234 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



March IS, 1906 



(Dur+Stster 



=\ 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



March Comes Like a Lion 



J 



March came in like a lion here. Before that time I 

 thought the bees were in very good condition — no mold or 

 excessive moisture about the hives, and the colonies were 

 strong and healthy looking. I am wintering 60. 



Comstock, Nebr., March 2. (Mrs ) A. h. Amos. 



Cocoamel 



This is a sort of chocolate with honey, made somewhat 

 after the manner of honey and lozenges. After melting 1 

 part gelatine in 1 part water, add 10 parts warmed honey. 

 When thoroughly mixed incorporate little by little 4 parts 

 powdered cocoa. Take from the fire and flavor with vanilla, 

 stirring thoroughly ; then pour into oiled dishes. After 24 

 hours cut into tablets, and let dry in the shade 8 days. May 

 be eaten as candy or used to make a hot drink. 



"Glucose and Its Lses-The Honest Label" 



Continuing the question as to whether the statements 

 made in The Delineator, and quoted in this Journal on 

 pages 213 and 214 are correct or not, it may be replied that 

 in word every statement is correct, yet as probably under- 

 stood by the readers the statements are so utterly misleading 

 that it can hardly be believed that Mrs. Abel would have 

 written them or The Delineator published them if both had 

 had a full understanding of the case. 



With a view to getting light on the glucose question 

 from near-by sources, a leading grocer was asked by tele- 

 phone whether Karo corn syrup was more or less popular 

 than when first introduced. He replied that it was less 

 popular, the cheaper grades of corn syrup, which ap- 

 peared to be just as good, having taken its place. Another 

 grocer was interviewed in person, and questioned in a little 

 different form, the following conversation in substance 

 taking place : 



"How about the sale of corn syrup ? Is it more or less 

 popular than formerly?" 



" Well, it's about all the syrup there is sold." 



" At what price do you sell it ?" 



" We sell it mostly in these 10-pound cans at 35 cents a 

 can. Here's the Karo in 2-pound cans, which we sell at 

 10 cents a can, but it doesn't sell so well as the other, 

 although it is supposed to be of a better grade ?" 



"Do you use any of this corn syrup on your own table ?" 



The somewhat significant reply came promptly, "No ; 

 we use syrup made of sugar." 



The effect of the State law as to pure foods was shown 

 on the labels. On the Karo can it was stated in plain let- 

 ters that 85 percent was glucose and 15 percent cane syrup. 

 The larger can was 75 percent glucose and 25 percent cane. 

 That seemed to show pretty plainly that the superiority of 

 the Karo was all in the advertisement. There is only 3 

 pounds of cane in the Karo for every 5 pounds in the larger 

 can, and yet the Karo is retailed at 5 cents a pound and the 

 other at V4 cents. Not ao much wonder that in States 

 where the law enforces honest labels the popularity of Karo 

 should fall off in spite of the thousands of dollars spent in 

 advertising it as " better than honey for less money." But 

 all this is by the way. 



The druggist was then visited aud asked, " What is the 

 price of glucose ?" 



"We don't keep it." 



" Haven't you price-lists that quote it ?" 



He consulted the price-lists, and then replied, "lean 

 furnish it to you at about 20 cents a pound." 



Now we begin to have some light on the matter. The 

 glucose sold by the druggist is one thing ; that sold by the 

 grocer another. Chemicals are used in the manufacture of 

 glucose, and getting rid of those chemicals is an expensive 



business, so that the druggist retails at 20 cents a pound 

 that which is supposed to be cleansed of all objectionable 

 matters. But leave it only partly cleansed — no matter if it 

 be unfit to put into any human stomach — and the stuff can 

 be produced so cheaply that a mixture of 1 part cane and 3 

 parts glucose, after all parts are added, can be sold at 3' 2 

 cents a pound. 



Returning to the quotations from The Delineator, it 

 seems pretty clear that Mrs. Abel must have had in mind 

 the belief that chemically pure glucose and the commercial 

 article, the glucose of the druggist and the glucose of the 

 grocer, were one and the same thing. If all that is said of 

 glucose as being harmless and containing no injurious sub- 

 stances refers to chemically pure glucose, then it is all 

 right ; but how many of the readers of that popular maga- 

 zine will understand the statements to refer to anything 

 else but the stuff that is sold at the grocery ? 



It is greatly to be desired that Mrs. Abel might go to a 

 grocery and get a can of Karo, sample it a number of times, 

 thoughtfully meditating upon its flavor and its aftertaste, 

 take the remainder of the can to a reliable chemist for 

 analysis, and then say to the readers of The Delineator 

 what she thinks is " the truth about glucose." 



/T 



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(Lanabtcm 

 4-23eebom-f 



Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. 



Wax-Rendering Processes 



J? 



Now readers of the Farmers' Advocate are wishing " E. 

 G. H." would come out and show himself (or herself). I am 

 sure he does not need to be ashamed, for he gives us some 

 good things frequently. For example, in an article on 

 " Rendering Beeswax," he recommends using the most ap- 

 proved machinery and doing the work up as cleanly and ex- 

 peditiously as possible. That article is followed up by one 

 on " Running a Wax-Press," which fairly smells of hot 

 beeswax — it has so many little kinks which only actual ex- 

 perience will bring out. It is worth quoting in full : 



Running a Wax-Press. 



There are some things about the operation of a wax-press that do 

 not appear very often in print, and a few words on the subject may 

 help some readers who are operating one of these machines for the 

 first time, or who have just been trying to, and have not obtained as 

 good results as they should have. The writer had considerable trouble 

 the first time or two, caused by the wax " freezing" before it ran 

 out of the press, and clogging up everything, so that it had to be 

 cleaned up with boiling water before the work could be continued ; 

 and this is the trouble which causes many people to condemn this 

 method of rendering wax. Now, the fault i6 not in the machine at all, 

 but in the conditions under which it is worked. 



In the first place, it must be borne in mind that wax will stick to 

 wood, or anything else that is dry, and that it will not stick to a wet 

 or damp surface. In the second place, get acquainted with the fact 

 wax will " freeze " when it strikes a cold object, or when a cold cur- 

 rent of air strikes it, and that it will not freeze so long as it is hot. 

 These two facts are known by nearly every one who has anything to 

 do with beeswax, and yet it is because conditions are not as they 

 should be that the wax-press gets bunged up and makes trouble. 



To have everything run fast and smoothly, it is necessary to have 

 the room where the work is being done very warm. A temperature 

 of 85 or 90 degrees will do away with most of the trouble from " freez- 

 ing." The press should be in a warm room for a couple of hours be- 

 fore commencing operations, so that every part of it may become 

 thoroughly warmed up. Take out the follower and the slatted bot- 

 tom, and stand everything up so the warm air of the room can get all 

 around it, and it will warm up much more quickly. Just before put- 

 ting in the first "go " of melted wax, have ready a kettle of boiling 

 water, put the press all together, with the bottom and follower in 

 I> lace, and the burlap to hold the melted combs between them, plug 

 up the spout of the pan, and then pour your boiling water slowly into 

 the press. Don't forget to give the corners their share, and let it 

 stand long enough for everything to get thoroughly hot and wet. Now 

 let out the water, and remove the follower, open up the burlap, dip in 

 the melted combs (you will soon learn how much you can handle at a 

 lime), fold the burlap over the wax, put in the follower, and screw it 

 down slowly. Be sure the. screw presses fairly in the middle of the 

 follower, or it will not press evenly. When it is down nearly as far as 

 von can turn it, and you think all the wax is out, ease it up a little, 

 n.nd then turn it down as far as it will go. Give it time to run out;, 

 then turn it down some more, and give it more time to run out. Tou 

 will be surprised how much wax will come out after you think it must 



