adulterated with this poisonous com- 

 pound, found in glucose, it will turn 

 black, almost like ink. Another test is 

 to put pure alcohol and this poisonous 

 compound together. Pure honey and 

 pure alcohol will unite, but pure alcohol 

 and this poisonous compound will sepa- 

 rate like oil and water. The above tests 

 are given in Mr. Quinby's new Bee- 

 Keeping. But to my mind the proper 

 way to test this compound, is to take it 

 to a first-class chemist, and have it fully 

 analyzed. Have him give a table show- 

 ing its component parts. We have un- 

 doubtedly a considerable of this adul- 

 terated compound placed upon the mar- 

 kets of this State. 



Some men have told me that they 

 bought their honey in the comb and in 

 that way avoided all adulteration. But 

 I was told some time since by a man of 

 truth and veracity, that he knew of a 

 man who had a number of bees, and he 

 bought a large lot of dark sugar; he 

 melted it and brought to the consistency 

 of honey. He fed it to the bees. The 

 bees had considerable of empty comb 

 in the boxes. They soon filled the 

 empty combs and capped them over. He 

 sold it for honey ; but it was not honey. 

 It did not differ in nature in the comb 

 from what it was in the barrel. In the 

 same way the compound in the jars 

 might be transferred to the combs, but 

 the transfer would not change its nature. 

 Then we cannot avoid adulteration by 

 dealing strictly in comb honey, while 

 the extracted, if pure, is preferable to 

 the honey in the comb, and can be pro- 

 duced at a much less cost. I need not 

 state any further arguments to prove it 

 to be a crime to sell this poisonous com- 

 pound under the label of " choice 

 honey." I think all will admit that if 

 it is a crime then we need legislation on 

 the subject. England has largely cor- 

 rected the adulteration of food in the 

 past three years. Why cannot the 

 United States do the same V I would 

 recommend to this Bee-Keepers' Union 

 of the Northwest and all similar organi- 

 zations, to petition Congress for a very 

 stringent law against the sale of 

 poisonous compounds under the label 

 of honey or "•choice honey." I would 

 also include in the petition all articles 

 of food, and make it the duty of all who 

 compound to state on the box, bottle, 

 vessel or paper, just what was inside. 

 For the people have a right to know 

 just what they are buying. I would 

 also include all kinds of liquors, for if 

 men will drink 1 sincerely wish all 

 the drinks to be just as pure as they can 

 be made. Then at least some of the 

 curses of intemperance would be swept 

 away. 



In our efforts to secure legislation on 

 the sales of adulterated honey last win- 

 ter, in this State, we did not get all we 

 would like to have had, but we have 

 made a beginning. Our law, if properly 

 enforced will do much to check un- 

 principled men from throwing their 

 compounds on the markets as honey. 

 It would help us very much if our next 

 legislature would make it the duty of 

 our State chemist to analyse a few 

 specimens of this compound sold as 

 honey, and do his work in the interests 

 of the State. It would assist in con- 

 victing criminals. While there is work 

 for Congress and our State Legislature 

 and State Chemist to do in correcting 

 this wrong, there is also much more to 

 be done by the bee fraternity. 



First, bee men should never place 

 anything upon the markets but a pure 

 article of honey. To be sure of this let 

 every man, if he feeds his bees, feed 

 nothing but the pure honey. Every 

 bee man can build up a reputation that 

 will secure him sales for all his honey 

 within easy distance of home. This 

 will require time and fair dealing. 



I have also thought it would be a good 

 thing if one or two merchants in our 

 cities, and also in our towns, could be 

 induced to unite with this "Union" 

 and keep a pure article of honey con- 

 stantly on hand. It would certainly 

 pay them well, while it would be a 

 blessing to the public and at the same 

 time advance the interests of bee- 

 keeping. 



St. Paul, Minn,, Nov. 27, 1879. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Wintering on Summer Stands. 



W. N". CRAVEN. 



I face all the hives to the east, with 

 the bottom of the hive 2 inches above 

 the ground. I removed all the frames 

 but those covered with bees, and put 

 division boards each side. These 

 boards were }i inch short, and had 

 woolen cloth tacked on the ends, so that 

 they would slip down easily, without 

 disturbing the bees. These boards 

 make the brood-nest air tight, and 

 leave a dead-air space each side of it. 

 The frames are covered with 2 or 3 

 thicknesses of woolen cloth and on these 

 I placed a sheet of wrapping-paper hav- 

 ing holes in it, to permit the dampness 

 to pass off. I then put boards on the 

 sides and back of the hives, and drive 

 stakes into the ground to hold them up; 

 then I fill the spaces between the boards 

 and the hives with fine hay or anything 

 of that sort. In the spring I move the 



