1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



819 



contend with. The mixer of honey can make a compound 

 that is better appreciated than many varieties of pure honey. 



Mr. Baldwin — If they make that compound and sell it as 

 that compound I see no trouble about it. If it is sold as that, 

 I think it is all right, and I think we have no law against it, 

 either. 



Mr. Grabbe — It should not be branded as "pure honey." 



Dr. Miller — Is there any law against branding it "pure 

 honey," and selling it for adulterated honey ? 



Mr. Chapman— There is a law that applies to manufac- 

 tured goods— it applies to spices. A man cannot sell these 

 goods that they adulterate without making the statement of 

 the fact. 



Dr. Miller— Can he sell glucose labeled " pure honey ?" 



Mr. Chapman — I don't know. 



Dr. Miller — I think we are getting down to the bottom of 

 it now. 



THE ADULTERATION OF HONET. 



Mr. York— I don't believe that the people would buy glu- 

 cose if they knew that it was glucose, in most cases. I had 

 an experience lately with one of the largest Chicago depart- 

 ment stores. I went there to investigate the kind of honey 

 they were selling. I took my card, and also a copy of the 

 American Bee Journal, and told them J should like to look at 

 their honey. The clerk said : " We have some very fine honey 

 here, guaranteed pure, absolutely." It was in a three-cornered 

 glass, and it had probably half a dozen pieces of comb, perhaps 

 3x2 inches in size, and then filled in with a liquid. I told 

 him I would like to taste it. I wanted to take only a little on 

 the end of my knife-blade, when I assured him it was wholly 

 glucose. He asked me to sample another, and I did so, and 

 told him it was nearly all glucose— not quite all. The taste of 

 the villainous stuff I sampled was in my mouth for an hour 

 afterwards. Now, to prove that the people don't want to buy 

 glucose, I would say : I met a gentleman in the city here who 

 said his wife had purchased a glass jar of "honey "at the 

 same large store, and they couldn't eat it— had to throw it 

 away. I also asked him if he had noticed any honey in the 

 local groceries near where he lived, and he said he had, but 

 was afraid of it. I asked him what name was on the jar, and 

 when he told me, I assured him it was all right, for I haa put 

 it up myself for the man who sold it to the grocer. I am sure 

 that if that family began to use pure honey they would use a 

 lot of it. But now they are prejudiced against honey— they 

 are afraid of being swindled again. They think they cannot 

 get the pure article, and they take the other, and then don't 

 want any more of it. The only way to meet this question is 

 to get an anii- adulteration law, and then let the bee-keepers 

 back it xip. I might say further in regard to that department 

 store : The clerk wished me to meet the buyer, whom I found 

 to be a very pleasant gentleman, something of a chemist, too. 

 He hadn't sampled the " honey " that they were selling, so he 

 told the clerk to bring him both samples. He sampled them, 

 and at once ordered the clerk to remove the three-cornered 

 jars from the counter. He said: "Of course that is not 

 honey; you can tell that without any chemical analysis. It 

 costs enough to be pure goods. It was bought of a St. Louis 

 firm." The other he sampled, and said: "That is not up to 

 grade. We will not use any more of that honey." I thought 

 I had won somewhat of a victory that time. Since then I 

 have had Mr. Grabbe go there, and he has made a sale. I 

 think after this, when they get their customers to using pure 

 goods, they will sell any amount of it. I don't doubt it. To 

 work on the adulterators who use anything but the pure 

 goods I think we should have a good anti-adulteration law. I 

 believe we could get after them in a way that would make 

 them stop pretty quick. They come into my olBce, and I lead 

 them on until they tell the whole thing— just how much glu- 

 cose they put in, etc. I can get the whole thing, but what is 

 the good of it until we get a law ? If we get that I will help 

 to get plenty of evidence to convict the adulterators of honey. 

 As I explained at the Lincoln convention, the adulterators 

 buy glucose here for .§1.10 per 100 pounds, that has not the 

 least taste to it; then they mix it with basswood or other 

 strong-flavored honey, and simply multiply the pure product 

 ten times by the use of glucose. I wish we could take some 

 action that would lead towards putting a stop to honey-adul- 

 teration. We might have a committee appointed to present 

 the matter to our State legislature, or to work in connection 

 with the dairymen. I move that the Executive Committee of 

 the Association be requested to take action in regard to secur- 

 ing an anti-adulteration law; to work in connection with the 

 dairymen and others who are equally interested in a like law. 

 Imight say further, that I think It is useless to try to get a 

 law against the adulteration of honey alone. The only way 

 we can accomplish anything is to co-operate with other inter- 

 ests that are just as anxious to have anti-adulteration laws. 



Mr. York's motion was carried unanimously. 

 Dr. Miller — I believe that is a move in the right direction. 

 Let me suggest one thing that I think can be done towards 

 establishing a batter market for honey, and that is the matter 

 of the quality of the honey that is put on the market. I speak 

 particularly of extracted honey. I know a bee-keeper who 

 put upon the market some extracted honey that was maiuly 

 honey-dew. It was black stuff, a vile concoction not fit for 

 any market or stomach. He was told that was manufactured 

 stuff. He had German blood in him, and he said he knew 

 better. He insisted that the bees had collected it, and kept it 

 on the market. The result was, either people thought it 

 wasn't honest or they didn't like honey, and it hurt the mar- 

 ket very much. I won't give you the man's name, but that 

 was the result of it. It was a good many years ago, and I am 

 older now— I wouldn't do it now. You can see how the thing 

 would work. There are all grades of honey, and if you put a 

 good thing on the market you are helping it along, and if you 

 put on something that is off-flavor or sour, you create a 

 prejudice against the good honey. I think I can recall the 

 time when I thought there was no difference in honey. Honey 

 was honey, and that was all there was of it. If you have con- 

 trol of your own home market, keep nothing but the very best 

 there. If you get a bad article you had better throw it in the 

 fire and burn it up ; but you don't need to do that — you can 

 use it for feeding the bees ; but put the best article on the 

 market and keep it there, and you are doing a great deal 

 toward creating the demand for a good article. 



Mr. York — It has been suggested by some to send the "off 

 grades" to the city bakers. It could also be used for honey- 

 vinegar, and some who make this vinegar have a demand for 

 all they can make, and the vinegar is most excellent. There 

 was some on exhibition at the State Fair at Springfield this 

 fall. I sampled some, with Mr. Grabbe the judge, and it was 

 the finest vinegar I ever tasted. 



Dr. Miller — What do you mean by it being the finest? 

 Mr. Grabbe — The flavor and strength. 

 Mr. York — It could be diluted one-half before using, and 

 still be excellent. 



Mr. Grabbe— The Hutchinson brothers exhibited it ; they 

 had several grades. 



Mr. Baldridge— I have been in the retail honey market 

 enough to know that it is very necessary to keep the flavor 

 and color of honey the same, that is what the retail grocers 

 want. Don't put any off grades on the market to be used for 

 table purposes. 



Mr. Grabbe — I coincide with the gentleman on the quality 

 and grade. Most of mine is a fine quality of Missouri honey, 

 and a peculiar flavor from what honey they have here, and I 

 have not tried to sell that here, but in St. Louis. There the 

 honey that is known as Spanish-needle sells for 7 cents at 

 wholesale, and I have been getting white honey here for less 

 than that. Not white clover, but sweet clover, alfalfa and 

 basswood honey, for considerably less than 7 cents. Here con- 

 sumers don't want any dark color — it must be light. Spanish- 

 needle honey is a golden yellow, and grocerymen object to it 

 on that account. The whiter the better ; buckwheat honey 

 you could not sell at all. I have one customer who gets buck- 

 wheat honey, but honey should be white — all white — for this 

 city. 



[To be continued.] 



A Nevr Binder for holding a year's numbers of the 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called " 'The Wood 

 Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple 

 arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for 

 reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can aflord to 

 get it yearly. 



■*-—»' 



Xlie ^auies and Addresses of all your bee- 

 friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted 

 at this oflice. Send them in, please, when sample copies will 

 be mailed to them. Then you can secure their subscriptions, 

 and earn some of the premiums we have offered. The 

 next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- 

 scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 



The McEvoy Foul Brood Treatment Is 



given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural 

 History and Rational "Treatment." It is the latest publication 

 on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. 

 Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year 

 —both for $1.10. 



