932 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Dec. 



.sayp, " While chilrlren are sucklinjj: there is little 

 natural diastase found, and it is not till the tith or 

 7th month that it is found in sufficient quantities to 

 be operative." In regard to this matter, Dr. Rob- 

 erts remarks, "' Until this period (6th or 7th month) 

 it is therefore not advisable to administer farina- 

 ceous food to children " (Indiyention and Biliousness, 

 page .')<)). 



Regarding this discussion, the editor of Glean- 

 ings says in a foot-note, "Unless some special rea- 

 son shall make it very important to know the exact 

 truth, I can not see why it matters very much after 

 all who is right and who is wrong." The reason 

 why it is important is just this: It Prof. Cook is 

 correct, then food which requires little or no masti- 

 cation or lubrication, as porridge and milk, tapioca, 

 sago, arrowroot, and fornstarch, for example, may 

 just as well be bolted at once without any mixing 

 with the saliva whatever; but if he is mistaken, and 

 1 think I have made it evident that he is, then, 

 whether the food containing the starch requires 

 mastication or lubrication or not, ample time 

 should be taken to thoroughly mix and impene- 

 trate the mass with saliva before it is swallowed. 

 The advantages gained are, that the digested starch 

 in the form of soluble sugar is absorbed at once 

 into the l>lood, leaving the proteid portions of the 

 food more fully exposed to the action of the gastric 

 juice, and thereby securing their more rapid di- 

 gestion, and there is less work for the pancreatic 

 juice by which the remaining portions of the starch 

 are more effectually digested; the proteids are 

 more readily changed into peptones, and the fats 

 more readily emulsified. 



Two of the most common causes of indigestion 

 are bad teeth and too much haste in eating. Dr. 

 Fothergill says, " Bad teeth lead to indigestion in 

 two ways. 1. They interfere with the proper ad- 

 mixture of the saliva with the starchy matters of 

 the food by which the amylolitic action of the sali- 

 vary diastase is lost or thrown away; and, 2, by im- 

 perfect mastication, the food is not prepared for 

 the further disintegrating action of the stomach; 

 and so, great and abnormal movements of that vis- 

 cus are lequired in order to carry on the disintegra- 

 tion of the unchewed and imperfectly chewed 

 food" {Indigestiim and Biliousness, page 33). Too 

 much haste in eating is followed by similar results. 

 Upon the normal operation of the process of diges- 

 tion depends to a great extent the comfort and 

 happiness in life of every reader of Gleanings. 

 This is the " special reason " why the teachings in 

 its pages on this subject should be in accord with 

 the exact truth. S. Corneil. 



Lindsay, Ont., Nov. 19, 1888. 



Friend ('., we are afraid you do not quite 

 understand our good friend Professor Cook. 

 As we see it, with the possible exception of 

 tiie liist (niotation to which you allude, his 

 statements of the opinions of the authorities 

 wliicli he cites do not differ so very materi- 

 ally from your quoted statements. Friend 

 ( ' evidently g;i ve the opinion of his authori- 

 ty in his own words. It is possible that his 

 own rendering did not give the exact shades 

 of the original statements. As we do not 

 pretend to " be up " on these things we will 

 not attempt to say whether you are right or 

 wrong. We suspect, if the truth were 

 Known, )oii both pretty nearly agree, 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS, 



PLEITRISV PLANT NOT A YIELDER OF HONEY IN 

 ALL LOCALITIES ; OTHER PLANTS. 



§BVERAL items in Gleanings from time to 

 time seem to me to call for a caution against 

 " hasty generalization." We have had high 

 praise of pleurisy plant, Asclepias tuherosa, 

 as a source of honey. It grows here in suf- 

 ficient quantity to show if the bees held it in special 

 esteem. They so rarely touch it that I suspected 

 my pleurisy plant might not be the same as the one 

 praised by your contributors. To make sure, I 

 purchased a root last spring from a reputable flo- 

 rist. It is the same, and of no value here. 



In a recent number, ironweed is praised as a 

 source of honey. In some parts of this county, 

 pastures are fairly infested with it. I have often 

 passed through them when it was in full bloom, 

 and the flowers were absolutely untouched by the 

 bees. This is not meant as a contradiction to any- 

 body, but only as a notice to beware of unexpect- 

 ed variations. 



As to stings, those of bees and the common pa- 

 per-wasp varj' much in the pain they cause, ac- 

 cording to the part affected, and other circum- 

 stances. My experience is, that the hornet, Vespa 

 tnaculata, uses its "business end" with less prov- 

 ocation and more effect than either bees or com- 

 mon wasps. David Strang. 

 Lincoln, Tenn., Nov. (3, 1888. 



In considering this matter it is well to bear 

 in mind that in certain seasons and in cer- 

 tain localities a honey-plant will fail to yield 

 nectar, while in other seasons and in other 

 localities the same plant will yield very 

 largely; therefore, what does remarkably 

 well for others may not necessarily do as 

 well for us. Some of our contributors may 

 have been guilty of "hasty generalization " 

 in the way you indicate, but when we come 

 to take into consideration the facts we have 

 mentioned, perhaps their "generalization"' 

 will not appear so " hasty '' after all. 



artificial eggs; artificial honey, and what 



NEXT? 



I fear your card in regard to false statements in 

 the honey business will not prove effectual in all 

 cases, as I met a man a few days ago who claimed 

 he had talked with a man a few days previously 

 who had eaten manufactured or artificial eggs in 

 Chicago, and they could not be told from the genu- 

 ine egg, except when attempting to beat the yolk 

 and white together for pastries, as they would not 

 mix. He also seated that the man had eaten artifi- 

 cial comb honey. After talking with him for some 

 time I left him, in some doubt. S. Whan. 



Raymilton, Pa. 



We had thought the story about manufac- 

 tiued eggs was too big for anybody to be- 

 lieve ; and yet there seem to be some old 

 fogies and reporters who still persist in re- 

 peating it. Before us lies a clipping en- 

 titled, " What next?" It was taken from 

 the Pittsburgh Dispatch. This clipping goes 

 on to tell, in very plausible language, how 

 eggs are manufactured, and how thp'same 

 can not be detected from the genuine. ' It is 



