GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. L 



THAT DARK HONEY FROM ARIZONA. 



pp:ace axi) good will comixt out of some 

 OF our tkoubles. 



Peril aps eveiy reader of Gi-eaxixgs took a 

 deep interest in Onr Neighbors in oiir issue 

 for Dec. 1; and I am very glad to see that all 

 parties concerned have "taken hold «ith a will 

 to straighten up. so far as may be. the damage 

 done by letting honey go out on the market 

 labeled as a betti'r grade than it really ought to 

 have been. The first letter comes ' from the 

 brother who inspected the honey wh<'n it was 

 loaded on the car. 



Datr Brother:^! call you " brother" because 

 I think you are a brother in Christ, from the 

 acquaintance I have had with you through 

 Gleaxings. I do not know when I liav<' felt 

 as bad as I did last night when I read in 

 Gleaxixgs of Dec. 1 about the honey that 

 G. E. 8helton received from you that came 

 from Phcjenix, Arizona. I can't see how there 

 could be any honey in the car like that repre- 

 sented by Mr. 8. I am inspector of the Bee- 

 keepers" Association of Salt Run Valley, and I 

 tried to be honest in the matter; for if there is 

 any thing that I do love it is justice. This is a 

 great honey-producing country, and we have 

 more honey than the local market demands: 

 and we are compelled to find a market in the 

 East for our honey, and it behooves us to sell it 

 only as represented, if only from a business 

 standpoint, leaving out the honesty and justice 

 of the matter. 



We load a car in two days when we ship. All 

 the bee-keepers of Phoenix load the first day. 

 and then the car is run to Tempe and finished 

 up. I take oflp the screw cap on th(^ can, and 

 examine the honey as to flavor and color. I 

 use a pocket-knife with a blade about tiii'ee inch- 

 es long. I had others, who Avould not be inter- 

 ested in the pei'son's honey that I was inspect- 

 ing, examine the honey as to color and flavor. 

 I confess that I did not look at every can: but 

 wheii 1 looked at most of the honey, if it was of 

 a uniform grade I would ask the party whether 

 the lot was of the same extracting, and he 

 would answei- yes. Then I would grade it 1. 2. 

 or 3, as the case might be. I fought against 

 any honey being shipped in old cfinx. but was 

 ruled out for this year. 



If the cans were badly rusted inside it would 

 make the honey darker, and give it a bad flavor, 

 if it had become granulated and was melted in 

 the can. Some one of the shippers may have 

 been mean enough to put bad honey in the 

 bottom and good on to|j: but I trust not. I 

 want you to find out. if you can. whom the 

 honey belonged to. and let the association know 

 all about it. W. L. Osuoisx. 



Phoenix, A, T.. Dec. 15. 



Here is another, written in an equally kind 

 and fair spirit, from out- friend Shelton. who is, 

 perhaps, the pi-incipal sufferer: 



De(tr Friend:— Yonv very kind letter of the 

 l:>th inst., requesting me to make out my bill 

 for damages, was received in due time, and I 

 siiould have answered stxjnei', but 1 have been 

 very b\isy. Now. my kind friend. I do not see 

 how I can make out a bill for the damages on 

 this dark honey, for I can not tell just what my 

 actual loss is. I do know, however, that I care 

 very much more for the injury done my reputa- 

 tion in the honey-business than I do for the 

 actual loss in money. I will try to make all 

 satisfactory with the" men I sold the honey to. 

 but I feel sure that I shall never be able to fully 

 satisfy them and regain their confidence. 



I must in turn tlumk you for your very kind 

 and Christianlike letter, and 1 do try to be. 



and hope that I am, worthy to be called your 

 brother in Christian love. 

 Brownsville, Pa.. Dec. 22. G. B. Siieltox. 



The following is from the corresponding sec- 

 retary of the association in Arizona: 



Friend Root: — I have been a reader of Gleax- 

 ixgs for three years, and have not written a line 

 intended for publication in its pages: but now 

 the time has come for me to have my say. which 

 will be principally in defense of Arizona honey, 

 and of the Bee-keepers" Association of Mari- 

 copa County. I have read a short letter writ- 

 ten by you to our recording secretary, after 

 the receipt of the second car of honey from us. 

 I have read carefully, three thnex. your sermon 

 in Gleaxixgs of Dec. 1st — to be sure that I 

 comprehended fully the gist of the mattei' there 

 set forth. I am fi'ee to say that I consider that 

 sermon one of your best, in the way it connects 

 religion with business, and pleads for fair treat- 

 ment of customei's in trade. I think I can com- 

 prehend why you should seem to write under a 

 fit of "the blues,"" after receiving those dis- 

 couraging letters from (r. B. Shelton and the 

 firm at Cleveland. (). When a man's honor is at 

 stake, it is something to be woi'ried about. I 

 must confess that I have felt some satisfaction 

 in the reflection that " misfortune loves com- 

 pany." I knew you were having some trouble 

 with the first car of honey fi'om Arizona: and 

 when T learnt^d that you had received a whole 

 car of comb honey from one man, friend Ball, of 

 Nevada. I thought to myself, "Now Bro. Root 

 will have clear sailing. This car is uniformly 

 of even grade and high quality, and it will go 

 off without trouble, at a high price, and the 

 buyer will be well pleased with his goods."" 



Imagine my surprise to find that some of 

 friend BidVs goods were rejected and returned, 

 which goes to show that some of us who are 

 compelled to combine for shipment, in order to 

 get our honey on to the market, do not have aU 

 the trouble that comes from dissatisfied custom- 

 ers. 



I must say, too. that, when I I'ead your ser- 

 mon the flrst time. I thought. " Bro. Root is 

 wrong in making public through (Jleaxixgs 

 that which could have been better settled by 

 private correspondence.'" I conclude that you 

 thought it well to give the matter a thorough 

 ventilation foi' the good of the shippers in par- 

 ticular, and the honey-trade in general. If so, 

 the thing is ont. we are all in for it. and here 

 goes. 



In the first place, no complaint can lie against 

 the Arizona siiippers of comb honey in either 

 car on the ground of willful dishonesty in put- 

 ting the white sections on the outside to show 

 off, while the dark were put in the middle of 

 the crate. Noglass crates have been used. We 

 had to use such crates as we could make or got 

 made here, without glass. If any mistake was 

 made it came from imperfect grading nHthoiit 

 intent to defraud. There was no inspection by 

 our association inspector. Each man crated 

 his honey to suit himself as to his own notions 

 of what would best suit the case. exi)ecting the 

 honey would be sold on its merits. Some ship- 

 l)ers "in the last car mai'ked their ci'ates with 

 •' light"" and "dark." as an indication to A.I. 

 Roofs men whei'e they might look for the light- 

 est honey and where for the darker shades, ex- 

 pecting, however, that such care would be taken 

 at your end of the lini' as would enable you to 

 know just what kind of honey you were sending 

 to a customer. I am quite .sure that I said in 

 my letter accompanying the invoice of the last 

 car, that we expected the lioney to go on its 

 merits, and any expense necessary to ]jut the 

 honey on the market in a fair and square way 

 would be cheerfully boiiie by tiie shipper: and I 



