THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



403 



l^The British Bee Journal in its 

 issue for ISTov. states that some of the 

 "spurious Yankee stuff" called "genu- 

 ine American honey" had been import- 

 ed into Britain. It says it was " found 

 in fancy bottles, a slice of comb being 

 in the centre" snrroiuided with a mix- 

 ture containing 57 per cent, of glucose 

 to 43 per cent, of honey. xV shopkeeper 

 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sept. 27th, 

 was arrested and lined £2 for offering 

 it for sale. Englishmen compare to 

 great advantage with Americans in 

 this particular, that there food inspec- 

 tors are continually watching every- 

 thing sold as genuine, and promptly 

 •discover adulteration, getting it suit- 

 ably punished. Bro. Abbott is quite 

 right, in remarking: " Tliis is almost 

 as rascally a business as was that in 

 which wooden nutmegs figured some 

 years since." Such "vile stuff" was 

 for years the heme of bee-keepers in 

 this country, till driven from our mar- 

 kets by public contempt — consumers 

 •demanding " honey in the comb," in 

 boxes or sectional frames, as a safe- 

 guard against villainous adulteration. 



In reference to that "Eoyal Funeral" 

 item in the October number, W. E. 

 Hamilton remarks; 



"Mr. H's fancy has transformed a common 

 occuri'ence into a fuiiert>i scene. Let any one 

 kill a queen and leave her body within a few 

 yards of the hive, and in a few hours they may 

 see it surrounded by worliers, clinging to it 

 tenaciously." 



True, workers do sometimes exhibit 

 considerable devotion to their queen — 

 but that a "funeral procession" is 

 "formed at the hive" and that it "moves 

 in a solid line," etc., is too much exag- 

 gerated to be truthful. 



If a queen be lost, the bees will go in 

 •search for her, and when discovered, 

 the tinders will call the rest of the 

 colony. If they hear it, they will go in 

 a body, as that is their usual way of 

 moving. If she is dead, they will 

 -quickly return to the liive. From this 

 circumstance, Mr. H. evidently manu- 

 factured his "royal funeral" story. 



^^ Thurber & Co. are putting up . 

 candied honey in jars for export. Each 

 jar is labeled with tlie following: — 

 "$1,000 in gold coin will be paid if the 

 honey contained in this jar is found to 

 Tae impure, or in any manner adulterat- 

 ed." That has the "ring" of true 

 metal about it ! Adulteration should 

 be everywhere frowned down. 



Many new and valuable features may 

 be expected in our volume for 1878. 



l^Ch. Dadant sold about .5,000 lbs. 

 <of honey in St. Louis, on the 20th ult. 



Michigan B K. Association. 



The eleventli anmra! session of this As- 

 sociation will he held in the city of Adrian, 

 Mich., ou Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 

 19 and 20, 1877. The first session will con- 

 vene at 2 o'clock p. m. on Wednesday. 

 Notices of the place of meeting will be 

 put up in the post-oftice, so tliat those 

 from abroad can easily ascertain tlie loca- 

 tion of the convention. 



Adrian is located on tlie main line of the 

 Lake Shore, and Michigan Southern R. K.— 

 one of the best equipped of the great trunk 

 lines— and is therefore easily accessible 

 from all parts of tiie country. 



We regret our inability to give the full 

 programme at this date; but can assure all 

 who are interested in improved bee-culture, 

 that it will be one of the most attractive 

 ever issued by our Association. We may 

 mention that several new and very valuable 

 implements, designed to increase the pro- 

 duction of honey and enhance its market 

 value and ready sale, will, for the first time, 

 be on exhibition. They are the result of 

 patient labor and careful experiment of two 

 of our most practical and experienced mem- 

 bers, and are, as we think, destined to re- 

 volutionize the bee-culture of to-day. 



The editor of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal is expected to be present and take 

 part in the discussions. Come one, come 

 all, and let us make this session a splendid 

 success. Herbert A. Burch, Sec. 



A. J. Cook, Pres. 



im' Friend Abbott, editor of the 

 British Bee Journal, states that C. O. 

 Perrine "did not visit Egypt or Cyprus 

 Island" on his late tour, and that he 

 bought his varieties of queens of Sar- 

 tori, of Milan, Italy. A letter from 

 Mr. P. while in London, stated that he 

 intended to go to both of these places 

 and procure several varities of queens 

 to bring home; hence our mention of 

 it in the A. B. J. for October. We are 

 sorry this fjriginal intention was not 

 carried out, and surmise that some im- 

 portant business at home must have 

 disarranged his original plans— for on 

 no other supposition can we explain his 

 not calling on Bro. Abbott as agreed 

 on his retui'n to England, as we an- 

 nounced. His " sudden" departure for 

 home is the more perjilexing from the 

 fact that Bro. Abbott had arranged for 

 a festive " at home," at Faiiiawn, and 

 invited some fifty prominent apiarists, 

 on which occasion Mr. P. was to have 

 been the honored guest. Being Eng- 

 lish ourself, and understanding " the 

 manners and customs" of both coun- 

 tries, we fully appreciate the situation, 

 and exceedingly regret the disapi)oint- 

 ment. More than one-half of the 200 

 Queens died en route. 



» I <■» I » > 



1^ It is suggested that we open a 

 department in the Journal for "Small 

 Fruit Culture," as that is a profitable 

 pasturage for bees. What do our read- 

 ers sayV Is it advisable V 



