March 8, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



153 



comb honey as that for 13 cents," when the dealer is tryin^-^ 

 to hold the price up to IS cents. 



If some bee-keepers should decide to address their 

 honey-packag-es, we would not be surprised if some dealers 

 would refuse to handle it. WV certainly should. We can't 

 afford to spend hundreds of dollars in creating a demand 

 for honey, and then permit our honey customers to get their 

 supply direct from the producers. It not only is unjust to 

 us, but demoralizes prices all around. 



Again, the producer, of course, would want to label 

 only his best grades, and likely try to shove off on the 

 dealer the poorer grades,and perhaps generously " kicking," 

 besides, if a good price were not realized on the inferior 

 honey. 



There are always two sides to a question like this. Bee- 

 keepers should co-operate with the wholesale dealers instead 

 of each trying to go it alone, except in their home market. 



It is all right for the bee-keeper to put his full name 

 and address on all the honey he retails himself, but not on 

 that which he ships to another to sell, unless he first has 

 permission to do so from the one to whom he ships the 

 honey. 



The Illinois State Food Commission has located in 

 the Manhattan Building, on Dearborn St., between Van 

 Buren and Harrison Sts., Chicago, 111. Hon. Alfred H. 

 Jones, the new commissioner, has just issued a pamphlet 

 giving the " laws of Illinois relating to the office and duties 

 of the State Food Commission and the adulteration of but- 

 ter, cheese, milk and other foods, with rulings thereon." It 

 also contains the rules adopted by the State Food Commis- 

 sion, which are to govern in determining as to adulterated 

 articles. Here is the rule applying to honey : 



"Honey adulterated with glucose or any other sub- 

 stance not deleterious to health may be sold when labeled 

 'Adulterated Honey.'" 



It seems to us that when so labeled, there won't be 

 much of that stuflf sold, and the pure article of honey will 

 have a fair chance. 



We presume that copies of the pamphlet referred to 

 may be had by those interested, by writing to Com- 

 missioner Jones, as directed above. 



Illinois Apiarian Statistics for 1899 — In the Statisti- 

 cal Report of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture for 

 Dec. 1, 1899, we find the following under the heading, 

 " Bees and Honey :" 



The year 1899 was a very poor one for bees and honey, 

 a smaller amount of honey being produced than ever be- 

 fore, but 398,025 pounds being reported. Of this amount 

 Northern Illinois produced 193,377 pounds. Central Illinois 

 103,718 pounds, and the Southern division of the State, 

 100,930 pounds. 



The average price obtained for honey was 13 cents per 

 pound, thus returning to the bee-keepers of the State 

 $53,369. 



The number of colonies of bees in the Northern division 

 of the State was 20,035 ; in the Central division 16,565, and 

 in Southern Illinois 18,583, a total of 55,183. 



We notice in the above nothing is said as to whether or 

 not the report covers both comb and extracted honey. The 

 price per pound of course refers to comb honey. After all, 

 such statistics are not very reliable, and yet we presume 

 there ought to be some commendation offered for at least 

 attempting to get them. 



Bees and Honey in Europe. — The British Bee Journal 

 some time ago publisht these paragraphs : 



" Germany, which has 1,910,000 colonies of bees, pro- 

 ducing 45,000,000 pounds of honey every year; Spain has 

 1,690,000 colonies, .producing 42,000,000 pounds of honey ; 



Austria, 1,555,000, producing 40,000,000 pounds of honey; 

 France, 950,000, producing 22,000,000 pounds ; Holland, 

 240,000, producing 6,000,000 pounds; Russia, 110,000, pro- 

 ducing, 2,000,000 pounds ; Denmark, 90,000, producing the 

 same; Belgium, 200,000, producing 5,000,000 pounds; 

 Greece, 30,000, producing 3,000,000 pounds. 



The annual production of honey in Europe is calculated 

 to reach 40.000 tons, valued at /:2, 200,000, and of wax 15,000 

 tons, of the value of /^l, 350,000. A colony of bees produces 

 from 20 to 50 pounds of honey yearly, according to its size, 

 and multiplies tenfold in five years." 



But we shouldn't wonder at it if apiarian statistics in 

 Europe are about as definite as are those to be found on this 

 continent. It is well nigh impossible to secure figures at 

 all accurate. We notice that (Jreat Britain is not mentioned 

 in the list. 



Organization Among Bee=Keepers has some earnest 

 words said in its favor by R. C. Aikin in the Bee-Keepers' 

 Review. Band together, select a few of your best business 

 men to do the work for the rest, and pay them for it. These 

 managers can keep informed about supply and demand, 

 and hold up prices somewhere near the right point. Mr. 

 Aikin very pertinently says : 



"Why should buyers go about among producers and 

 offer five cents for honey that is worth much more, and be- 

 cause they can buy from my neighbor at that, use it for a 

 lever to pull me to the same price ? Just such things are 

 done, and will continue to be done until we organize and 

 post ourselves." 



Mr. Gus DiTTMer has sent us a copy of his catalog for 

 1900, describing the bee-supplies he has for sale. He makes 

 a specialty of comb foundation. See his advertisement in 

 every number of this journal. 



* * * # * 



Mrs. David Evans, of Placer Co,, Calif., kindly sent 

 us, two or three weeks ago, blossoms of the fragrant man- 

 zanita, which she says is the earliest honey-plant of the 

 foot-hills of Placer County, growing in great luxuriance 

 over the hills, and blooming from January to March or 



April. 



* ♦ ♦ * * 



Mr. M. H. MsndELSON, of Ventura Co., Calif., writing 

 us Feb. 26, said : 



" We had an interesting and instructive convention at 

 Los Angeles, Feb. 21 and 22. Messrs. Oliver Foster, of 

 Colorado, and Frank McNay, of Wisconsin, with other 

 noted bee-men, were present. We will have another bad 

 honey year for Soutl^ern California. No _ rain for nearly 

 two months, and the country drying up again." 



* * ♦ * » 



Vermont on the Right Track. — The premium list 

 of the Vermont State Fair contains this paragraph, which 

 ought to find a place in the lists gotten out by every fair in 

 our whole country, and then be thoroly enforced : 



"Now, then, three-card monte and shell-game men, 

 snides, gamblers, fakes and bums of every sort, kind and 

 description, take notice ! That gambling of every sort and 

 form, and the sale of beer, ale, wine, or other intoxicating 

 liquors will be excluded from and about the grounds. If, 

 as you say, we can not run without you and your goods, we 

 will close our gates. We neither want nor will we tolerate 

 you ; and by this we serve notice upon you that, if you 

 come, prison-doors yawn for you.". 



The Premiums offered on page 158 are well worth work 

 lag for. Look at them. 



