1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



409 



doubled up. They were as strong as auy I ever saw — had a 

 bright, healthy color, aud not a sick bee. They were full of 

 honey. This set me to thinking, and I formed this theory : 



The bees were loath to kill off their own sick " brethren,"' 

 but killed the sick strangers without mercy, and thus threw 

 off the disease; so I went to work and put two colonies to- 

 gether, where I thought they were too far gone ; and where 

 they still had enough bees I simply changed their places, put- 

 ting No. 1 in the place of Xo. '2, and No. 2 on the old stand 

 of No. 1. I did this In the middle of the day, when the bees 

 were at work, also shaking some combs of bees before their 

 entrances, so as to mix up thoroughly the bees in both hives. 

 The results were astonishing. They went to work on the sick 

 bees, and in a few days I saw a raarkt Imporovement ; and 

 now my apiary is as healthy as any I ever saw. I have 

 already extracted 550 gallons of honey, besides increasing my 

 bees back to last last fall's count. The bees are bright, full 

 of life, and are as cross as any I ever saw. All a colony needs 

 Is bees from another colony to cure themselves. So sure am I 

 of this, that, if I were buying bees now, I would not discount 

 them on account of paralysis. If, as you say, it may come 

 again, let it come. It doesn't take long to apply the remedy ; 

 and if you could see my bees now it would be difficult for you 

 to realize the condition they were in only three months ago. 



Editor Root says In his foot-note to Mr. Monnier's article : 

 " Not until I shall find that it works with equal success in the 

 hands of others as well, shall I begin to believe that we have 

 a real cure for bee-paralysis." Here's a chance for an experi- 

 ment for those who have bees afflicted with the disease. 



Adulteration ; Cane Sug-ar and Glucose. 



— The following paragraphs appeared as an editorial in Glean- 

 ings, and we think we need make no apology for reproduc- 

 ing it: 



"When an analysis of honey shows only 10 per cent, of 

 cane sugar as an adulterant, and m glucose, it does not neces- 

 sarily signify adulteration. I believe the Uuited States 

 chemist stated, some time ago, that very small percentage of 

 cane sugar found in honey could not be taken as positive 

 evidence of fraud. If I am correct, nectar, just as it comes 

 from the flowers, is chemically, to a great extent, a cane 

 sugar ; but after it has past through the ripening process it is 

 converted into what we call honey. Sometimes, when the 

 honey is gathered and stored rapidly, it is not as thoroughly 

 ripened at some times as at others. The consequence is, 

 analysis shows a trace of cane sugar. 



" Perhaps our readers may think that, even if this is true, 

 it would not be wise to give publicity to it, for the reason that 

 dishonest persons would think they could add at least 10 per 

 cent, of cane sugar to their honey, and not be detected. No 

 fear need be apprehended along this line, for the reason that 

 good qualities of honey are sold so near the price of cane 

 syrup it would not pay to put iu so small an amount. But 

 then it may be argued that it might pay to put at least 10 per 

 cent, in (iarfc honey ; but here, again, the price is as low or 

 lower than the syrup. If adulteration were practiced at all 

 it would be syrup adulterated with honey, rather than honey 

 adulterated with syrup. 



"But you may ask what specially called forth this edi- 

 torial. A short time ago an innocent party was accused of 

 adulterating, because the chemist found 10 per cent, of cane 

 sugar in his honey. I wrote to the party in question, giving 

 the position of the United States chemist, aud added that it 

 was my opinion his honey wasn't adulterated : that, if he were 

 bad enough to go into any such fraud, he would not stop at 

 10 per cent., but would put in enough to pay him for doing 

 it, and that would be 50 or at least '6'6 per cent. 



" On the other hand, when analysis shows a very small 

 percentage of glucose, it is pretty certain that some one put 

 it there. Glucose is very easily detected by the chemist, and 

 it Is no difficult matter to determine even the very exact per 

 cent, of it. The adulterant (glucose) by reason of its very low 

 price, and the fact that it is almost devoid of any color, is 

 what we have to fear. It pays, from a financial standpoint, 

 to mix honey and glucose, provided the mixture can be palmed 

 off as pure honey. But our food commissioners in our various 

 States are becoming more and more alert ; and with good laws 

 back of them in every Slate in the Union, the chemists would 

 enable them to hunt down the guilty parties and make them 

 pay the penalty of the law. The Uuited States Bee-Keepers' 

 Union will undoubtedly work to secure the enactment of pure- 

 food laws in States where they have none. There is no ques- 

 tion but this is the proper way to handle the glucose problem." 



TJ?e Weekly Budget. 



Mr. R. McKnight, of Canada, uses the solar wax-extrac- 

 ter for evaporating fruit. It is necessary to raise the cover 

 slightly to allow the moisture to pass off. So says the Review. 



Kr. Jas. a. Stone, of Sangamon Co.. III., Secretary of 

 the Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association, wrote us June 23 : 

 " Bees are just booming." Last year they hardly paid him 

 for their " keep." 



Mr. C. P. Dadant, of the tirm of Chas. Dadant & Son 

 (the great comb-foundation makers), writing us June 19, said : 



"We are all well and booming. We have been kept busy 

 for two months past. The bees are filling everything. This 

 season will give the bee-fever to thousands of people." 



Mb.. W. J. Stevenson, of Ontario, Canada, wrote us 

 lately : 



" I find I cannot do without the American Bee Journal. I 

 get it regularly every week, and always find something to 

 help me on. In No. 24 I find the very thing I wanted." 



Mr. Henry Allev — the old Bay State queen-breeder — 

 wrote us as follows, June 19 : 



" Friend York : — Why don't you send that hot wave to 

 New England? While you are sweltering with the heat we 

 are enjoying fine, cool weather — 78- is the highest tempera- 

 ture since April 25. The weather has cleared, and bees are 

 doing well now. My advertisement in the American Bee 

 Journal is bringing in lots of orders. I always get good re- 

 turns from an advertisement in your paper." 



Mr. G. S. Crego, a young bee-keeper about 15 miles west 

 of Chicago, kindly brought us a section of new comb honey 

 June 22, which was taken from the hive the day before. It 

 was gathered principally from dandelion bloom, and was very 

 nice for that grade of honey. It had been stored in comb 

 built by the bees last year, first leveled down to perhaps half 

 an inch deep cells. The comb was very tender, and tho Mr. 

 Crego thought the septum would be tough, it was not notice- 

 ably or unpleasantly so. In fact, only an expert would detect 

 it, and then perhaps only after having his attention called to 

 it. Surely the new drawn foundation would be no more in 

 evidence. We are anxious to try a sample of new comb honey 

 built on the drawn foundation. Nothing like personal experi- 

 ence, you know. 



Editor Hutchinson, in the May Review tells a bit of 

 personal experience — he calls it "genuine praise" — that is 

 worth repeating here : 



"There was one little incident happened when I was 

 away at the Fairs last fall that I have several times been 

 tempted to tell, but have not done so for fear that some of my 

 readers would think that the telling was prompted by egotism, 

 but I have decided to tell you that that isn't the motive, and 

 then tell the story, so that you may enjoy the situation. 



"One afternoon, towards evening, as most of the sight- 

 seers had left the building, I was leaning against a pillar a 

 little in front of my exhibit, looking at the show in a sort of 

 admiring, speculative mood, when a young man came along 

 and began talking with me about bees and bee-keeping, evi- 

 dently taking me for a visitor. After talking awhile he said : 



"' I see that you are somewhat interested in bees, and 

 I'll tell you of an article that you ought to read. It was In the 

 Cosmopolitan a year or so ago. It was illustrated, and ran 

 through two numbers, and the man that wrote it not only 

 knew something about bees, but he knew how to tell it so that 

 other folks could understand it. Of course, I have read and 

 heard a great deal about bees, but there were lots of things 

 that I never really understood until I read that article and 

 lookt at those pictures.' 



"And then he went on to tell rae of some of the wonderful 

 things that he had read there. By holding my tongue, except 

 to thank him, I prevented us both from feeling very foolish 

 and uncomfortable, but I considered it the most genuine and 

 disinterested compliment I ever received." 



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