THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



311 



moving- them and putting- them right 

 into the cellar has any bad effect. 



As I have said before, your problem 

 is the w^intering- problem, and you 

 must set yourself to the solving of it. 

 When that is done, other things w^illbe 

 easy. I would try and have a good 

 dry cellar of my own as soon as pos- 

 sible. 



As ever yours, 



W. Z. Hutchinson. 



««jr«^^»'»«T^«'H 



HOW TO COMBAT THE FOOLISH STORIES 

 ABOUT ARTIFICIAL COMB HONEY. 



First one thing to fig-ht and then 

 another. We have been fighting- adul- 

 teration for a long- time, and probably 

 will have it for an enemy for all time, 

 but just now the stories about it are 

 worse than adulteration itself, and 

 about as hard to combat. No sooner 

 do we get the artificial comb honey 

 story corrected in one paper than it 

 springs up in another. So far we 

 have been able to secure retractions. 

 The Ladies' Home Journal, in its 

 September issue, corrects the state- 

 ment that it made in the June number 

 about artificial combs of paraffin. To 

 be sure. Dr. Walker uses three times 

 the space used in correction, in giving 

 quotations supporting her first state- 

 ment with the very evident intention of 

 "saving her face, " but she winds up 

 with the following: 



Notwithstanding- these apparent 

 authoritative statements, wide inquiry 

 among practical bee-keepers now con- 

 vinces me that paraffin is not used for 

 this purpose and never has been ex- 

 cepting in an experimental way. 

 Therefore, the statement made in the 

 June issue was erroneous. What ap- 

 pears to be further evidence of this is 

 the fact that a reward of $1000 for a 

 sample of paraffin comb was offered 

 some years ago, and I understand 

 has never been claimed. I give the 

 above facts so that my former state- 

 ments may not do any injustice to the 

 army of reputable bee-keepers in 

 America. 



While this may not be exactly the 

 kind of correction that some of us 



would have made, it removes the im- 

 pression that comb honey can be made 

 artificially, and, appearing, as it 

 does, in so prominent a journal, will 

 be a great aid in securing retractions 

 in other journals. Since the canard 

 appeared in the Ladies' Home Journal, 

 another Pennsylvania paper has pub- 

 lished that same old story. This time 

 it was the Pittsburg Gazette, but so 

 many protests were received that the 

 editor gladly gave place to an article 

 by Mr. Frank Benton, which 

 is probably the best correction 

 of this "story" that has yet appeared. 



Of course, we editors at once write 

 to these papers, but that isn't enough. 

 One of the great factors in leading the 

 Ladies' Home Journal to make the 

 proper correction was the great flood of 

 letters that poured in from all over the 

 countr}-. 



Here is what seems to me to be the 

 best plan: Just as soon as a bee-keep- 

 er sees one of these stories in any pa- 

 per, let him at once write to the editor, 

 and, at the same time, let him notify 

 all of the editors of the bee journals, 

 that they may publish the matter, and 

 then let all of the readers of the jour- 

 nals at once write to the offending, or 

 mistaken, journal that has published 

 the misleading and damaging state- 

 ment. Let no onesay or think, "Well, 

 all of the others have written, I guess 

 I won't bother." That is exactly what 

 all of the others will think, and, as a 

 result, very few letters are sent. If 

 every bee-keeper who sees such items 

 mentioned in the bee journals would 

 at once write to the editors, something 

 would surely happen. I look upon 

 this matter of writing as a duty that 

 ever}' bee-keepeer owes to himself 

 and his calling. Unless something is 

 done to stem this tide of falsehood that 

 is sweeping over the country, the price 

 of honey is going to be seriously 

 affected. 



Here is still another case that needs 

 attention, and, as is often the case, it 



