334 GLEANINGS IN 



out, just before maturity, that it is something 

 you did not want, and have no use for, is rather 

 serious business. A. I. R. 



THE PROFITS OF PUBLISHING A BEE-.J0UKNAT-. 



There is a certain fascination about starting 

 a new bee-paper; and very few of those who 

 embark in the doubtful enterprise first count 

 the cost. Bro. Sage, of the new bee-journal 

 entitled Success in Bee Vulture, gives his read- 

 ers the benefit of this very facetious bit of in- 

 formation: 



For the benefit of those young- men who took 

 Horace Greeley's advice to " ro west," and now feel 

 "divinely called " to start a bee-paper, we append 

 the following- table, which shows one month's busi- 

 ness at Siacf. s'.s' nllire, ending- Jan. 1st. This is not 

 figured down exactly to a cent, l:)ut is nearer the 

 truth than one might think at first reading. 



EXPENSE OF DEC. 1ST ISSUE, 



Composition $18 75 



Cover paper 2 64 



White paper 7 50 



Stitching and trimming 2 .50 



Postage on paper 100 



Writers 4 50 



Letter postage 3 00 



Editor's time on making iipthefoims, 



and v>resswork (40 liours) CK) 



Editor's time in writing editorials, and 

 in correspondence explainingwhy the 



the paper is late (100 hours^ 00 



Editor's time reading bee literature, 

 and thinking how to make his paper 



pay (400 hours) 00 



Total $39 89 



UECEIPTS. 



3 subscriptions, three months each ...$ 45 



100 postals asking for samples 00 



50 letters wishing us success (thank you) 00 



5 letters asking us why paper is late. .. 00 

 1 letter informing us tliat our paper 



abounds in mistakes 00 



1 letter saying they would rather have 



the blank paperbefore it is printed. . Ot) 

 5 letters offering to write bee-lore for 



$4.00 per column 00 



2 letters offering to sell a bee-paper — 00 

 1 letter offering to sell us a barrel of 00 



monkeys to keep the millers away 

 from our bee-hives 00 



3 letters offering to write in exchange 



for advertising Ot) 



Total $ 45 



BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15. 



GALVANIZED TANKS FOR HONEY; ARE TIIEY 

 UNFIT FOR SUCH USE ? 



The following is a card just received from 

 Chas. F. Mnih & Son, and will explain itself: 



Friend Roof .•—Tell us whetlior, in yovu- experience, 

 you have found galvanized-iron tanks to he unfit for 

 receptacles of honey. The knowledge of • the fact 

 seems to be of importance to one or more of our 

 friends. Chas. F. Muth & Son. 



Cincinnati, Ohio, April 4. 



~ For years~we~have~advised against the use 

 of galvanized iron for any purpose where honey 

 would come in contact with it; but more recent- 

 ly our opinion has peen undergoing a change as 

 the result of some recent developments. Sev- 

 eral years ago a Toledo firm made their extract- 

 ors of galvanized iron, and they insisted that it 

 in no way affected the honey. But very recent- 

 ly the large ("alifornia honey-producers have 

 particularly specified in their orders, that their 

 extractors be made of galvanized metal — first, 

 because it was stronger; and, second, because it 



would not rust. We have observed, too, that 

 these Californians, who prpduce their honey by 

 the carload, often store it in large galvanized- 

 iron tanks; and later in the season, when they 

 have more time, they draw it off into square 

 cans, to be shipped. Yes, indeed, they use these 

 large tanks above ground, not only for holding 

 honey, but for holding the water-supply. 



Some years ago. when the writer was study 

 ing chemistry at Oberlin, the question was rais- 

 ed in class in regard to the various kinds of 

 water-pipes. The professor said that iron pipes 

 were objectionable because they were liable to 

 rust. For this reason he preferred galvanized 

 pipes. "But," said one member of the class, 

 "is not galvanized iron poisonous?" He an- 

 swered by saying that, where water stood in 

 galvanized vessel for some length of time, it 

 might appropriate enough of the poison to dis 

 tress the stomach slightly; but from thegaivan 

 ized water-pipes there was no danger because 

 the water is drawn off so frequently, as a gen- 

 eral rule. 



A year or so ago one of our horses died of a pe- 

 culiar sickness, and we at the time attributed 

 it to the fact that he drank water that had 

 passed through 300 or 300 feet of galvanized 

 pipe. The water was allowed to stand in the 

 pipe for 24 hours, and then a small quantity was 

 drawn off and sent to our State Chemist. The 

 analysis showed that there was not enough of 

 the poisonous element to be in the least harm- 

 ful to man or beast. 



In a recent bulletin from the Department of 

 Agriculture, the relative merits of lead, iron, 

 and galvanized metal were discussed from the 

 chemist's standpoint; and the report at the 

 time, if we remember correctly, was to the ef- 

 fect that lead pipes would in a short time give 

 off enough poison to the water to render it a 

 little harmful; and that fruit canned in lead or 

 terne-plate cans was often poisonous, but gal- 

 vanized pipes were, as a general rule, regarded 

 safe. 



Now, then, for the use of extractors we can 

 not believe the galvanized metal can do any 

 harm to the honey, because it does not remain 

 long enough in the can ; but when a small 

 quantity of honey is stored in a galvanized tank 

 a good while, it may appropriate enough of the 

 zinc to be harmful. 



This is an important question, however, up- 

 on which we should like mor(> light from those 

 who are in a position to advise— especially from 

 bee-keepers who make use of a large quantity 

 of galvanized iron. In fact, we should like to 

 have sent us a sample of honey that has been 

 kept in a galvanized tank for a year or so. We 

 would then have it submitted to a competent 

 chemist to determine whether there are any poi- 

 sonous properties, as the result of this storage, 

 in the honey. In conclusion, we would say it is 

 a good idea, if in doubt, to be on the safe side 

 until we get " more light."' 



