260 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



no wonder that the United States statistics 

 do not agree with the data in the posses- 

 sion of the manufacturers of suppUes and 

 publishers of bee journals. We have no 

 doubt that the Bureau of Entomology, es- 

 pecially if the present men are still in office, 

 will see to it that the 1920 census is more 

 accurate. 



THE VALUE OP HONEY AS A MEDICINE BE- 

 COMING BETTER KNOWN. 



That honey is the base or principal in- 

 gredient in many medicines, especially 

 cough syrups and gargles, is a fact already 

 well known. Its value is being appreciated 

 more and more as the following letter will 

 show: 



There are two books of authority governing the 

 preparation of medicinal drugs found for sale 

 in drugstores. One is the " Pharmacopa'la of the 

 United States," and the other the " National Form- 

 ula." The books are prepared by a commission of 

 the American Pharmaceutical Society with the help 

 of government representation. They are revised 

 every ten years, some drugs being added, while 

 others, for one reason or another, are dropped. In 

 the third installment of new formula- suggested for 

 the forthcoming new edition of the " National 

 Formula," three out of twelve proposed additions 

 contain honey. These three are as follows: Com- 

 pound Gargle of Guaiac, "20 per cent honey: Honey 

 of Rose with Borax, 85 per cent honey; Honey and 

 Borax, 85 per cent honey. Of course honey is men- 

 tioned in these books already, taut the substantial 

 increase is what interests the beekeepers. 



As an illustration of the importance of these 

 books, I know a man who wrote and labored for 

 nearly a lifetime to get one of his botanical favorites 

 admitted in which he had explicit faith, but it was 

 never accepted on account of its doubtful medicinal 

 property. 



Galena, Kan. J. P. Brumfield. 



THE NEW GOVERNMENT BULLETIN ON 

 SWEET CLOVER. 



We have before us, from the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, Farmers' 

 Bulletin 485, entitled "Sweet Clover," by 

 J. M. Westgate, Agronomist in Charge of 

 Clover Investigations, Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry, and H. N. Vinall, Assistant Agros- 

 tologist. Bureau of Plant Industry. We do 

 not hesitate to say that this is one of the 

 most valuable bulletins ever issued by the 

 government. Sweet clover, formerly re- 

 garded as a weed except by beekeepers, is 

 now being recognized by our government 

 and State experiment stations everywhere 

 as one of the most valuable forage plants for 

 stock that is grown. While it may lack 

 some of the feeding value of alfalfa and red 

 clover it will grow on soils where nothing 

 else will thrive; and, what is more, it pre- 

 pares the way for other valuable crops, espe- 

 cially alfalfa, by inoculating the soil. Evi- 

 dently the authors spent not a little time in 

 gathering the material. We would advise 

 every one of our subscribers to send for the 

 bulletin, especially if they live in a locality 

 where sweet clover is regarded as a noxious 

 weed . 



It describes the different species of sweet 

 clover as well as the history and distribu- 

 tion of the plant; its adaptability to various 

 soils and climates; how to grow it; the value 

 of the- hay; how to cut it; its feeding value 



for stock as well as an improver of the soil. 

 Send to the Secretary of Agriculture, Wash- 

 ing on, D. C 



This bulletin will do more to correct the 

 old notion that sweet clover is a noxious 

 weed than any thing that has appeared be- 

 fore—especially so as it bears the stamp and 

 seal of our dear old Uncle Sam. 



Beekeepers will now have some chance of 

 getting an amendment to the State laws 

 that include sweet clover as one of the nox- 

 ious weeds. 



FRAUDULENT PACKING OF BULK COMB 

 HONEY. 



Our attention is called to the fact that 

 in putting up bulk comb honey in Texas, 

 what is called "chunk honey" is being put 

 up in a manner that is hardly in keeping 

 with the golden rule. The following para- 

 graph, taken from Bulletin 142, by Wilmon 

 Newell, College Station, Texas, to which we 

 referred a short time ago, will explain: 



A deceptive method of packing bulk comb honey 

 has recently come to our attention, and it can not 

 be too strongly condemned, both by customers and 

 honest bee-keepers. As explained on a preceding 

 page, bulk comb honey, when properly packed, 

 consists of cans filled /mH of comb honey, the latter 

 cut into just as large pieces as will go into the can. 

 What few openings then remain are filled with ex- 

 traeted honey. 



Some bee-keepers have, however, adopted the 

 plan of filling the honey-cans only about one-third 

 full of comb and then filling up the can with ex- 

 tracted honey. Of course the pieces of comb float 

 on top of the extracted honey; and when the cus- 

 tomer takes ofl the cover the can appears to be fill- 

 ed with comb honey. The deception is not discov- 

 ered until the customer has purchased the can and 

 used out about a fourth of its contents. Such de- 

 ception is little short of actual fraud, for bulk comb 

 honey usually sells at from two to five cents per 

 pound higher than extracted; and when the cus- 

 tomer pays the higher price for bulk comb he is 

 certainly entitled to it, not to a mixture containing 

 75 per cent of a lower-priced honey. 



It did not occur to us that there could be 

 the deception practiced; but it is very appar- 

 ent that, if the consumers of bulk comb 

 honey like to eat comb honey, they are en- 

 titled to have the pail full of comb, and 

 only the spaces filled up with extracted. 



WHY WE SHOULD PRODUCE MORE COMB 

 HONEY FOR 1912. 



The firm of Hildreth «& Segelken, of 

 New York, is one of the largest buyers of 

 comb and extracted honey in the United 

 States if not in the world. They therefore 

 have unusual facilities for knowing the con- 

 dition of the market as it relates to the rel- 

 ative production of comb and extracted 

 honey. The very fact that they confirm 

 our statements on the subject as given on 

 page 221, secured through entirely separate 

 sources, and independently of them, gives 

 additional proof that more comb honey 

 ought to be produced this coming season. 

 A word to the wise is sufficient. Well, here 

 is what Hildreth & Segelken have to say: 



.1/;-. Root.—Vi'e are just in receipt of your April 

 15th issue, and note your interesting article on 

 page 221 under heading. " Why Beekeepers should 

 Produce More Comb Honey this Year." Your ad- 

 \'ice is certainly timely, and we indorse every word 

 you say. The markets are practically bare of 



