''488 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk. 15 



'cordially reciprocated by us. We look on 

 our subscribers as our friends — friends in 

 deed as well as in words. 



We were a little afraid some of our old 

 friends would take offense at our announce- 

 ment, but really we have no choice in the 

 matter. The postoftice authorities wish to 

 suppress the never ordered and never stop 

 papers which are only advertising sheets for 

 their publishers. We think most of our 

 readers will perceive the new ruling is real- 

 ly for the benefit of the people as a whole. 



A CORRECTION. 



Me. C. H. W. Weber, whose entrance- 

 controller we referred to on page 355 of our 

 March 15th issue, says it is not true that 

 his device is provided with "darkened pas- 

 sageways " ' as we stated, but air-channels, 

 through which the bees can not go, but 

 through which the air can pass freely. We 

 understood perfectly the construction of the 

 device, but we were unfortunate in the use 

 of the terms. 



He says further that it is not intended to 

 have the exitway entirely closed by means 

 of a slide, except only in the very coldest 

 zero weather for a day or two. After this 

 the slide is shoved over to one side, leaving 

 an opening of about one inch wide. This is 

 covered by another wooden slide in such a 

 way as to shut off the light and yet allow a 

 free passage to the bees into the hive. When 

 so used, he explains, there will be no con- 

 fined bees, and consequently no commotion 

 within the colony as feared by us. Our read- 

 ers will please note these corrections in con- 

 nection with page 355. 



SAMUEL SIMMINS, OF ENGLAND, A PIONEER 



IN THE INTRODUCTION OF MANY NEW 



METHODS AND DEVICES. 



In our last issue, page 415, reference is 

 made to the fact that Mr. Samuel Simmins, 

 of Sussex, England, introduced split sections 

 in 1887 ; but this is only one of some of the 

 numerous devices or methods which have 

 been "discovered" in the last year or so, 

 but which we find were described by Mr. 

 Simmins in his book in 1887, and other 

 writings, twenty or twenty-five years ago. 



We will take, for example, plain sections, 

 described and recommended by him ; direct 

 introduction of queens ; hiving swarms on 

 foundation starters ; plural-queen system ; 

 thick top-bars to prevent burr-combs; wood- 

 en queen-cell cups ; perforated cylindrical 

 queen-cell cages (which have recently been 

 patented in this country) ; division- board 

 feeders; bleaching comb honey; drawn comb 

 in sections ; a large space under frames to 

 check swarming ; uncapping-machines, etc. 

 While he was not the original discoverer of 

 all these devices or methods, it is apparent 

 that he was an early pioneer in the use of 

 some things, and an originator of others 

 that are now receiving special prominence, 

 and which have been counted as ' ' something 

 new under the sun." 



In regard to split sections, Mr. Simmins 

 described minutely in the 1887 and the 1903 

 editions of his book, "A Modern Bee-farm," 

 the exact, precise method for putting foun- 

 dation in split sections as described by Mr. 

 J. E. Hand in these columns within the last 

 year. 



BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LABEL OR SELL YOUR 



HONEY; THE NATIONAL LAW^ ON 



MISBRANDING. 



One of the provisions of the national pure- 

 food law is that every article of food bearing 

 a label, or that is sold as a certain product, 

 must not misstate the source whence such food 

 was produced. Applying this to the honey 

 business it simply means that one can not 

 sell heartsease or mountain sage as "white- 

 clover honey" without getting into trouble 

 with Uncle Sam, providing, of course, that 

 such goods were shipped from one State to 

 another. 



A case has just arisen between two bee- 

 keepers. The buyer has sent us the corre- 

 spondence, showing that the seller wrote 

 that he had a nice lot of white-clover comb 

 honey to sell. A correspondence sprang up 

 between the two parties. The buyer agreed 

 to take the honey, paying for it cash in ad- 

 vance. When it arrived, instead of being a 

 "nice lot of white-clover honey" it was 

 heartsease and other fall honey, poorly grad- 

 ed and badly packed. The buyer demanded 

 the return of his money, and the amount he 

 paid in freight. 



The producer refused to do this, saying he 

 did not guarantee the source of the honey, 

 etc. The buyer, on the other hand, sends us 

 the correspondence to show that the seller 

 was offering a "nice lot of white-clover 

 honey." On the assumption that it was 

 "white clover," and a "nice lot," he con- 

 sented to send the money in advance. He 

 now has complained to us, suggesting that 

 we "show up" the other fellow through 

 these columns. We are replying by saying 

 that, under the conditions, on an interstate 

 deal (if he represented that the honey was 

 from white clover when it was not), the pro- 

 ducer will have to return the money or be 

 liable to a fine of $500, imprisonment, or 

 both. In this case the party evidently does 

 not know what he is " up against. ' ' 



We have thought best to mention this in- 

 cident for the benefit of the few who either 

 do not know or who are willfully regardless 

 of the fact that, when they sell honey to a 

 party outside of their own State, it must be 

 exactly as represented as to the source, oth- 

 erwise they will be liable to prosecution by 

 a United States officer. It is bad enough to 

 violate a State law, but a good deal worse 

 when a national law is broken. 



As we understand it, Uncle Sam does not 

 attempt to adjust differences between pro- 

 ducer and buyer if goods are improperly 

 packed, or broken in shipment ; neither will 

 he prosecute if the goods are not as repre- 

 sented, except in cases where they are sold 

 as coming from a certain district or from a 



