Honey Adulteration. 



It will be remembered that in the Bee 

 JouRNAc for December, we stated tliat a 

 grocer of Glasgow, Scotland, had been 

 fined £2, for selling an adulteration, labeled 

 *' Genuine American Honey." 



In writing to Novice, C. O. Perrine sug- 

 gested that " the names on the labels at- 

 tached to the jars should have been given." 



In order to ascertain, friend Dadant wrote 

 to the Secretary of the Apiarian Society, in 

 Glasgow, and in reply was informed that 

 the names on the labels of the jars were 

 Tluirber A Co., of N. Y., and Bradshaw & 

 Wait, of this city. 



Novice, in Gleanings for January, says: 

 "American honey is now being sent to 

 London in such large quantities that it 

 would not be strange at all, if counterfeits 

 began to appear." 



True; but might not the labels also be 

 counterfeits, as well as the articles thus 

 labeled? We are slow to believe that Tluir- 

 ber & Co. are adulterators. We have on our 

 desk one of their Honey labels, which they 

 put on their Honey for export, which reads 

 as follows: 



"One thousand dollars, in goldcoin willbe 

 paid, if the honey contained in this jar is 

 found to be impure, or in any manner 

 adulterated." 



In noticing this label, in the Journai- for 

 December, we remarked: This has the 

 "ring" of true metal about it! Adultera- 

 tion should be everywhere frowned down. 



In all candor, we would ask, is it suppos- 

 able, even, that Thurber «& Co. would 

 deliberately put up adulterated honey and 

 export it, and then offer a thousand dollars 

 in gold coin to any one who would analyze 

 it? It viay be so; but we want more proof 

 than we now have, to convince us that they 

 actually did such an un-business-like trans- 

 action. 



The Scotch letter adds: 



"Mr. Campbell told me that before he 

 was fined, he had sold about 60 jars per 

 week. The produce broker had to take 

 back the remainder. It will be sometime 

 before the trade will be re-established.— 

 The only way would be to send sectional 

 supers over, showing the honey in the 

 comb; but even that, I fancy, can be adul- 

 terated by feeding the bees grape sugar." 



Friend Dadant then gives his views, as 

 follows: 



"While in St. Louis, recently, he found 

 considerable adulterated honey, selling for 

 8 cts. per pound. If it was 57 per cent, glu- 

 cose at 4c., and 43 per cent, honey, at lOc, it 

 Avould cost only $6.58 per 100 lbs, and could 

 be sold at a profit, at 8c. per lb., in large 

 quantities. 



" This adulteration gives dealers the op- 

 portunity to undersell honey producers, be- 

 sides doubling the supply and decreasing 

 the demand on account of its impurity. 

 We should petition to Congress to appoint 

 food inspectors like they have in Europe, 

 whose duty it would be to prosecute ail 

 adulterators. Bee-keepers should unite in 

 avast association, with a few reliable ofiticers 

 who should procure samples of all the 

 syrup, maple sugar and honey, supposed to 

 be adulterated, and to assist in the prosecu- 

 tion of the vendors. Tiien we shall find it 

 easy to dispose of all the honey produced." 



The Apiary.— This is the title of a work 

 on bee culture by Alfred Neighbour, Esq., of 

 London, England. The third edition, "great- 

 ly enlarged, revised, and remodeled," is 

 just published, containing 350 pages. We 

 have read it with considerable interest and 

 find much that is interesting. The author 

 says of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, that he 

 "stands undoubtedly at the present day as 

 the foremost apiarist of the English speak- 

 ing race," ami quotes largely his published 

 views on different subjects. The author 

 acknowledges himself "largely indebted to 

 The American Bee Journal" and "the 

 very able articles by which that remakably 

 well-conducted periodical is distinguished." 

 The work is illustrated and elegantly 

 printed. 100 pages are devoted to the nature, 

 habits and management of the Honey Bee, 

 and the balance to illustrated descriptions 

 of Geo. Neighbour & Sons' hives and other 

 apparatus for the apiary, which they keep 

 for sale to English apiarists. We have 

 ordered some of these books and shall be 

 able to supply them at $1.50 postage paid. 



The Bee-keeper'' s Magazine for Jan. 

 came to hand Jan. 13. Speaking of D. D. 

 Palmer's visit to New York, the Editor says: 



"He (D. D. Palmer) said he had examined care- 

 fully all the prominent styles of surplus honey boxes, 

 (the so-called Betsinger included,) but said none of 

 them would compare favorably with the style used 

 in our Eclectic hive, which style he is going to adopt." 



There must be some mistake about this, 

 for since friend Palmer went home, we have 

 received a letter from him and he has order- 

 ed "15,000 of the Prize Boxes, and 1,000 of 

 the Prize Crates." Hence it is settled now 

 that he does not inteml to adopt any other 

 than the Prize Box and Crate. 



IW By request we have gotten up a 

 blank for a Petition to Congress to have the 

 Postal Laws amended so as to admit of 

 Queens being sent in the Mails, as liereto- 

 fore. Anyone can have them on application 

 at this office. Get them signed and returned 

 to us by March 1st. We will then see that 

 they are properly presented to Congress, 

 and by a united effort try to have our voice 

 heard. We ought to have 100,000 signatures 

 before March 1st. 



