isgr. 



gLean^gs in JiEt: ctiiyruUE. 



ls.1 



arc aViout vquiil on wl ite clover. The Italians arc 

 rlio Ijcst on basswooJ: the Macks arc the best on 

 buckwheat. The Italians arc the best on thistles; 

 they are about C(nnil on g-oldenrod. This will show 

 you how lianl it is tor me to ilccide, as basswood is 

 from two to three miles away, and doesn't blossom 

 • ■very year. As to the handling', it will depend on 

 what we work thom lor. You can get more hone3- 

 from black bees in one day, than I'rom the Italians. 

 Portville, N. Y. _ F. KoiM). 



I-UOM HT TO 74, AND if:5»'0 l.\ MOXKV. 



In the spring- ol' l.'-S.") T purchased ;!T colonics of 

 black bees, in Quinby-frame hives. I increased to 

 74 by natural swarming-, and worked them all lor 

 comb honey, in one to two lb. sections. I received 

 from honey sales, 4^:J:ii); for 3;) swarms sold, S^iiO. I 

 liut .');; in cellar, Dec. I; si.v were light and one un- 

 easy, with bees dying. .Jan. 10th I set them on a 

 clean bottom - board, and they seem to be more 

 quiet now. Cellar temperature ranges from 40 to 

 4.^°. I Hxed the Heddon plan for preventing after- 

 swarms, anil it worked well with me. 



Depeyster, N. Y., Feb. 14, ISSii. Fnr.n C. (i.auk. 



MV HEPOKT— ABC CLA.'iS. 



1 Started in the spring of 1884 with one colony ot 

 black bees; divided them, and for my trouble I re- 

 ceived many stings and no lionej-. I packed them 

 in forest-leaves, and they came through the severe 

 winter in line condition. 1 fed them about 20 lbs. of 

 damaged sugar in the spring, to stimulate the 

 <iueens, with fair success, 1 think, for a beginner, 

 as 1 have taken 175 lbs. of fine comb honey. I in- 

 creased from two to si.\ colonies, all Italians. My 

 honey pays all expenses, and I have my bees tor 

 profit, which I value at $50.00. .Tohn .S. Scovf.x. 



Kokomo, Ind. 



A MILD WINTEIt. 



Our bees are amusing themselves bj' robbing- 

 each other this warm weather. We have not had 

 more than one day at a time when they did not Hy 

 out. We are having a very mild winter. We com- 

 menced this spring with 22, and increased to 60. We 

 extracted 4004 lbs., and got :>46 lbs. of comb honey. 



Church Hill, Miss., Dec. :J0, 18a"). Wm. Boi.es. 



FALSE STATEMENTS IN REGARD TO THE HON- 

 EY BUSINESS OF OUR COUNTRY. 



As a protirtion to our bee-kPeping popxilatioii, we propose in 

 tills departiuf lit to publish the names of newspapers that per- 

 sist in publishintr false statements in regard to the purity of 

 honey which we as bee-keepers put on the market. 



Thou Shalt not bear false witness against thy 

 neighbor.— Ex. 2:1: 1(5. 



'E are pleased to see tlie Farm (ind 

 Fircfiidr- come out fairly ami honestly 

 iiiul own np that the charges against 

 bee-men and comb honey are false, 

 as in the following: 



Notwithstanding all the stories to the contrary 

 that have been floating in the i)ress, comb honey 

 has never been counterfeited. 



15y the way. I iim very glad to be able to 

 saytliat tiie Xew York Witruss pnblished 

 promptly tlie remonstrance which T sent 

 them. As yon may wish to have it cop- 

 ied in your own papers I give it below, as it 

 appeared in the IIV/dcsn of .f:in. I'S: 



NO ADUr,TEn.VTIONr l.N HOXEV. 



To Uic EditoiK and Ruulcrx of tlw WitncK::: 



May 1 ask space to say that no such thing as man- 

 ufactured comb honey has yet appeared in the 

 market of New York city, or any other market in 

 the world? and so well am I satisfied that tlie whole 

 thing is an utter impossibility, and ever will be, that 

 I will willingl.\- spend $10110 iii hunting up the estab- 

 lishment where such an article is made, if it be 

 made anywhere. I choose to speak thus strongly 

 because of the statements appearing in the M'itnesa 

 and other papers to the eftect that our comb honey 

 is spurious, some papers even going so far as to say 

 that neither the comb itself nor its contents ever 

 came from it bee-hive. Liquid honey may be adul- 

 terated, and no doubt is to some extent; but as the 

 quality of honey gathered by the bees varies great- 

 ly, raiiging froni a grade of honey so poor that no 

 one would want to eat it, sill the way up to our fin- 

 est clover and basswood and mountain-sage honey, 

 it is nothing strange that the public denounce as 

 spurious a good deal that may have been put on the 

 market. Let us tight down frauds, and insist that 

 goods be labeled truthfully and honestly; but let us 

 be careful about declaring that comb honey and 

 "hens' eggs" are manufactui-cd by machinery. 

 We bee-keepers will try to make due allowance lor 

 pleasantry, and for the fondness of our American 

 people for something new and wonderful ; but please 

 remember, dear friends, that what is fun for you is 

 often death to us. A. I. Root. 



Editor of Gleanixcs tn Hee Ccltcre. 

 :Medina, O., Jan. 28, 188.'). 



Now. if any paper that has nnwittingly 

 given place to tliese sensational statements 

 will give lis a hearing by publishing the 

 above, or any thing similar, of course noth- 

 ing further is to be desired ; and we can rec- 

 ommend the Bund ]\^etr-l orkrr, Prairie 

 Farmer. Farm ami Fireside, and the Witness. 

 We shall be glad to give the names of all 

 other papers that seem disposed to grant us 

 a hearing. 



The ^l. 7>. J. comes down heavily upon re- 

 ligious papers that have published these 

 statements, damaging to our industry, and 

 are slow to correct the mischief they have 

 done. Friend Xewman says they are break- 

 ing the ninth commandment, 'which was 

 " tiiundered from Sinai '"— " Thou shalt yot 

 bear false witness against thy neighbor. ■' 

 We are sorry to see that the N. Y. Tribune 

 still sticks to the " fraud '' part of the busi- 

 ness. They copy the following, apparently 

 by way of indorsement, from the Central 

 Baptist : 



Glucose adulterates our suga,r, syrup, jellies, and 

 preserves, and now it seems we have honej'-corab 

 tilled with it. Some day the la-ws against adultera- 

 tion of food will be explicit enough to reach these 

 rascals. 



Y"es, dear friends of the Tribune, I do hope 

 the laws will some day be explicit enough to 

 reach such rascals, and the rascals as well 

 who break the ninth commandment. 



L(der. — The following is just at hand, 

 from Robert West, editor of the Chicago 

 Advance, so we have one more paper to add 

 to oui- list of those who are willing to give 

 us a hearing : 



A. I. Rout, Knq., Dear Sir:— Your very kind letter 

 came when ] was too ill to reply to it. ^'our com- 

 munication we gladly publish next week. Thank- 

 ing you for the spirit of >our criticisms, as well as 

 for your letter, and assuring you that truth in the 

 matter is what I seek, I am yours truly, 



Chicago, 111., Feb. Iti, 1880. Kouert West. 



In conclusion, I am frank to admit that I 

 have been greatly disposed to show a want 

 of cliarity in this matter, and I hereby beg 

 pardon for being hasty in regard to the Ad- 

 rancc and Witness. 



