514 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



Mr.A.l. Boo^;— Your letter bearing date May 25, 

 and accompanying sample of lioney, have been re- 

 ceived. No zinc could be detected in the honey 

 sent. The sample was. however, too small to permit 

 the detection of the presence of much less than .50 

 parts per million, which would be a comparatively 

 large quantity of the metal to be in a food. 



As to whether honey would attack galvanized iron 

 used for storage-tanks, etc., that is a matter whicli 

 would have to be settled by direct experiment. 

 Foods differ widely in their power of :ittaoking zinc; 

 and while I am of the opinioa that honey would not 

 exercise much action on that mttal, my opinion 

 is subject to revision. It would depend on the 

 fluidity and acidity of the honey to some extent, 

 and also on the access of air. Siiould a galvanized 

 tanK full of highly fluid, acid honey be emptied, and 

 allowed to stand some time before refilling, the con- 

 ditions would be favorable to the contamination of 

 the second lot of honey, if this food does exercise a 

 solvent action on zinc, as the metal surfaces would 

 be covered with thin layers of honey freely exposed 

 to the air. I should not im igine such action would 

 take place in the case of honey stored in closed cans. 



Galvanized iron is frequently used for water ser- 

 vice and always gives up some zinc to the water, 

 the amount depending on the length of contact and 

 on tlie amount of dissolved air. Generally it is very 

 small. 



Nothing definite is known as to the physiological 

 effect of small doses of zinc frequently repeated. 

 The metal may tend to accumulate iu the system as 

 lead does, though there is not much evidence to this 

 efifect. It is certainly not a desirable thing to have 

 in food. G. L. Spencer, 



Acting Chief of the Division of Cliemistry. 



Washington, D. C, June 1. 



As the sample was too small to make a satis- 

 factory lest, we desire our correspondent, Mr. 

 Fox, or any one else who has honey stored in a 

 galvanized-iron tank for any length of time, 

 say two or three years, to express us, at our ex- 

 panse, a sample of two or three pounds of the 

 liquid honey taken from such cans. We wish 

 to have this matter determined detiiiiteiy, as it 

 is a very important one to be decided. At pres- 

 ent we do not think that galvanized-iron tanks, 

 from the fact that many are using such for 

 storage-tanks, have any injurious effects upon 

 the honey ; and you will notice that Prof. 

 Spencer is of the same opinion. The fact is, 

 tin will rust; iron will do the same; copper too 

 expensive; and wood will shrink in California 

 and other hot climates. Galvanized iron is the 

 only material for tanks that can be used for the 

 storage of large quantities of honey. 



cessful. He was successful, not only in making- 

 them bring in cash, but in always wintering 

 them, even when the rest of^us lost heavily; 

 and the consequence was, through our heavy 

 sales of bees, nuclei, and queens, to supply 

 those who had lost, we were obliged to draw 

 upon our neighbor for new supplies. He always 

 enjoyed the distinction of furnishing us the 

 nicest bees on the nicest combs, and at the 

 highest price. A number of times, other local 

 bee-keepers have asked why we paid Neighbor 

 Rice more than any one else. Simply for the 

 reason that he took pains with his bees, and 

 was able to furnish us good strong colonies in 

 spring, when others would bring in poorly 

 marked hybrids, weak at that, to say nothing 

 of their being on crooked and unsightly combs. 



A. A. RICE. 



For many years we have been buying bees of 

 our old friend whom we have called " Neighbor 

 Rice," who lived some ten or eleven miles from 

 the Home of the Honey-bees. Mr. Rice took a 

 start in bees about the time that Gleanings 

 was started; and ever since that time he has 

 been a thorough and successful bee-keeper. 

 He loved his bees, it was a pleasure for him to 

 work with them, and no wonder \w was so suc- 



A. A. BICE. 



Well, we have just bought out his entire 

 apiary, and for the last time we shall ever buy 

 of him again — not because the bees are unsat- 

 isfactory, but because our friend has passed 

 from this world. He died at his home, west of 

 Seville, O., Dec. 6, 18'.»3, at the good old age of 

 73 years. From an obituary notice in a local 

 paper we extract the following: 



He was one of nature's nobleiiuMi in a double sense- 

 —over six feet tall, heavily built; and in 6J years of 

 acquaintance with him 1 never saw liim angry nor 

 heard him utter a profane word, nor drink any 

 spirituous luiuors, nor use toi);icco in any form. 

 He had three brothers. One died young; two lived 

 to manliood; one was in the war of the Rebellion,, 

 and was shot in the leg. His father was in the war 

 of 1812, in the Vermont militia, and received a pen- 

 sion; and his grandfather was an officer in the 

 Revoluuon, and stationed at New York city. Mr. 



