58 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



^oxxtspoudtnu. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Adulterated Honey. 



Few topics, perhaps, pertaining to mod- 

 ern bee-culture, have received such gen- 

 eral and vfide-spread attention at the hands 

 of apiculturists during the past year, as 

 this subject of " adulterated honey." 



If it be true, as has been stated, that our 

 American people like to be " humbugged," 

 it is no less true that they are ever ready 

 to do whatever may be within their power 

 to remedy any evil that shall work to 

 their pecuniary detriment. Thus, when it 

 became apparent to American bee-keepers 

 that their products were compelled to 

 compete with the cheaj) grades of saccha- 

 rine matter under the guise of honey, they 

 set resolutely to work to remedy the evil ; 

 nor have their efforts been altogether de- 

 void of success. We saw it stated in the 

 "old reliable" some time ago, that this 

 " hue and cry" about adulteration had 

 been a damage to the honey producer; 

 since people had come to distrust all li- 

 quid honey as an impure or "mixed" ar- 

 ticle. This may, Mr. Editor, be true, in a 

 measure at least. We hope it is. If the 

 discussion of this subject has lessened the 

 demand for manufactured honey, we are 

 glad of it. If it has had a tendency 

 to make consumers of honey look upon 

 the liquid article in any shape, with sus- 

 picion, thereby rendering its already slow 

 sale still more so, we are not sorry. Hon- 

 ey is essentially a luxury, and ought not 

 to be compelled to compete with syrups 

 that aire sold by the gallon. But liquid 

 honey must do this, and as long as it is 

 offered on our markets, just so long will it 

 have to compete with the adulterated arti- 

 cle, since liquid honey renders adultera- 

 tion possible. When the price shall have 

 receded below even that of the poorer 

 grades ot sugar, we think that our Ameri- 

 can bee-culturists will discover that 

 their only alternative ( if they would make 

 the business pay ) is to produce comb-hon- 

 ey exclusively, in small glass packages. 



In answer to numerous inquiries of our 

 readers, we will say that " Money in the 

 Apiary," for 1876 has not been issued, and 

 will not be until Spring, perhaps not then. 

 Due notice of its publication will be given 

 in the advertising pages of this Journal. 

 Herbert A. Burch. 



So. Haven, Mich., Feb. 21, 1876. 



In giving address, be careful to give the 

 full name of individuals, the post office, 

 county and State, and do not write on the 

 same piece of paper that communications 

 for the Bee Journal are written on. 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Origin of the Albino Bee. 



As I have received letters from a num- 

 berof persons in different parts of the coun- 

 try, who wish to know something more 

 definite in reference to the origin of the 

 albino bee, I will hei'e give a full descrip- 

 tion of their ancestry. The mother of the 

 queen that produced the first albino bees, 

 1 received from Mr. H. A. King of Neva- 

 da, Ohio. Let me say here, before I pro- 

 ceed further, she was the best queen I ever 

 received from any person. The grand- 

 daughter of this queen is the one that 

 produced the first albino. They were 

 about half albino and half Italian. I have 

 two distinct races of bees in the same 

 hive. Now the difficulty arose in my 

 mind how to get them pure albino. I 

 knew it would be useless to try to breed 

 them pure in my home apiary. So I took 

 them to the South Mountain, out of the 

 range of any other bees, in oi'der to get 

 them pure. I have succeeded in doing 

 so, to my entire satisfaction, and will say, 

 and I think without danger of contra- 

 diction, that they are the handsomest 

 bees in the known world. The albino 

 bees have three beautiful yellow bands. 

 From the band to the end of the bee is 

 quite white or bright silver color; their 

 heads are dark velvet color, different from 

 the Italian ; the wings are also finer than 

 the Italian. As for their good qualities, 

 I claim the queens to be very prolific lay- 

 ers; the workers are excellent honey- 

 gatherers, they gathered more honey than 

 the Italian last season ; they are not as 

 cross, and consequently more pleasant to 

 handle. D. A. Pikk. 



Smithsburg, Washington Co., Md. 



On page 63 will be found the report of 

 the Missouri Valley Association, held on 

 the 15th inst. We would respectfully so- 

 licit communications or essays from all 

 practical apiarists, to be read at our next 

 meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, 

 April 4tli, '76, at the rooms of Mo. State 

 Board of Agriculture, 41 Insurance Build- 

 ing, corner Sixth and Locust streets, St. 

 Louis, Mo., on the following questiens: 

 " Do bees injure fruit?" " Will bee-keep- 

 ing pay?" "What is the best hive for all 

 purposes ?" " The best mode of artificial 

 increase ?" " Do bees make or gather 

 honey?" "Are the Italians superior to 

 the Black, if so, why?" " The best mode 

 of obtaining box-hone}^" And we would 

 request that all bee-keepers in and adjoin- 

 ing this county, in Missouri and Illinois, 

 and all that can attend our meetings, to 

 send us their address, so we may notify 

 them of all meetings of the association. 

 You will oblige us by giving this a place 

 in your Journal for March, so we can 

 have time to hear from all interested be- 

 fore our next meeting. W. G. Smith. 



