$!1.25 per gallon— 11 lbs. for a gallon. Every 

 one speaks in the highest terms of said 

 honey. I liave taken pains to get the people 

 to sample it, that they might liave that 

 honey that was best suited lo their individ- 

 ual tastes — clover, basswood or fall flowers. 

 I find many preferring the dark honey, but 

 most the clover. 



In 1875 1 sold 12.5 gallons, in 1876, 40 gal- 

 lons, in 1877. up to date, 1.5 gallons, in round 

 numbers. All this time 1 have sold my 

 bright honey below barrel i)rices. 



Now, 1 credit the cause of this falling off 

 to two sources: 



1st. " Hard times," or comparative scarci- 

 ty of money; and, 



2d. To tlie fact that honey contains no 

 elements that fastens itself to the system as 

 a necessity. At this same time oysters have 

 been sold at one price, and the trade in this 

 town has rather increased. We think we 

 Tmist have them every-so-often. 



We "like honey once in a while." An ar- 

 cle of food may taste delicious to the palate 

 without having the power to kindle an ap- 

 petite that amounts to a demand. Whisky 

 and tobacco are naturally noxious to the 

 taste, but after given to the system a few 

 times they create a demand that hard times, 

 high prices, and revenue taxes can't counter- 

 act. It seems to me we need not look in the 

 direction of " increased demand." as far as 

 table use is concerned, to take the surplus 

 crop of honey that the American flora can 

 spare, and that tiiese "gush over" book and 

 supply dealers say "must be gathered." 



Now comes the question. What is the value 

 of honey for cooking, brewing, ham-curing, 

 wine-making, and such unlimited sources of 

 demand? If honey is better than glucose 

 for beer, why? It is many times sweeter; 

 but cane-sugar is many more times sweeter. 

 Honey is thicker, and contains more vege- 

 table matter than sugar; but glucose is much 

 ahead of honey in tiiis respect. 



If honey is to rival these products above 

 mentioned, won't some one please rise and 

 explain why? I hope such may be the case, 

 but in so important a matter as this is to my 

 future earthly welfare, 1 beg of the know- 

 ing ones for the why and wherefore of their 

 belief that such will be ours to enjoy. I am 

 avvare that whisky and tobacco make a mor- 

 bid demand for more, but many kinds of food 

 all of which were new some time in past 

 history, have become a necessity to our well- 

 being. I am of the opinion that honey is 

 not to rise above a luxury of occasional en- 

 joyment, and must be a beggar in every turn 

 of the times. 



To the source of an adjunct to the manu- 

 facture of some other commodity do I pin 

 my last hope for the future welfare of the 

 lioney producer. Please let us hear of any 

 new ray of light that has been discovei'ed in 

 that direction by any one. 



I may be wrong in my conclusions, and 

 may it be that I am, but when I hear those 

 "enthusiastic" ones (and Prof. Cook says 

 bee-keepers are "enthusiasts" universally), 

 I think of the Rev. Joshua Billings' defini- 

 tion of an "enthusiast." He says, "An en- 

 thusiast is one who believes five times as 

 much as he can prove, and can prove five 

 times as much as any one else will believe." 



We are told that honey is about to become 

 an article of general use, and yet many of 

 these same persons tell us to put up this 

 "staple commodity" in little "tiny" cards 

 —say 4J4x4J^— and' then be sure to put glass 

 enough on both sides of the honey to out- 

 weigh it, as the glass being transparent will 

 not be objected to. Suppose you try some 

 other staple in that way. For instance, put 

 up granulated sugar in one-pound glass jars, 

 baking-powder (a thing of a few years' 

 time) in glass boxes. Why, we can't stand 

 tin boxes any more. It has become a staple 

 in towns and cities at least, and we buy in 

 bulk. As Mr. Bingham said at Convention, 

 about house apiaries, " Talk may say one 

 thing, but what do actions say?" lii my 

 opinion, those dealers who beg for little 

 glass boxes haven't got very far into the 

 staple business yet. A. I. Root's and others' 

 methods of shipping sections in (jlassed ca- 

 ses, and only asking the consuiliers to buy 

 as little as possible besides the honey, looks- 

 more to me like an etfort to place honey 

 among the staples. Nothing can stand more- 

 in the way ot the general introduction of 

 our produce than so much tare on comb- 

 honey, and the taking of clear honey before 

 being capped and thoroughly "ripened." 



Dowagiac, Mich. James Heddon. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to head off the Robbers. 



Occasionally we have, in the Joitrxal^ 

 complaints from bee-keepers that thieves 

 break open their hives, steal honey, or com- 

 mit various depredations. 



To those who are in danger of suffering 

 loss in that way, I would suggest a very 

 good remedy, namely, the "Burglar Alarm 

 Telegraph." 



About two years ago. I put up one of my 

 own construction, with wires running^ 

 underground to a smoke-house, and signal 

 bell on the mantel-piece in my bed-room. — 

 Although the wires were laid by myself, 

 and every endeavor made to keep secret the 

 object and uses of the apparatus, it got out 

 one morning, by the smoke-house door 

 being opened before the current was turned 

 off and while a servant was in the room 

 where the alarm bell was placed. In a very 

 short time thereafter the news was pretty 

 generally circulated, especially among the 

 colored portion of the neighborhood, that 

 my premises would be a very dangerous 

 place to visit after the usual hours for i^ay- 

 ing neighborly calls. Private inquiry con- 

 vinced me that bacon would have to be very 

 scarce indeed before any of my " friends," 

 especially the colored ones, would try to- 

 replenish their larders at my expense. 



For the benefit of those who may wish to- 

 try this defense against robbers, I will give 

 such points in the cojistruction of a burglar 

 alarm, as will enable any one familiar with 

 the principle of the telegraph to put up one 

 of their own: 



For a conductor, use copper bell wire,, 

 number 18; the size may vary considerably 

 from that without disadvantage. If to b& 

 laid underground, half of it must be insula- 

 ted, and all the doors or gates from whicii 



