454 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



neighbor. I ana sorry that such avarice exists, 

 but I would rather go without protection than 

 have our people lawed to death. It would be 

 good if we could do something to prevent over- 

 eating. I am in favor of lectures. It will tend 

 to correct our people regarding this matter, 

 which is the great cause of that dire ailment 

 known as dyspepsia, which in time becomes a 

 cause of evil. I do not want any law enacted 

 to determine the quantity or quality of the food 

 we eat. If we are to produce we must depend 

 upon ourselves for something — must cultivate 

 self-reliance, and not feel that we are guided 

 by law through every movement in life. It is 

 my opinion that those principles have in the 

 past and will in the future prevent the passage 

 of many bills intended by some to produce good 

 results. As regards our product, honey, we 

 have had ample evidence that the science of 

 chemistry is unable to detect the addition of 

 manufactured cane and grape sugar. As a 

 juryman I would not convict any man upon the 

 evidence of all the chemists in the world, for I 

 know that they do not know, and that they 

 know they do not know; and I want them to 

 know that I know that they know that they do 

 not know. They draw a handsome salary for 

 holding down a soft seat, and it is enough for 

 people to pay it without being scandalized and 

 persecuted as friend Muth and others have been. 

 Prof. Wiley did not know about the honey, and 

 he had also learned that the city dealers did the 

 adulterating; so, without knowing the char- 

 acter of our Cincinnati friend, he fired his gun, 

 arid the recoil hurts worse than the charge. 

 Ignorance is usually the cause of wrong-doing. 

 Dowagiac, Mich., May 25. James Heddon. 



GRADING. 



A PROPOSED COMPROMISE. 



Deor £rne.st;— Although exceedingly anxious 

 that, before the convention at Washington, 

 some system of grading should be offered that 

 would be so nearly acceptable to all as to meet 

 general acceptance, yet I shrink from any 

 attempt at formulating such a system. The 

 plain truth is, I don't feel that I know enough 

 for such a task. Yet I have made the attempt 

 to do as requested. I can not apologize for the 

 system I offer by saying it is hastily thrown to- 

 gether. It is nothing of the kind. It has been 

 the subject of much care, and the hardest 

 thought I am capable of giving. There is noth- 

 ing original about it, except the string that 

 ties it together. It is a mosaic, made up from 

 all the systems that have been offered, modified 

 somewhat by the discussions I have heard and 

 read. If freely criticised in the right spirit, it is 

 possible that something may be made out of it 

 that shall be satisfactory, even if it be so mod- 

 ified as a result of the criticisms that nothing 

 of the original draft can be recognized. But 

 here is the system, having four grades, depend- 

 ing on appearance or condition iTKlcpciuicnt of 

 the source of honey, and four classes of lioney. 



FoHcj/.— Combs straight, wliite. well filled, flrraly 

 fastened to wood on all four sides; all cells sealed; 

 no pollen, prupolis. nor travel-stain. 



JVo. /.—Wood well scraix'd. or entirely free from 

 propolis; one side of tlie section sealed witli white 

 cuppings, free from pollen, :iiid liaviiig' all cells 

 sealed except the line nf cells next the wood; the 

 other side white, oi' but slightly discolored, with not 

 more than two cells of |)(>llen, and not more than 

 ten cells unsealed beside the line of cells touching 

 the wood; comb fastened to the wood on four sides. 



No. 2.— Three-fourths of the tottd surface must be 

 filled and sealed; wood well scraped of propolis. 



No. .'i.— Must weigh at least half as much <is a full- 

 weight section. 



There are the four grades. 



For the classes of honey, 1 would suggest the four 

 already in use, sufficiently understood from the 

 names alone; namely, Uijht, amber, dark, mixed. 



You will see that there is nothing new in any 

 of this. It is hardly probable that it will en- 

 tirely suit any one. It does not suit me. I have 

 not tried to give what would suit any one man 

 or set of men. I have merely made an attempt 

 to come as nearly as I could to what all might 

 agree upon, each one making some concession 

 for the general good. If some one has some- 

 thing better as a basis to start with, I shall be 

 not only willing, but glad to see this thrown 

 aside and the better taken in its place. But 

 something must be taken as a basis. It will not 

 do for each one to offer the system that exactly 

 suits him. We'll not get on very fast in that 

 way. If no better basis is offered than the one 

 I have given, then let each one look it over and 

 see, not what changes must be made to make 

 the plan entirely acceptable, but, rather, let 

 him see what is the least change necessary to 

 make him willing to agree to the system, taking 

 into account what others as well as himself 

 may desire. 



I see I have made the impression that W. C. 

 Frazier's system suits me better than all the 

 rest. That is hardly trtie. as will be seen from 

 the system I have attempted; but I like his 

 idea of having a system of grading which does 

 not involve the honey itself, leaving that as a 

 separate classification. Others had the same 

 idea, but did not bring it out so clearly, or, at 

 least, it did not strike me so. 



The names of the grades are simple. They 

 are easily understood, both by the producer and 

 consumer. And I don't know why the constira- 

 er shouldn't fully understand just what they 

 mean. There will never be a great overstock. I 

 fancy, of honey classed a» fancy. Perhaps it is 

 drawing the lines rather tightly to <ay, " All 

 cells sealed." Possibly a certain number of 

 cells next the wood ought to be allowed unseal- 

 ed. I think very few have been in the habit of 

 sorting out their best honey into this grade; 

 but the man who puts several tons on a large 

 market could select a number of crates for 

 which an extra price could be obtained, and 

 that without lowering the price of his No. 1 

 honey. 



The No. 1 contains the bulk of a good bee- 

 keeper's crop, and on that accotint it is the 

 most important of all. The only bee-keeper 

 with whom I have had a chance to talk the 

 matter over, objects to my putting down •' ten 

 cells" as the limit allowed unsealed on the 

 poorer side of a No. 1 section. But it seems to 

 me that, so far as possible, every thing should 

 be very exact. If stich a phrase as " only a few 

 cells " should be used, then somt^ would under- 

 stand that to mean three, and some fifty. If 

 ten isn't the right ntimber. then make it five, 

 twenty, or whatever is thought best; but don't 

 leave it ind(>finite. The term "slightly discol- 

 ored " is indefinite, and on that account objec- 

 tionable, but I don't see how to better it easily. 



In No. ;2, not more than one-fourth of the to- 

 tal surface must be left unfilled and unsealed. 

 Possibly it is not necessary to say three-fourths 

 of the surface must be. /)??cd ai'id sealed, for it 

 will hardly be sealed without being filled. As 

 to the remaining fourth, it may be filled and 

 not sealed, or there may be empty comb or en- 

 tire vacancy to the amount of one- fourth of the 

 section. Of course, the uns(aled part might be 

 on one or both sides. That is. one side might be 

 all filled and sealed, and the other side half 

 sealed, or each side might be three-fourths 

 sealed, or one side may have anywhere from 

 the half to the whole of it sealed, only so 

 that there shall be enough sealed on the other 



