 



Glucose is bad for the stomach and kidneys. Scien- 

 tific physicians claim that the strong mineral acid 

 used in its manufacture destroys the fine tissues of 

 the kidneys. 



Farmers can protect themselves against this enemy 

 to health by growing the amber cane and manufac- 

 turing their own syrup. 



We do not know in what publication this 

 appeared, but no matter. The statements 

 are, in the main, correct, except that hydro- 

 chloric acid instead of sulphuric is used in 

 this country, and one process is left out — 

 namely, that soda, after the boiling in hy- 

 drochloric acid, is put in the mixture to 

 neutralize the soda — or, rather, we should 

 say, the soda combines with the acid, form- 

 ing common salt. But, unfortunately for 

 the American stomach, this soda does not 

 take up all the acid; and the capitalists back 

 of the glucose interests, we understand, 

 would give millions if some chemist would 

 tell them how this could be done in a com- 

 mercial way. It can be accomplished in the 

 laboratory, but at great expense ; but in the 

 glucose-factories it is impracticable, and 

 consequently the glucose in the markets, in 

 its various forms under the name of "corn 

 syrup" and its compounds, contains some 

 unneutralized hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, 

 and this is what plays the mischief with our 

 digestive apparatus. AVe may disguise the 

 so-called corn syrup (glucose) by putting in 

 cane syrup, but the injurious agent is there 

 just the same. 



Reference is made to the fact that "No 

 Admittance " is nailed up on the doors of 

 the glucose-factories. We have been trying 

 to get our chemist into some one of these 

 concerns for several years back, but without 

 success. The fact is, the glucose people do 

 not want the outside public to know the 

 process of manufacturing their product; and 

 now it has leaked out that the wooden 

 buildings in which glucose is made are very 

 short-lived because of the destructive action 

 of the acid fumes during the process of man- 

 ufacture. 



Bee-keepers, on the other hand, have no 

 secrets to cover up. Their bee-yards and 

 their supply-factories are open to the in- 

 spection of all reasonable and fair-minded 

 people, especially reporters. 



THE DIFFICULTIES OF A QUEEN-BREEDER. 



It has been the settled policy of the pro- 

 prietors of this journal to allow none but re- 

 sponsible people to place advertisments in 

 its columns. There seems, however, to be a 

 misunderstanding of what we mean by re- 

 sponsible. For example, we have a complaint 

 now against an advertiser up for settlement 

 which shows the difllculty we occasionally 

 have to contend with in making advertisers 

 and purchasers harmonize, even when both 

 parties to the transaction are honest. 



A, the buyer of a select breeding-queen 



