1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



293 



the same thing is sent in a great many times. 

 One objection to the T super for open-side 

 sections is, that it brings the sides of the 

 sections a little way apart, and the bees will 

 be sure to stick propolis clear round, which 

 causes them a great amount of labor, and, 

 worse still, the bee-keeper has a tremendous 

 task before him to scrape this propolis all off 

 again. Friend Foster's arrangement reme- 

 dies this, 1 believe ; but his case is a good 

 deal of machinery, and I am afraid it would 

 not be tolerated by the average bee-man. 

 May be I am mistaken. I hope I am, any 

 way. The T super seems at present to be 

 the simplest and best adapted to the general 

 bee-keeping public. We are now very 

 anxious to get reports in regard to the prac- 

 tical workings of open-side sections and tlie 

 other kind. We want leports from those 

 who have tried them side by side, expressly 

 to see if the open-side section does give more 

 honey in tlie same length of time. 



FALSE STATEMENTS IN REGARD TO THE HON- 

 EY BUSINESS OF OUR COUNTRY. 



As a protection to our bee-keeping population, we propose in 

 this department to publish the names of newspapers that per- 

 sist in publishing false statements in regard to the purity o( 

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



^^ETE had fondly hoped that this depart- 

 iXmiii nient could be dropped, as so many 

 of the papers which had given place 

 to these false reports had kindly and 

 fairly corrected the wrong imipres- 

 sions, at least so far as a wrong statement 

 can be corrected. It seems, however, tliat 

 the disease is breaking out again, and veiy 

 likely nothingbut eternal vigihmce will keep 

 it down. See what our friend below sug- 

 gests : 



Mr. Root:— Plea.se permit me to make the follow- 

 ing- suggestion: Print on a small card the history of 

 the Wiley lie in regard to artificial comb honey. 

 On the same card make an offer of a sum of money 

 (which ItJniik yon did in Gr.EANiNGs), to anyone 

 who will direct you to a place where such honey is 

 artificially made. Give bank reference. Sell these 

 cards to us (those who hate misrepresentation); 

 and when we hear a person make the statement 

 that comb honey is made by machinery, we can 

 hand him your card and that will " settle " him. 

 Within a week I have heard the statement about arti- 

 ficial comb honey three times, each time by a (to me) 

 stranger. One party making such a statement was 

 a Johnstown commission man, who told another 

 person within my hearing that he had sold " tons" 

 of such honey. I should be pleased to hand him 

 the card suggested. Geo. M. Wektz. 



Johnstown, Pa., Jan. 2.5, 1888. 



I believe you have hit it exactly, friend 

 W. I somewhat dislike to offer sinns of 

 money ; but in this case it seems as if noth- 

 ing short of a statement, backed by some 

 responsible man, would answer the purpose. 

 I do not believe, however, that I would 

 notice the Wiley falsehood enough to give 

 it publicity. Suppose we print a card some- 

 thing like the following : 



TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. 



In view of the false and damaging statements to 

 the honey-business, in regard to making comb 

 honey by machinery, etc., I have thought best to 

 silence all such falsehoods as they come up, by the 

 following offer: I will pay $1000 in cash to any per- 

 son who will tell me where comb honey is manu- 

 factured by machinery; or 1 will pay the same sum 

 to any one who will find manufactured comb honey 

 on the market, for sale. I am as safe in making this 

 offer, dear friends, as I should be if it were straw- 

 berries or hens' eggs. It never has been done, and 

 it never will be done. If you wish to know whether 

 I am responsible for the above amount or not, go 

 to any bank and ask them to quote my standing in 

 Dun's or IJradstreet's Commercial Agency, or 

 write to the First National Bank of Medina. 



A. [. Root, 

 Editor of Oleaniriijs in Bee Culture, 



Medina, O. 



Instead of charging for these cards, we will 

 furnish just as many of them to any bee- 

 keeper or anybody else as he can make use 

 of ; and may be a prompt refutation of these 

 scandalous falsehoods, keeping them in pub- 

 lic, as it were, may not only have the effect 

 of putting down" this lie, but perhaps we 

 may induce our traveling friends who are 

 so fond of making people stare, to conclude 

 that telling lies is dangerous business in 

 this present progressive age of the world. 

 Here is something from another friend : 



4. J. Roof.— My bees are much discouraged since 

 reading an article on bogus honey, in the Orocers' 

 Vindicator. Ivast season was a poor one, and was 

 very discouraging to them; but the article below 

 caps the climax, and crowns all. I put 94 colonies 

 in winter quarters, and up to this time I have not 

 lost a colony; but from this on my home will be in 

 Blasted Hopes. J. F. Michael. 



German, O., Feb. 39, 1888. 



Below is the clipping referred to, from the 

 Grocers^ Vindicator, published semi-monthly 

 at 25 Michigan Ave., Chicago, 111.: 



adulterated honey. 



The experts ai'e in the " hone.v-humbug business," 

 of which fact, perhaps, some of our readers are not 

 aware; but for a long time there has been coml) 

 honey on the market which looks very fine and in- 

 viting, but it contains very little of the pure honey. 

 It does seem strange that an article like honey 

 should be allowed to be meddled with and so com- 

 pletely adulterated as to contain but a portion of 

 the i-cal honey; but such is the case, and to that 

 extent that we would say to our readers that it is 

 hardly safe to e.xpect the pure honey from almost 

 any source. The following is interesting; read it: 



"I never saw honey look like that," remarked a 

 reporter, who had ordered toast and honey for his 

 breakfast. I " never saw a honey-comb look so 

 white or so uniform." "Well, sir," replied the 

 waiter, " I'll lot you into the secret. That is manu- 

 factured honey. The comb is manufactured now 

 of a white wax. Molds are made to the shape and 

 size required, and the heated wax is poured in and 

 becomes an imitation honey-comb. A piece of this 

 comb is placed in the jar, and the syrup poured in. 

 They can't make a good imitation, though; nearly 

 every one who calls for honey detects the imitation. 

 The wax is whiter, and then it is unpleasant if it 

 should get into the mouth. It is much cheaper thac 

 real comb honey, and sometimes the supply of 

 honey runs short, and the manufactured honey has 

 to be used." 



Now, friends of the Vindicator, inasmuch 

 as you have done quite a little damage to 

 innocent men by heedlessly giving publicity 

 to falsehood, will you not do your best to 

 promptly retract itV In regard to your 

 concluding item, I would call your attention 

 to the fact that, during the recent short 

 crop, in consequence of nigh prices manu- 



