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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. ir,. 



that our editorial should rellect in one or two 

 cases on honest bee-keepers, and in another 

 case on our friend Mr. Tweed. His name alone 

 on any kind of package of honey is a perfect 

 gnarantee of its purity: and while we believe 

 that adulterated goods are put up in this style, 

 we desire to correct, so far as possible, any in- 

 jury that may have been done to the business 

 of reputable and reliable men. 



In addition to what Ernest has said above, I 

 would suggest that the great ti-ouble in putting 

 up honey in the manner mentioned is the can- 

 dying of the liciuid ])ortion. Either only a little 

 should be put on the market at a time, or some- 

 thing should be done to pievent candying. The 

 vendei-s of this sort of liquid comb honey have 

 excused themselves for using coin syrup, on the 

 ground that it was the only thing that would 

 not candy. A. I. R. 



Low prices on dairy products which have pre- 

 vailed for several seasons, says a correspondent 

 oi the Aincricdn ^i{liir}ilt II rist. have led many 

 of the dairymen of Central New York to consid- 

 er the question of engaging in some other 

 brancli of farming. The hue and cry is often 

 raised agai nst the low prices of honey, and of the 

 unpiolitableness of bee-keeping. If we glance 

 about us we find that other rural industries 

 have similar grievances. As R. L. Taylor said, 

 " Economy in honey pi'oduction is the sheet 

 anchor of the apiarist's hope." Economy in 

 the production of all kinds of crops should be 

 the watchword of all. If we can not force 

 prices up, the only alternative is to force the 

 cost of productio n down. 



ARTIFICIAL COMB HONEY. 



I AM sorry that so much space was taken on 

 page 139 in regard to the payment of the *1000 

 reward. The whole point of the matter is just 

 this: Our card reads. •'! will pay $1()00 in cash 

 to any person who will tell me where comb 

 honey" is manufactured," etc. Now, the thing 

 that was sent us was not comb honey at all. 

 No man. woman, or child on the face of the 

 earth would think of calling it comb honey, 

 neither would the man who made it. if he would 

 consider for a moment: therefore we have 

 nothing to do with it, and there is nothing more 

 to be said about it. You will remember the 

 matter came up because so many were declar- 

 ing that comb honey in the market was not 

 uiade by the bees, but was manufactured. 

 None has ever been produced. When anybody 

 doei< find comb honey which he thinks was not 

 made by the bees, we should be glad to hear 

 from him. A. I. R. 



THK OI>D MISSION OF SANTA BARBARA, ETC. 



As a rule, our good people here have made 

 very few mistakes in my absence; and even in 

 my fearfully bad writing on Notes of Travel I 

 notice only two places that need correction. On 

 page 135, toward the bottom of the second col- 

 umn, we find this sentence: 



" I dreamed of her nights, and while on the 

 streets during the day. If any figure in the 

 least resembled," etc. 



It is true, that your humble servant has a 

 very vivid imagination, but I fear he never yet 

 got to dreaming on the streets in the daytime; 

 therefore, wlien you read the above, please im- 

 agine it punctuated as follows: 



"I dreamed of her nights: and while on the 

 streets during the day, if any figure in the least 

 resembled." etc. 



In our last issue, page 171. near the top of the 

 second column, read "Old Mission " instead of 

 •'Old Museum." In fact, the Old Mission would 

 be a rather bad place for a museum, for no one 

 of the outside world has for years been permit- 

 ted to take even the smallest glimpse within 

 that sacred walled garden. A. I. R. 



HO.ME AGAIN. 



We reached Medina March .5: and after meet- 

 ing so many bee-keepers who had seen hard 

 times on account of short crops, etc., you may 

 be sure I felt a little surprised to see the Home 

 of the Honey-bees booming in every depart- 

 ment. Some way or other the boys had started up 

 a bigger trade than we ever had before at this 

 season of the year, and they had contrived so 

 many short cuts in business that I have been 

 rubbing my eyes, and staring around ever since. 

 I hope the kind friends in Florida will overlook 

 the fact that we gave them the '' go-by " for the 

 present. We saw so much in California, Arizo- 

 na, New Mexico, etc., that we really felt as if 

 we hadn't any enthusiasm left for any more 

 wonderful things until we reached home and 

 rested up a little. I had planned writing a 

 great lot of letters to the kind friends who made 

 our visit so i)leasant; but. somehow, many 

 things need my attention just now. Shorthand 

 wiMters and typewriters are crowded to their 

 utmost, and some sick besides, and so I fear 

 that some of you will hav^e to accept the good 

 will for the deed. I want to tell you, however, 

 that Sue and I talk of you by day and dream of 

 you by night. But when she said, while we 

 were in New Orleans, tluit she would rather 

 see home again just then, than all else that 

 this wide world has to offer, I uttered a devout 

 amen, and we made a " bee-line" for the dear 

 old spot. As I dictate this I can see from the 

 window the men across the way filling the hot- 

 beds and cold-irames with seeds and plants, 

 and we are just going to have a lovely garden, 

 even if I didn't get on hand till March was al- 

 most a fourth gone. A. I. R. 



'■PUIXING UP stakes" and GOING TO NEW 

 HONEV -FIELDS WITHOUT PROPER IN- 

 VESTIGATION; THE FOLLY OF 

 SUCH A COURSE. 



A FEW days ago a lettei' came from a corres- 

 pondent who was influenced some time ago by 

 a highly colored account that appeared in our 

 columns in r(>gard to an alfalfa-field, and was 

 greatly disappointed and chagrined by moving 

 to that much-lauded country, to find that it 

 would have been fai better for him if he had 

 stayed where he was. This same correspondent 

 stated further that he sold his home, leased his 

 other property for a term of years, and was 

 compelled to accept his new quarters at a great 

 disadvantage to himself. The climate was in- 

 sufl'erably hot. and not congenial to his health. 

 It is the height of folly, and a serious piece of 

 business, to go to a new field without thorough 

 investigation. A correspondent who has given 

 a glowing account of some new field nuxy be 

 perfectly conscientious and honest in his state- 

 ments: but he may be completely blinded with 

 enthusiasm, and such things are possible. Any 

 one who contemplates selling off his property 

 and moving to a new field should first write to 

 the postmaster for the names of old residents 

 who may be in position to give him the infor- 

 mation desired. He might then go himself, 

 without his family, and look over the field, if 

 the results of his inquiries so far justify it. 

 Being on the ground himself, he is then in 

 position to decide, without the enormous ex- 

 pense of moving his whole family or selling all 

 the property he has at home at a sacrifice. As 

 editor of Gleanings we take the utmost pre- 

 caution in having only fair, unbiased accounts 

 of these new fields enter our columns. W^e 

 should, manifestly, not be doing our duty if we 

 inserted none of these accounts, for journals 

 are intended to disseminate information; and 

 the only thing is for editors and readers alike 

 to go slow. 



