The American Apiculturist 



' g. loiunal Mohti to Scientific mtt) practical geckce|ing. 



EXTEUED AT THE POST-OFFICE, SALEJI, AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER. 



pLiblished Monthly. S. M. Locke, Publisher & Prop'r. 



VOL. II. 



SALEM, MASS., FEBRUARY t, 1884. 



No. 2. 



EDITORIAL. 



Wk hail hoped that with the begin- 

 uliig oC the New Year, we might be able 

 to change qui- course and issue the Ap- 

 iculturist on the tii'stof the month but 

 I10W little we know "what a day may. 

 bring forth." The action of the N. ¥.. 

 B. A. making the Apiculturist its offi- 

 cial organ, giving to us the reports to 

 publish entire, was wholij- unexpected 

 and has entirely disarranged our plans 

 for this month. This, together with the 

 fact that we were obliged to spend one 

 week more in New York state than we 

 intended, will be sufficient excuse 

 for uniting the February and Marcli 

 numbers making a double number, and 

 the consequent delay in sending it out. 

 We trust, however, that the value of 

 the matter published this monlh will 

 more than recompense our readers for 

 the loss, and that hereafter we shall be 

 able to issue the Journal promptly on 

 the first of the month. 



We are aware tiiat the proceedings 

 of this convention will be severely crit- 

 icised, and it may be well for us to re- 

 view them in order that there may be 

 less need of mistaking the motives. 



We have just received a letter from 

 Mr. Segelken regarding the matter of 

 adulteration of honey, and as we believe 

 in equal riylits and justice it may be 

 well to notice this matter somewhat. 



The action of the convention in re- 

 gard to the a<lulteration of honey,- as 

 a whole, was devoid of any feeling of 

 animosity or individual interest. It 

 cannot be denied ih;it beekeeping has 

 sutfered much at the hands of those 

 dealers who adulterate our honey, and 

 to-day in New England everybody is 

 afraid of extracted honey on that ac- 

 count. Now we do not deny the right 

 of any firm or business house to sell 

 glucose and honey or in fact any adul- 

 terant, but we do ol)ject to the injury 

 iliat has come to apiculture and the 

 lioiiey market from such cause and 

 when any firm openly acknowledges 

 that they do adulterate honey, every 

 beekeeper in this country sliould rise 



in defence of his interest and do his 

 best to crusli out the evil. 



Nor would we dispute Ih-At pure corn 

 syrup (or glucose) is wholesome, but 

 we ask, who is going to know that 

 those who adulterate use the pure corn 

 syrup (or glucose). I know that in 

 this city while one of the confectioners 

 uses jmre glucose yet many use the 

 poorer grades which create disease and 

 ruin the system. Now the question 

 is just this. Shall we as beekeepers sub- 

 mit to the adulteration ol honey ? The 

 convention has said no and we trust 

 that every i)eekeeper will stand by that 

 decision. We have come to the time 

 when that matter is to be tested. I 

 hope that those who have the interest 

 of apiculture at heart will study this 

 matter carefully ere they attempt to tell 

 the public that fjlucose is iv/iolesome; 

 the result to apiculture will be direful, 

 and the b(!ekeepers have already suf- 

 fered enough at the hands of those 

 whose main object was to sell their 

 goods regardless of the results. 



The other day I received a circular, 

 sent out by Mrs. Lizzie Cotton in which 

 she states that the food which she des- 

 cribes " when fed to the bees cannot be 

 detected by the majority from inire 

 ho)iey." Shall we as beekeepers uphold 

 or allow to pass unnoticed such matters 

 as these? And shall we hesitate in 

 censuring a firm that adulterates honey 

 because they have a large capital to 

 back them and are prominent? We 

 leave this matter with you and hope 

 that the more thoughtful, at least, will 

 judge us aright. 



Another matter which will probably 

 be questioned is the discussion of bee 

 literature, and in order Uiat those who 

 may choose to difi'er with the actions of 

 the convention and attribute them to 

 personal animosity, "cooperate inter- 

 ests," or perhaps to the indivitlual ef- 

 forts of a few discontented ones, we 

 would state that tiie time has come 

 wlien the more thoughtful and promi- 

 nent .-ipiarists from every section of our 

 country recognize the necessity of a 

 reform in our bee literature, and the 



(25) 



