Laws Against Adulteration. 



As Congress has neglected to pass a gen- 

 eral law against adulteration of sweets, it 

 it is gratifying to note that several State 

 Legislatures have passed laws against the 

 adulteration of honey. 



Kentucky has for some time had such a 

 law, and now New Jersey, Minnesota and 

 Michigan are added to the number. 



Minnesota has four apiarists in its Legis- 

 lature. The Hon. J. P. West introduced the 

 following bill which has now become a law. 

 The Hons. H. H. Rosebrock, Parker and 

 Demo (all apiarists) did noble work in aid- 

 ing its passage. The Rev. James G. Teter, 

 we understand, framed the law. 



AN ACT to prevent the sale of adulterated 



honey. 

 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the 

 State of Minnesota : 



Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any 

 person or persons within the State of 

 Minnesota to offer for sale, sell, or cause to 

 be sold any compounded or manufactured 

 honey, unless the same is so marked, repre- 

 sented and designated as such, and bearing 

 a label upon each package either printed or 

 written thereon, the name of the person or 

 persons having compounded or manu- 

 factured the same. 



Sec. 2. Any person violating the provi- 

 sions of section one (1) of this act shall, for 

 the first offence, be fined in any sum not 

 less than ten, nor more than one hundred 

 dollars, and for each repeated offence shall 

 be fined not less than fifty, nor more than 

 two hundred and fifty dollars, or be im- 

 prisoned in the county jail for a period not 

 exceeding six months, or both, at the dis- 

 cretion of the court. 



Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be 

 in force from and after its passage. 



Approved March 10, 1S79. 



The Hon. J. P. West introduced a joint 

 resolution memorializing Congress for a bill 

 on the subject, the following being the sub- 

 stance thereof : 



That the sweets now in use in the United 

 States, including cane-sugar, syrups, can- 

 dies, jellies, honey, etc., are often adulter- 

 ated with glucose, and sometimes are man- 

 ufactured entirely of it ; 



That this glucose is manufactured from 

 corn starch, by boiling the starch with sul- 

 phuric acid (oil of vitriol), then mixing with 

 lime. The glucose always retains more or 

 less of sulphuric acid and lime, and some- 

 times it has copperas, sucrate of lime, etc. ; 



That seventeen . specimens of common 

 table syrups were recently examined by R. 

 C. Kedzie, A. M., professor of chemistry in 

 the Michigan State Agricultural College, at 

 Lansing. Fifteen of these proved to be 

 made of glucose ; one of the fifteen con- 

 tained 141 grains of sulphuric acid (oil of 

 vitriol) and 724 grains of lime to the gallon ; 

 and another, which had caused serious sick- 



ness in a whole family, contained 72 grains 

 of sulphuric acid, 28 grains of sulphate of 

 iron (copperas), and 363 grains of lime to the 

 gallon ; 



That the American people are pre-emi- 

 nently a sugar-eating people. The con- 

 sumption of sugar by each individual in 

 our country is shown by statistics to be 

 about 40 pounds a year. It is seen at once 

 that the adulterators of sugars and other 

 sweets not only cheat our people in the qual- 

 ity of what they consume, since glucose 

 contains on ly from 30 to 40 per cent of sugar, 

 but injure also the public health by selling 

 under false names an article injurious to 

 health ; 



And, Whereas, Tea, coffee, etc., and 

 numerous articles of food are adulterated 

 by poisons and articles injurious to health ; 



Resolved, That our senators and repre- 

 sentatives in Congress be requested to use 

 their influence to secure the passage of such 

 laws as are necessary for the suppression of 

 this illegal business and to protect the peo- 

 ple against such crimes. 



The Hon. A. B. Cheney, President of the 

 Mich. Bee-Keepers' Association, has intro- 

 duced into the Legislature a bill to prevent 

 the adulteration of honey. We are not fully 

 advised as to the provisions of the bill, but 

 have no doubt it embodies the wisdom and 

 wishes of the leading apiarists of the State. 



Mr. A. J. King, editor of the "Bee-Keep- 

 ers Magazine," has kindly sent us the copy 

 of the New Jersey law, which was drawn up 

 by the Rev. James W. Shearer. Mr. 

 King correctly remarks that it is " the best 

 of any similar law passed in any State," 

 and adds, " If we can get such laws passed 

 in all the States, what will become of the 

 adulterators ? " Bro. King and the Maga- 

 zine are squarely opposed to adulteration 

 and we are glad here to acknowledge "the 

 good work " they have done in aiding this 

 cause. 



The New Jersey Law is as follows : 



AN ACT to protect the honey industry. 



Whereas, The production of honey is an 

 honest and honorable industry of respect- 

 able and fast growing importance in this 

 state, the entire proceeds of which is 

 clear gain to the state ; and whereas, 

 adulterations with inferior sweets, not 

 gathered by bees, are manufactured and 

 sold under the name of honey, to the great 

 in j ury of the industry and to the deception 

 of the consumer, if not to the injury of 

 his health, therefore : 



1. Be it enacted by the Senate and Gene- 

 ral Assembly of the State of New Jersey, 

 That every person or persons who shall 

 manufacture, sell or cause to be sold any 

 article or substance having the semblance 

 of honey, and yet not the real product of 

 the hive, whether in shape of liquid or 

 comb honey, shall to each package or vessel 

 of such manufactured article or substance, 



