10 



GLEANINGS INtBEE^CULTUEE 



Jan. 1. 



a pleasant relationship between bee-keeper and 

 honey -dealer. The next step is to keep away 

 from scalawags, no difference whether they 

 live in cities or in the country. 

 Cincinnati, 0., Dec. 16. 



[I am sure our readers will peruse this arti- 

 cle with interest, coming as it does from a lead- 

 ing honey-buyer as well as bee-keeper. Friend 

 Muth will perhaps remember that I have more 

 than once taken up the defense of the commis- 

 sion man, and condemned at the same time 

 the slipshod methods of the honey-producer. 

 For instance, I would call attention to page 183, 

 March 1st of our volume for last, year. While 

 it is no doubt true that bee- papers have of 

 late put more emphasis on the dishonest prac- 

 tices of some ''scalawag" commission houses 

 (and there has surely been reason for it), I do 

 not believe that any of them have felt that the 

 producing class were as perfect as they might 

 be. 



Bee-keepers need to have brought to their 

 attention over and over { gain the folly of put- 

 ting first-class comb honey in ill fitting or mis- 

 erably concocted shipping-cases, home-made, 

 to save expense. The modern factory-made 

 cases are almost perfect, and can be bought for 

 less money than the usual home-made good 

 for-nothing worse-than-nothing substitutes. 



Mr. Muth makes a good point in regard to 

 having freight-handlers instructed by the man- 

 agers of the railroad companies. I trust that 

 commission men all over the country will take 

 the matt<r up. Here indeed is something for 

 the new Union to undertake.' 



Friend Muth expresses a doubt as to whether 

 there is any such thing as adulteration of ex- 

 tracted honey. I do not know much about 

 Cincinnfiti; but I do know, without any guess- 

 work, tluit there is plenty of that kind of work 

 going on in New York and Chicago, and I do 

 know that our silence all along for several 

 years has given honey-mixers altogether too 

 much license.— Ed.] 



THE AMALGAMATION PROJECT. 

 By Thomas O. Newman. 



In reply to Dr. Mason's article in Gleanings. 

 pp. 8.''>5-7, I desire to say that, being invited to 

 "make suggestions" or criticise the Constitu- 

 tion offered as a basis of amalgamation I can- 

 didly pointed out some of its imperfections, 

 without allusion to any person, supposing that 

 was what was being desired; but by the re- 

 joinder of Dr. Mason, and the editorial remarks, 

 it seems that an unpleasant personal controver- 

 sy is invited. As I have no relish for such, and 

 shall not indulge in it, I silently pass all that 

 has been said. "Measures, not men," is my 

 motto. 



While I have no desire to dictate any thing, I 

 certainly have the right to criticise such an 

 important matter as submitting an imperfect 

 constitution to vote. The members of the 

 Union have the right to expect this of me, and 

 I shall not disappoint them. In my criticism T 

 have nothing to change, though I might add 

 much more to it. The points 1 made are main- 

 ly incontrovertible. It is nonsense to state that 



I made;; anyhlecision::in thermattertof submit- 

 ting amalgamation to vote; that was the duty 

 of the Advisory Board, to which I immediately 

 submitted the question. Dr. Mason's assertion 

 to the contrary notwithstanding. 



It is a fact that I gave an "opinion" public- 

 ly, that such an incomplete and imperfect doc- 

 ument should be amended before being adopt- 

 ed by the Union, because of the difticulty and 

 delay in amending it afterward. Have I no 

 right to express an opinion? If not, since 

 when? 



Tlie unkind personal remarks threatening 

 my defeat at the next election are ungenerous 

 and unwarranted. I never was a candidate for 

 election or re-election. The members voted for 

 me because they wanted my services; and when 

 they want some one else, I shall retire with the 

 satisfaction of having done my duty to the 

 best of my ability. I hope my successor will 

 do the same. 



There are seven members in the Advisory 

 Board; three favor submitting amalgamation 

 to vote: three vote against it, and one. after 

 adding many more criticisms than I made, 

 adds: " Many will want to have it put to vote. 

 I should say, submit the criticisms to each vot- 

 er, ai)d put it to vote." That decides the mat- 

 ter. Amalgamation will be put to vote at the 

 next election. 



If the inconsistencies I have carefully point- 

 ed out are to be disregarded, and ascribed to 

 my "vivid imaginiition" — then the conse- 

 quences must not be charged to me. I have 

 carefully watched the interests of the members 

 of the National iiee- keepers" Union for a dozen 

 years, and successfully defended their rights in 

 the courts of the land— from the police court to 

 the very highest tribunal i<f the country. My 

 aim is the same to day, by trying to prevent 

 th(! serious mistake of too hasty and premature 

 action, and thereby avoid the embarrassment 

 which would naturally result therefrom. 



[Neither Dr. Mason nor your humble servant 

 had any desire tn invite an unpleasant personal 

 controversy. "Measures, not men," was also 

 our motto; but when the man who had the 

 measure in hand proposed lo blockade it, then 

 we protested. It may be true that Mr. New- 

 man had no desire to dictate any thing; but 

 when he said there was "nothing left for its 

 advocates now to do but to await the action 

 of the convention next year "-well, it looked 

 like " a decision." 



It is all right for him to give an opinion pub- 

 licly; but what I criticised particularly was 

 giving that " opinion "j too late for action at 

 the Lincoln convention. If he had not appar- 

 ently desired to blockade amalgamation he 

 could very easily have laid his "opinion" on 

 the merits of the proposed constitution before 

 the Lincoln convention: for, as I have already 

 poin ted out. practically the same document was 

 published three weeks before that meeting. 



I have been very sorry that it seemed neces- 

 sary to criticise Mr. Newman's course in this 

 whole matter, but I have believed it to be my 

 duty.— Ed.] 



