JANUARY 1, 1913 



ders in the life of the busy bee without 

 going so far into the reahus of imagination. 



ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING OF FIG AND 

 HONEY CAKES. 



For over a year we have been looking 

 over the special leaflets sent out by the 

 United States Department of AgTieulture 

 with a view of noticing in these columns 

 any case of adulteration or misbranding, 

 of interest to beekeepers. However.though 

 we have found one or two, foods said to 

 contain honey seem to be seldom adulterat- 

 ed. It is very encouraging that one of the 

 results of the pure-food law, unscrupulous 

 dealers are getting tired of trying to sub- 

 stitute glucose or other cheap sweets for 

 honey. 



The last instance that has come under 

 our notice has been that of the adulteration 

 and misbranding of fig and honey cakes. 

 We give here the full history of the case 

 as given in the leaflet, as it serves to illus- 

 trate just how Uncle Sam goes at a thing 

 of this kind. 



On May 23, 1912, the United States Attorney 

 for the District of New .Jersey, actin? upon a report 

 of the Secretary of Ag:riculture, filed in the District 

 Court of the United States for said district an in- 

 formation asainst A. A. Strohecker, Trenton, N. J., 

 alleginsr shipment hy said defendant, in violation of 

 the Foods and Drugs Act, on August 16, 1911, from 

 the State of New Jersey into the State of New 

 York, of a consignment of the product known as 

 fig and honey cakes which were adulterated and mis- 

 branded. The product was labeled: "Fig & Honey 

 19 S. Lipowiez, Buffalo. N. Y." (Guananty stamped 

 on side of box) : " U. S. Serial No. 2751. Guaran- 

 teed under Food and Drugs Act June 30, 1906." 



Analysis of a sample of the product by the Bu- 

 reau of Chemistry of this Department showed the 

 following results: Reducing sugars as invert before 

 inversion, 39.89 per cent; commercial glucose, 37.91 

 per cent; polarization direct at -1 degrees C, 58.6; 

 polarization invert at 21 degrees C, 58: polarization 

 invert at 87 degrees C, 61.8; weight, 17.125 

 pounds; shortage (marked and sold for 19 pounds), 

 9.87 per cent. Adulteration was alleged in the in- 

 formation for the reason that the product being an 

 article for food contained a substance, to wit, com- 

 mercial glucose, which had been substituted in part 

 for the product. Misbranding was alleged for the 

 reason that the statement on each of the boxes con- 

 taining the product, to wit, " Fig & Honey 19," 

 would mislead and deceive the purchaser into the 

 belief that the product consisted of fig and honey 

 cakes, and that the contents of each package 

 ■weighed 19 pounds, whereas in truth and in fact 

 the product contained a substance, to wit, commer- 

 cial glucose, which had been substituted in part for 

 said product, the presence of which was not declared 

 upon the label, and had been substituted in part for 

 the genuine article, and the contents of each box 

 weighed less than 19 pounds, to wit, 17% pounds; 

 and further, in that the statement "Guaranteed under 

 the Food and Drugs Act, .June 30, 1906," borne on 

 the package created the impression that the product 

 was guaranteed by the United States to be pure, 

 whereas such was not the fact ; and further, in that 

 the product was in package form, and the contents 

 were stated in terms of weight to be 19 pounds, and 

 were not correctly stated on the outside of the pack- 

 age, that is to say, the contents of each of said pack- 

 ages weighed only 17% pounds and not 19 pounds, 

 as labeled. 



On May 27, 1912, the defendant entered a plea 

 of guilty, and the court imposed a fine of $50. 

 W. M. Hays, Acting Secretary of Agriculture. 



Washington, D. C, August 13, 1912. 



FEEDING COLONIES SLABS OF HARD CANDY OR 



MOIST SUGAR DURING THE WINTER IN 



LIEU OF ORDINARY SEALED STORES 



IN THE COMBS. 



Elsewhere in this department reference 

 is made to the fact that the beautiful fall 

 weather we have been having throughout 

 the northern States, and the comparatively 

 mild winter weather, will have a tendency 

 to cause the bees to use up their stores 

 more rapidly than they otherwise would. 

 In some of our oAvn apiaries we find colo- 

 nies a little lighter than we feel is safe. 

 We are making up a hundred slabs of hard 

 candy. The hot candy when "done enough" 

 is poured into paper pie-dishes, such as one 

 can purchase at any of the groceries for 

 40 to 50 cts. a hundred. When cold, these 

 pie-dishes will be inverted and placed di- 

 rectly over the clusters that appear to have 

 an insufficient supply of stores. 



Mr. A. C. Miller recently made the state- 

 ment that coffee A sugar (a moist sugar) 

 can be given to the bees direct. The ad- 

 vantage of it is that it is ready without any 

 special preparation. We have never tried 

 it, but see no reason why it should not be 

 an excellent food. Two or three cross- 

 cleats laid on top of a dish of it will pro- 

 vide an empty space between the cushion 

 and the dish of sugar for a clustering space. 

 The recipe for making hard candy for bees 

 is as follows: 



HARD CANDY FOR WINTER AND SPRING FEKDING ; 

 HOW TO MAKE IT. 



Into a dish of hot water on the stove slowly pour 

 an equal amount of sugar, stirring constantly. Make 

 sure that the sugar is all dissolved before boiling 

 commences. If this precaution is not observed, some 

 of the undissolved sugar is likely to burn, injuring 

 the flavor of the candy and almost surely causing 

 trouble with the bees later. If you have a candy 

 thermometer, watch the temperature, and do not let 

 it go above 275 to 280 degrees. Test frequently by 

 dropping a very little of the syrup into cold water 

 (about 50 to 55 degrees F.). When the boiling has 

 continued long enough the drop of candy, when 

 cooled in the water, should be hard and brittle when 

 taken out ; but when placed in the mouth it should 

 soften slightly, so that it is tough. When this time 

 has arrived, pour the syrup immediately. 



The color of the candy when cold should be about 

 that of light basswood honey. If it is darkened very 

 much it is scorched and unfit for the bees. To pre- 

 vent the scorching, reduce the fire toward the last 

 so that the syrup will boil but slowly. 



When the candy is first made, it is hard and 

 glassy, and perfectlj' transparent: but after it stands 

 for a little time it becomes somewhat watery and 

 crystalline ; but this is all the better so for as the 

 bees are concerned, for they are enabled to take it 

 more easily. 



In regard to hard candy we may say 

 that A. I. Root, years ago, wintered a num- 

 ber of his colonies on it when the bees had 

 nothing but dry combs. We ap^rirehend 

 there will be a good many of our subscrib- 

 ers who, if they will look through their 

 colonies, will find some that are so low that 

 there will be danger of their staiwing be- 

 fore spring unless fed candy or sugar. 



