1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



handling, and therefore be less liable to breakage. 

 Again, consumers prefer to buy the smaller pack- 

 ages to the larger. These reasons have already 

 been considered before, but are the opinions of the 

 largo wholesalers. Although honey is selling well 

 at present, these wholesalers state that it is diffi- 

 cult to conceive the amount of damage and per- 

 nicious effect these newspaper canards have had up- 

 on the trade. They can scarcely convince their 

 customers that their honey is the pure article, such 

 has been the effect of these sensational falsehoods 

 on the market of New York. 



THE ADULTEK.4TION Of EGGS AND IIONEY. 



Now that the papers have proven to their entire 

 satisfaction that comb honey can be successfully 

 manufactured, they come out, with unblushing 

 ignorance, with a sensation more ridiculous; name- 

 ly, the manufacture of eggs, a clipping of which I 

 sent, and appears in another column. You observe, 

 that they atif(((/Hf Uiat comb honey has been man- 

 ufactured, and that " Yankee ingenuity " (of which 

 we ought to feel so proud) has made another big 

 stride (?) in manufacturing the egg. They even 

 claim that not only the yolk and the white of the 

 egg have been imitated, but assert that the film 

 just outside, and adhering to the shell, has been 

 made. Then with apparent candor that savors of 

 the false statements of the honey trade, state that 

 these eggs can not be detected from the gen- 

 uine, except as they are boiled. In conversation 

 with a number of prominent New Yoik merchants 

 dealing in dairj' products, I learned, as I had ex- 

 pected, that the thing was a falsehood, and an utter 

 impossibility. Below will be found a clipping that 

 is just to the point— taken from Harper's ^Vecldy, 

 page 859 : 



Of all things that are ridiculous one Avould least 

 like to believe that an artilicial egg can be made so 

 nearly resembling a hen's egg that a man will 

 break it. and put salt on it, and eat it with a spoon, 

 without suspecting that it was not laid by a hen. 

 Such eggs, ho^ve^■er. have been exhibited in this 

 citj'. according to (false) report, and it is declai-ed 

 that the.y can be made and sold at a profit for half a 

 cent apiece. It beats all; nothing is impossible if 

 this is true. Will it. however, be too much to ask 

 the inventor, after the world has become convinced 

 of the reality of the perfect imitation, to make a 

 new and more convenient style of shell for the 

 eggs intended for common use? The shells should 

 be a trifle tougher, if it is not impertinent to say so, 

 and should be made to unscrew, and be provided 

 with some sort of little antiphlogistic handles, so 

 that one may open them, when boiled, neatly and 

 without pain. 



Now, if the same inventors referred to in the 

 above will turn their miraculous genius (?) to man- 

 ufacturing an article of comb honey whose cells 

 will be like india-rubber, will not melt down, break, 

 smash, or leak, and yet retain the appearance of 

 comb honey, they will confer an everlasting boon 

 on humanity. We shall then have eggs that " un- 

 screw," honey that won't smash. If said papers 

 continue at this astounding rate, " Yankee in- 

 genuity " will produce artificial fish, oysters, lob- 

 sters, and what not at a very small cost. I do not 

 mean to condemn all newspapers. They have their 

 legitimate place, and are almost indispensable to 

 the public; but when they meddle with business 

 that they know nothing of, I think it is time to pro- 

 test. No doubt milk and butter have been adulter- 

 ated to some extent, and it is proper that such 

 frauds should be shown up; but it is not a fair con- 

 clusion to infer that all other foods are adulterated 

 as well. Ernest K, Boot. 



Passaic, N, J-, PP?. 34, 1885, 



BEES EATING CLAY. 



ALSO SOME KIND WORDS FROM AN OLD FRIEND, 



FOR GLEANINGS AND HIS BROTHER 



BEE-KEEPERS. 



TT is now nearly half a century since I coramenc- 

 ,g|[ ed to handle bees. I have been engaged in bee 

 ^l culture ever since, and found it profitable, 

 ■^ and very interesting, and pleasant. My apiary 

 is nicely located near the public highway, 

 most of it shaded with gi-apevines. My hives com- 

 bine mostly the modern improvements of the age. 



Within a few rods of our apiary we have a beauti- 

 ful vineyard, and keep many sheep, all on the same 

 farm, where white clover is abundant; yet I have 

 never discovered that any one of them has been a 

 serious injury or detriment to the other. If any 

 distinction can be made, I should think it would be 

 in favor of the bees. As it has been quite cold, and 

 the ground frozen for some time, the bees could 

 not venture out. But as it has now thawed, and 

 teams have cut up the fresh yellow clay, while the 

 bright sun and wind are drying this clay it reminds 

 one of fresh maple sugar just stirred off. 



Well, on the 31th the air was so balmy, the sun 

 shining bright, my bees concluded that now is the 

 appointed time to get a good dinner from the soft 

 fresh clay, preparatory to another cold blast- 

 guided, no doubt, by the same instinct and desire 

 that directs large animals, such as horses, hogs, 

 sheep, and other clay-eating animals. 



Now, let me tell you how I was delighted with the 

 bees yesterday. While I was helping one of my 

 sons, who are farmers, to put a new bottom in a 

 wagon-box (as I am a wood mechanic), and working 

 on the opposite side of the public highway near the 

 apiary, we were busily at work when I heard a 

 sound of bees, much like that of swarming. We 

 stopped work to discover what they were up to; 

 the air appeared to be filled with bees, flying thick 

 as in June. They were flying in various directions, 

 and alighting on the ground. I soon discovered 

 what they were up to, so I laid down my tools to 

 watch them, as I have often done at other times. 

 The road was dotted thick with bees, as I could dis- 

 tinctly see when looking toward the sun. I ob- 

 served them in many other places where the clay 

 had been lately disturbed. I do not think they 

 were seeking water, as it was plentiful and not 

 difficult to get. After closely watching them they 

 Invariably seemed to select the dryest clods, and,'as 

 nearly as I could ascertain, they appeared to me to 

 be eating clay. If so, perhaps the want of it;is the 

 cause of diseases which the long cold weather is 

 very likely to bring. Well, the result was, the 

 wagon-box did not get finished that day, as such a 

 fine opportunity offered to go about watching these 

 little creatures, to find just what they were really 

 doing. 



It is a rare thing to see bees out in such force, and 

 at this season of the year up here near the] north- 

 ern lakes, and so deeply and busily engaged on the 

 ground as to take little or no notice of anything 

 else, although when I would put my glassltoo near 

 their little nose in order to find out what they were 

 really doing, by my prying into their business mat- 

 ters too much they would become indignant at my 

 impertinence, and reluctantly tly away in such a 

 manner that I almost fancied I could see them lay 

 their little ears back with " pure mad." 



Well, just at this time a bundle of mail mnttcr 



