146 



Feb. 21, 1907 



American ^ee'Journal 



etc , and making honey-butter on a large 

 scale. My goods were all pure, and were 

 highly flavored with extracted honey. I used 

 19,000 to 20,000 pounds of extracted honey a 

 year. I alvfays bought the most of my honey 

 every fall from other bee-keepers, for the 

 honey I bought from them was pure, only a 

 little dark. The people are very much dis- 

 appointed here because they can not buy any 

 more honey-butter. They say they like it 

 better than pure honey. I always sold honey- 

 butter for 25 cents a pound. The Hepburn 

 Pure Food Law is a little too strict. I think 

 the law will break up many honest men in 

 business, if I understand it. Oklahoma. 



Whether the pure food law is to be com- 

 mended or condemned because " Oklahoma " 

 has " gone out of business" is a question 

 worth considering. It is said that in some 

 places in Europe, about an ounce of honey is 

 added to each pound of butter, and that this 

 addition makes the butter more acceptable to 

 most tastes. ' If the " honey-butter " in q ues- 

 tion were a compound of this character, and 

 sold for just what it was, there certainly was 

 nothing wrong in the transaction, and it is 

 hard to see how the pure food law would in- 

 terfere with it. At the most, it could only in- 

 sist that the label should be an honest one, 

 and if some other name than " honey-butter " 

 would more accurately describe the product, 

 objection ought not to be made to such 

 change. 



At this distance it may not be entirely safe 

 to pass judgment, but there may be no harm 

 in saying just how the matter looks judged 

 from the information given. The statement 

 is that people like "honey-butter" "better 

 than pure honey." That is as much as to say 

 it is not pure honey, and the only thing the 

 law probably does in the case is to make the 

 product sell for just what it is. One would 

 think that "Oklahoma" would hardly need 

 to go out of business on that account, and 

 even if he gave up that one item of his busi- 

 ness, pickles, chow-chow, etc., ought still to 

 support the business. That he should go out 

 of business because of being obliged to sell 

 "honey-butter" for what it is, suggests the 

 possibility that instead of any honey or butter 

 being in the case, there may be something like 

 the " honey-butter " of Germany with which 

 bee-keepers in that land have been contend- 

 ing, consisting chiefly of sugar. If that is 

 the case, it will be rather severe on " Okla- 

 homa " to give up selling a cheap mixture for 

 25 cents a pound, but it certainly will be no 

 great loss to bee-keepers, tince he has not 

 been using in his business, pickles and all, 

 more honey than he could obtain from a sin- 

 gle bee-keeper. 



A law that obliges labels to tell the truth 

 ought not to hurt any legitimate business. 



Oliscellaneou^ 

 ile 1)1)5 -Items 



The National Association's Annual 

 Report of the San Antonio convention has 

 been out for several weeks. It is a neat 

 pamphlet of 128 pages and cover. It contains 

 a^verbatim report of the San Antonio meet- 

 ing, a list of the members of the National, the 

 General Manager's Financial Report, an ac- 

 count of cases that have come before him 

 during the past year; also a list of bee-keep- 

 ers' associations in United States and Canada, 

 besides a copy of the Constitution of the Na- 

 tional Association. Every member receives a 

 free copy of the Report, but any one who is 

 not a member can get a copy of it by sending 

 25.cents to General Manager N. E. France, of 

 Plattevillc, Wis., with the understanding that 

 if he joins the National Association before 

 the end of 1907, the 25 cents paid for this 

 Annual Report will be allowed to apply on 

 his dues, which are $1.00 a year. 



To Missouri Bee-Keepers.— The fol- 

 lowing comes from Mr. R. A. Holekamp, of 

 the Missouri Bee-Keepers' Association : 



Dbab Sib and Brother Bee-Keepeb:— 

 I have just returned from Jefferson City, 

 where I was called to appear before the House 

 Committee on Agriculture to speak for the 

 Bee-Keepers' Bill. The committee gave me a 

 hearing, and recommended the Bill for pas- 

 sage by the House; it will be voted upon at 

 an early day, and 1 hope it may pass. 



All members who have not yet written to 



their Representatives, I urge to write a lette 

 now, asking them to vote for the Bee-Keepers 

 Bill No. 503. 



Our Bill was passed by the Senate last 

 Wednesday, and when the Bill has passed the 

 House it will be " up to " the Governor for 

 signature. 



/ Huw request all Jfissouri bee-keepers to write 

 without delay to Joseph W. Folk, Governor 

 of the State, at Jefferson City, asking him to 

 sign the Bee-Keepers' Bill, being Senate Bill 

 No. 145, and House Bill No. 503. 



The Governor was sick when I was in Jef- 

 ferson City, and therefore I could not see 

 him, but I will have to go there again in a 

 few days to appear before the Appropriations 

 Committee, and t will then call on the Gov- 

 ernor, and will try to convince him that we 

 need the law. 



Bee-keepers ! our Bill is of such great im- 

 portance to success in our vocation that I 

 hope every one of our members will write the 

 letters, and will also have other bee-keepers 

 and fruit-growers in his neighborhood sign 

 their names to the letters, so we may bring as 

 much pressure on the Governor as possible. 

 Fraternally, 



RoBT. A. Holekamp, 

 Sec. Missouri Utate Bee-Keepers' Association. 



4'263 Virginia Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 



Illinois Bee-Keepers' Bills— 3 of them 

 — have been introduced into the Legislature 

 now in session at Springfield, and every one 

 of them should be passed. We hope that all 

 of our Illinois readers will write at once to 

 both their Representatives and Senators, re 



questing that the 3 Bills be supported by 

 them when they come up for discussion in 

 committees or for the passage on the open 

 floor. The Bills are as follows : 



Bill for Appropriation for Illinois 

 Bee-Keepers. 



A Bill for an Act making an appropriation 

 for the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association. 

 Whereas, The members of the Illinois 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association have for years 

 given much time and labor without compen- 

 sation in the endeavor to promote the inter- 

 ests of the bee-keepers of the State; and 



Whereas, The importance of the industry 

 to the farmers and fruit-growers of the State 

 warrants the expenditure of a reasonable sum 

 for the holding of annual meetings, the pub- 

 lication of reports and papers containing 

 practical information concerning bee-keeping, 

 therefore to sustain the same and enable this 

 organization to defray the expenses of annual 

 meetings, published reports, suppressing foul 

 brood among bees in the State, and promote 

 the industry in Illinois : 



Section I.— Be it enacted by the People of 

 the State of Illinois, represented in the O'eneral 

 Assembly : That there be and ie hereb y ap- 

 propriated for the use of the Illinois State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association the sum of one 

 thousand dollars (.*1000) per annum for the 

 years 190? and 1908, for the purpose of ad- 

 vancing the growth and developing the inter- 

 ests of the bee-keepers of Illinois, said sum to 

 be expended under the direction of the Illi- 

 nois State Bee-Keepers' Association, for the 

 purpose of paying the expenses of holding 

 annual meetings, publishing the proceedings 

 of said meetings, suppressing foul brood 

 among bees in Illinois, etc. 



Provided, however. That no officer or oflBoers 

 of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 shall be entitled to receive any money com- 

 pensation whatever, for any services rendered 

 for the same out of this fund. 



Sec. 2.— That on the order of the President, 

 countersigned by the Secretary of the Illinois 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association, and approved 

 by the Governor, the Auditor of PutJlic Ac- 

 counts shall draw his warrant on the Treas- 

 urer of the State of Illinois in favor of the 

 Treasurer of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association for the sum herein appropriated. 

 Sec. 3.— It shall be the duty of the Treas- 

 urer of the Illinois State Bee- Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation to pay out of said appropriation on 

 itemized and receipted vouchers, such sums 

 as may be authorized by vote of said organi- 

 zation on the order of the President, counter- 

 signed by the Secretary, and make annual re- 

 port to the Governor of all such expenditures, 

 as provided by law. 



State Inspector op Apiabies Bill. 



A Bill for an Act providing for the appoint- 

 ment of a State Inspector of Apiaries, and 

 prescribing his powers and duties. 



Whereas, The disease known as foul 

 brood exists to a very considerable extent In 

 various portions of this State, which, if left 

 to itself, will soon exterminate the honey- 

 bees; and, 



Whereas, The work done by an individual 

 bee-keeper or by a State Inspector is useless 

 so long as the official is not given authority to 

 inspect, and it need be destroy, the disease 

 when found; and. 



Whereas, There is a great loss to the bee- 

 keepers and fruit-growers of the State each 

 year by the devastating ravages of foul brood: 



Section 1. — Be it enacted by tlie People of the 

 State of Ulitiois, represented in the Getural 

 Assembly : That the Governor, by and with 

 the advice and consent of the Senate, shall 

 appoint a State Inspector of Apiaries, who 

 shall hold his office for the term of two years 

 and until his successor is appointed and 

 qualified. 



Sec. 2.— Said Inspector shall, when notified 

 of the existence of the disease known as foul 

 brood among apiaries, examine all such as are 

 so reported and all others in the same locality 

 and ascertain whether or not such disease ex- 

 ists, and if satisfied of its existence, shall give 

 the owner or the person who has the care of 



