Gleanings In Bee Culture 



Published by Tlie A. I. Koot Co., Medina, Ohio 



E. R. Root, Editor 



H. H. Root, Assistant Editor 



A. I. Root. Editor Home Department 



Kulfi-i'd at the Ho»tollii-e. Medina Olilc 



A. L. BOYDEN, Advertising Manager 

 J. T. Calvert, Business Manager 



as Second-class Mat er. 



VOL. XXXVII 



JULY 15, 1909 



NO. 14 



Editorial 



By E. R. Root. 



TAKE NOTICE — HONEY-DEW HONEY CAN NOT 

 BE SOLD AS HONEY. 



Any comb or extracted honey that has any 

 considerable quantity of honey-dew in it, or 

 enough to give it a llavor of honey-dew, 

 should be sold as "honey-dew honey" and 

 not honey, otherwise the vender will be lia- 

 ble to prosecution for violation of ithe pure- 

 food law. Honey-dew, even though the 

 bees gathered it and the bee-keeper took it 

 out of the hive, can not pass for "honey," 

 and must not be sold except as " honey-dew 

 honey.' 



HONEY-CROP PROSPECTS FOR 1909. 



It is a little early yet to give any accurate 

 predictions. The reports from over the 

 country indicate that the crop will be very 

 much lighter than that of last year; but it 

 should be remembered that lHU8 was a 

 " bumper season." Reports already in show 

 that the t1ow around Ohio is poorer than in 

 points more distant. In the East the crop is 

 variously reported poor, fair, and good, with 

 a little honey-dew. In Ohio and Indiana 

 there has been a large amount of this black 

 stuff from hickory and oaks, and a lighter 

 flow from clover. The basswoods are show- 

 ing up well. In Illinois and Michigan the 

 season is reported poor, fair, and good. It 

 is still a little early to get any thing definite 

 from the northwestern States' like Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota. In Missouri the season is 

 reported from good to very good. Colorado, 

 apparently, will have a good crop; Arizona 

 half a crop. California will fall far below 

 earlier expectations. It has been estimated 

 that there will be anywhere from one-fourth 

 to one-third of a crop in that State. 



The fact that so much honey-dew has been 

 gathered in the central States, and much of 

 It mixed with tirst-quality table honey, will 

 have' a very strong tendency to boost prices 

 on a strictly pure clover and bass wood. By 

 the way, basswoods from all sections are re- 

 ported very promising. 



The apple crop is reported light. The oth- 

 er day, in the Cleveland markets red rasp- 

 berries were retailing at 28 cts. Other fruit 

 seems to be somewhat scarce. Taking every 

 thing into consideration there is every indi- 

 cation to show that prices on a strictly tine 

 article of white table honey, clover and bass- 

 wood, or clover and basswood mixed, should 

 be well up. The mixtures of clover and 



honey-dew should be sold, as far as possible, 

 around home where the producer is known. 

 It would be a great mistake to ship much of 

 it to the distant markets, because it can have 

 only one effect — to depress prices. Because 

 of this dark stuff in much of the Eastern 

 honey, good prices should be secured on 

 Western alfalfa, particularly Colorado honey 

 The reports are only partially in; but we 

 request our subscribers from every section 

 of the United States to write and let us know 

 what the season is or has been. Give as ac- 

 curate information as you can get. 



SEND YOUR FOUL-BROOD SPECIMENS TO WASH- 

 INGTON. 



In view of the fact that the United States 

 government, through the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, is willing to examine all specimens 

 of diseased brood, and render a report free 

 of charge, we would respectfully suggest 

 that all suspicious samples be hereafter sent 

 to Washington, to Dr. E. F. Phillips, of the 

 Bureau of Entomology, instead of to Medina. 

 We are very willing to diagnose and report 

 on any samples sent us; but the government 

 officials are very much better equipped for 

 giving an accurate determination, and, what 

 is more, they are willing to send out a spe- 

 cial box with a frank for the return of the 

 specimen to be examined. 



The action of the Bureau of Entomolgy in 

 fighting diseases among bees is highly com- 

 mendable; and it should have the thanks of 

 all the bee-keepers of this country. The sit- 

 uation was gettmo- where nothing but nation- 

 al aid would be effective; and the time will 

 doubtless soon come when the government 

 will have to go further and require inspec- 

 tion of all yards from which nuclei or colo- 

 nies are sent from one state to another. 



THE NEW CORRUGATED SHIPPING-CASE; THE 

 EXPERIMENT OF SENDING HONEY CASED IN 

 ONE OF THEM BY EXPRESS, AS MENTIONED 

 ON PAGE 35G, JUNE 15, NOT A FAIR TEST. 



J. E. Crane was somewhat surprised to 

 think that we should think of sending a case 

 of honey put up in one of these new corru- 

 gated-paper carriers by express to New York. 

 He was very sure it could only result in fail- 

 ure, and, as it turned out, the test was mis- 

 leading and unfair. 



We well knew it would be a severe one, 

 but thought it might stand it, and, if so. it 

 would go a long way to prove its merits. The 

 fact of the matter is, there is no real need of 

 sending honey by express, because the 

 charges would more than eat up the profits 

 of honey transported on that plan. 



