200 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



adulteration, the best thing we can do is to 

 keep still:" 



This is about the same line of argument 

 he presented a year ago at the same con- 

 vention; and after the opposition that was 

 raised at the time, the reiteration of such 

 teaching makes us wonder what he expects 

 to accomplish. Does he not know that this, 

 coming from a representative bee-keeper, will 

 give comfort to glucose-mixers ? This idea 

 in one way seems plausible, and we are 

 sorry to see that one or two good men 

 agree with him. 



Saloon-keepers do not like temperance 

 agitation, because they fear it will damage 

 their business — if not immediately, at some 

 future time. Honey adulterators would 

 like nothing better than to feel that their 

 fabrications could not be detected from the 

 genuine ; and when we talk about ways 

 and means by which they can be found out, 

 they don't like it. Apathy, and a Keime of 

 our helplessness, is just what these evil-doers 

 most desire. 



There is a way to fight this evil of adultera- 

 tion, and we can stem the tide of it, even if 

 we canH put it down all at once. If we can- 

 not prosecute, we can give the names of 

 the adulterators such wide publicity that 

 the sale of their mixed goods will stop. We 

 affirm that the art of chemistry has now 

 reached that state whereby satisfactory 

 analysis for glucose can be made. We have 

 only to point to the tests which Prof. Cook 

 made upon three of the best chemists in the 

 United States, with the result that they 

 successfully detected every glucose sample ; 

 and we pointed out on page 63 of our last 

 issue, the simple alcoholic test; and the 

 test by tasting is pretty reliable. 



We happen to know that there is a con- 

 siderable amount of adulteration, and it is 

 being fostered by just such sentiments as 

 Mr. Heddon gives expression to. This glu- 

 cose-mixing is becoming more and more 

 common under the apathy and sense of 

 helplessness on the part of the bee-keepers, 

 and the pure product of their honest toil 

 has to compete with stuff so cheap that good 

 honey has but little show, and so vile in 

 quality that consumers say if that is honey 

 they will never buy another drop. 



Now we leave the question with our 

 readers. If they want us to stop this " hue 

 and cry " against glucose, drop us a line 

 to that effect. We are quite willing to re- 

 fer this question to the mass of our intelli- 

 gent readers. 



The foregoing editorial is in such exact 

 accord with our own ideas, that further 

 comment from us seems almost unnecessary. 

 We wish, however, with Bro. Root, to know 

 whether the readers of the Bee Journal 

 desire us to "let up" on the agitation 

 against the adulteration of honey, or if we 

 shall continue to denounce the practice and 

 the criminals themselves, as we have, 

 always done heretofore 



As for ourselves, we believe in giving 



honey-adulterators and other iniquitous 

 workers no rest, night or day. We believe 

 in letting them know that honest producers 

 are "after them," and mean business, too! 



The Bee Journal stands ready all the 

 time to publish those who adulterate honey, 

 upon sufficient and satisfactory proof. We 

 don't want to mi.sjudge or do anything 

 hasty in the matter, but when it is unques- 

 tionably shown that certain persons are 

 practicing adulteration, we believe all the 

 bee-papers should unite in giving them lots 

 ot free advertising, thns warning the public, 

 so far as we possibly can. 



The only excuse we can offer for publish- 

 ing Mr. Heddon's essay, is this: We wished 

 to put him on record, as we did a year ago, 

 so that bee-keepers may know just what 

 they have to deal with right in their own 

 ranks. 



Awhile ago we referred to a statement in 

 the JReeieiu, wherein Mr. Heddon said he 

 was " going back to apiculture in old-fash- 

 ioned style;" and that he was "going iuto 

 the old work both mentally and physically, 

 heart and hand." We want to say if that 

 portion of his essay referred to, in any way 

 indicates what we may expect hereafter 

 from his " heart and hand," it would be a 

 thousand times more beneficial to honest 

 honey-production if, instead of ' ' going back 

 to apiculture," he were "going" a million 

 miles away from it. 



More EJiectital Proof-Reading' 



has been arranged for on the Canadian Bee 

 Journal. Lately we have not prided our- 

 selves very much upon the work of our own 

 proof-reader, but really there could be no 

 excuse for some of the poor work recently 

 done in that line in the Canadian. We are 

 glad Bro. Holtermann will endeavor to 

 work a reform in this matter, for poor 

 proof-reading is no credit in any way you 

 look at it. 



Keep ^Viifeli of tlie Bees. — The 



rroyrtssive Bee-Kecpcr for February, gives 

 the following advice, which should be 

 heeded : 



We want our readers to make prepara- 

 tions for a cold, wet spring. Our line 

 weather isn't going to last much longer. 

 If there is a warm spell in February, and 

 any of your bees need feeding, look after 

 them promptly. The month of March 

 promises to be very bad. So be prepared 

 by having everything done that will save 

 the lives of your bees or other stock. 



