1H94 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



31?i 



■(^y, except from the producers, because of sus- 

 picions of its purity. When he finds a producer 

 who adulterates, unless such a one is prosecut- 

 ed to the full extent of the law by his brother 

 bee-keepers, he may conclude that it is a com- 

 mon practice, and will use a substitute for hon- 

 ey, as do those who are suspicious of ''sugar 

 honey." The editor of Gi.kaninos is entitled 

 to the gratitude and support of bee-keepers 

 •everywhere for the publication of the analyses 

 •of James Heddon's honey. It is very much 

 better that the occasional producer advocating 

 ■or practicing adulteration be condemned and 

 prosecuted by his associates than to wait for 

 others to do so. This condemnation shows con- 

 clusively that the person exposed is but an ex- 

 ception to the rule that " producers do not adul- 

 terate." 



The common and unmolested practice of so 

 many dealers in adding glucose to honey, par- 

 ticularly that designed for table use, is practi- 

 cally ruining the market for extracted honey. 

 What we need is a more enlightened public sen- 

 timent against the injury produced by adulter- 

 ation; then more stringent laws can be enacted 

 and enforced. I am confident the fact can be 

 established that the use of glucose or artificial 

 grapesugar is always inj urious to health. With 

 this truth recognized, we can rout the whole 

 army of starclisugar nutn. Chemists may de- 

 cide that there is nothing injurious in glucose; 

 but the veixlict of the living laboratory contra- 

 dicts this. Chemists do not understand why 

 the variety of grape sugar in glucose is not as 

 healthy as that found in honey; yet a swarm 

 of bees fed on honey will live and flourish for 

 an indefinite length of time, while one fed on 

 commercial glucose will die. There is no 

 ground for belief that the human stomach can 

 assimilate glucose any better than can the hon- 

 ey-bee.* A series of experiments with animals 

 and with men in penal institutions, by men 

 who can not be influenced by money, to deter- 

 mine the efTects of a diet in which glucose is 

 substituted for common sugar, will give us what 

 we want. The few experiments already made 

 are not trustworthy. 



THE CRANE SMOKER. 



I have used a Crane smoker the past season: 

 and until I find a better one I shall use no oth- 

 er. Before trial I was any thing but pleased 

 with its appearance. The bellows was upside 

 down, and the crooked nozzle was not looked 

 upon with favor. I soon discoven^d that the 

 position of the bellows was an improvement. 

 It is more convenient to carry and use, the 

 operator not having to reach quite so far for it, 

 and then grasping it in the best position for use. 

 The curved nozzle saves tipping it so far, and 

 there is less danger of rolling out coals. But 

 these are small advantages compared with its 



•Tlie onMnary commercial glucose is, we are sure, 

 liavniful. Cliemists may be rig-ht regarding the ar- 

 ticle refliiecl of its sulphuric acid.— Ed. 



great merit of being always ready with a vol- 

 ume of smoke sufficient for the crossest colony. 

 It is somewhat annoying to grasp a smoker 

 when the bees are stinging you, only to find 

 that it needs pumping a while before you can 

 get a volume of smoke from it. The inclosed 

 blast and smoke-proof bellows of the Crane, 

 after continual use from spring to fall, showed 

 their superiority in furnishing a blast that was 

 free from wheeziness, and almost if not quite 

 as clear as when new. The asbestos lining, to- 

 gether with a good draft, permits a combustion 

 that usually leaves but little black wood. The 

 smoke and the wood go out together. I have 

 had smokers in which the draft or air-supply 

 was so defective as to leave a large percentage 

 of the wood charred, necessitating the removal 

 of the same before filling up with fresh fuel. 

 For this reason the Crane takes not very much 

 more fuel than some other smokers of much less 

 capacity. This smoker, to me, has proven to 

 be both a time-saver and a sting-saver. Fire 

 can be built in it in much less time than in oth- 

 er smokers I have used. A lighted piece of 

 paper and a handful of charcoal from yester- 

 day's fire, with a few strokes of the bellows, 

 makes a perfect foundation for a hard-maple 

 filling; and all day after, it is ready to respond 

 to the slightest motion of the hand. In this 

 connection I will say that a small sheet-iron 

 dish or pail, with tight-fitting cover, is a con- 

 venient and safe receptacle for holding the coals 

 at the close of the day's work, and for convert- 

 ing the same into charcoal. I do not think the 

 smoker perfect. The leather cut-off valve in 

 the one received last spring burned out in a 

 couple of days. This was immediately replac- 

 ed by one made of asbestos paper, which work- 

 ed well during the remainder of the season. I 

 used no other smoker, and this one probably 

 saw as much service as the average smoker 

 will receive in three or four seasons. Notwith- 

 standing the lining of asbestos, the smoker 

 would get too hot for comfort, especially the 

 nozzle, which, while it could be knocked ofT for 

 filling, on account of its thickness would re- 

 main too hot for replacing. I notice the smoker 

 gotten out for this season's trade has the asbes- 

 tos lining removed from the nozzle, and is hing- 

 ed to the fire-pot. After a day's use I can say 

 this is a great improvement. It also has a cor- 

 rugated shield to protect the hand, and is not 

 so heavy as the first one. Probably it is as light 

 as a smoker of this size can be made and have 

 itof good quality. The leather valve has been 

 improved by a tin lining and a spring to help 

 its action; but the best thing I have noticed 

 about the 18!i4 smok(!r is the evidence it bears 

 that no effort or expense will be spared to per- 

 fect it. The rim-cloth strainer for the nozzle 

 can be removed for cleaning. After a day's 

 trial I threw it away. Others may esteem this 

 highly. Were I to hinge the nozzle I would 

 point it, instead of at right angles with the bel- 



