GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



APIS dorsata; dr. miller's position ex- 

 plained. 



Mr. David N. Rltcfcie writes that he is not 

 satisfactorily answered on p. 189 ; that I do not 

 object to the importation of Ajns dorsata. and 

 that those who do object give no satisfactory 

 reasons for their objections. He thinks it need 

 not be an expensive job for the government, and 

 especially condemns any objection that it would 

 bring down the price of honey, for we should be 

 glad to have the poor supplied, and hopes gov- 

 ernment will be urged to import the big bee. 



J. S. bcott takes a different view, and says: 



"If it is good policy to increase the produc- 

 tion xjf honey solely for the good of the public 

 by making it cheaper, why does our govern- 

 ment place a duty on foreign honey?" 



No doubt if all the bee-keepers would unite in 

 asking to have th3 tariff taken off from honey 

 the request would be granted. Mr. Scott says: 



" Is it not likely that, if the giant bee should 

 prove a good honey-gatherer, and, like the 

 bumble-bee, be of no use to us as to the produc- 

 tion of honey for use, Apis dorsata might also 

 divide the honey secreted by other flowers fre- 

 quented by our own bees? " 



If nothing I have heretofore said gives friend 

 Ritchie the impression that I object to the im- 

 portation of Apis dorsata, I will here say that 

 I do object in the most emphatic manner to 

 their importation till it is flrst known that they 

 can be domesticated — not on selfish grounds, 

 for I don't believe Apis dorsata would live in 

 Northern Illinois; and if they should hurt the 

 honey crops of the South, that might benefit 

 me. But if they can not be domesticated, I see 

 no manner of use they can be; and I can see 

 that, whatever honey an undomesticated bee 

 should gather, would be just so much less to go 

 into hives. 



As I have already said, if the government is 

 to do any thing about it, let the appropriation 

 be doubled, if necessary, and let domestication 

 of Ajjls dorsata be thoroughly tried in its own 

 country; and when that is satisfactorily set- 

 tled it will be time enough to bring it here. 



But it isn't best to get into any heated con- 

 troversy about it, for The A. I. Root Co. seem to 

 have taken in hand to solve the problem as to 

 domestication; and if the attempt to domesti- 

 cate should prove successful, no doubt their en- 

 terprise will land the bees here before the gov- 

 ernment could decide what to do about it. 

 Now, mind, I don't know whether Apis dorsata 

 would be a benefit or a damage; but I do know 

 that I don't want it here till we know we can 

 control it if we get it. C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, 111. 



THE KEEPING QUALITIES OF PURE HONEY; THE 



CALIFORIA ANTI-HONEY- ADULTERATION 



LAW. 



What have you to say as to the keeping qual- 

 ities of pure extracted honey? A late issue of 

 the California Fruit Grower has the following 

 gem in the body of an article commenting on. 

 our new anti-adulteration law. Addressing the 

 article to dealers, grocers, shippers, and han- 

 dlers of honey, it says: "They can not put up 

 an extracted honey which in any way is a com- 

 pound, even though it be a fact that an abso- 

 lutely pure honey is lacking in keeping quali- • 

 ties. They can not manufacture or sell a honey 

 which is an admixture, no matter how innocent 

 or desirable that admixture may be." 



From all information obtainable I judge the 

 alleged lack of " keeping qualities " is going to 

 be the plea of justification for adulterating 

 honey. I wish you would take the matter up 

 and bring out all the real information, both 

 scientific and general, within reach. Let us be 

 forearmed. C. H. Clayton. 



Lang, Cal., May 1. 



[That sort of argument in favor of adultera- 

 tion, coming as it does from a representative of 

 the middlemen, is mere bosh. It looks a little 

 specious on the surface ; but the fact of the 

 mailer is, there is nothing in the world, in the 

 way of sweets, that will keep better than hon- 

 ey. A few years ago middlemen tried to tell us 

 that it was necessary to put in a little glucose, 

 at least, to prevent grauuiaiion; but after hav- 

 ing carefully tested numerous samples with va- 

 rying amounts of glucose, I know there is no 

 truth in it. The stuff has got to be nearly all 

 glucose before granulation is held in check. 

 California has a good food law, and I hope it 

 will stay on the statute-books in spite of the 

 soft-soap nonsense of the glucose sympathiz- 

 ers.— Ed. J 



THE PETTIT SYSTEM OF PRODUCING COMB HON- 

 EY; A correction; importance of 



STRONG colonies. 



Will you kindly allow me to trouble you and 

 your readers witn a few more words about my 

 way of taking comb honey ? I notice on p. 288, 

 in Mr. Geo. G. Scott's very kind letter, a mis- 

 take that has crept in somehow. Mr. S. says, 

 "The divider admits of two bee-spaces and the 

 clustering of the bees therein, while the %-inch 

 holes allow of easy access to either side." That 

 % inch should be ^ inch. I beg to say that the 

 system, for best results, must be used as a 

 whole. Both the wedges and the dividers are 

 indispensable for best results. 



Another point : The bees must be strong. 

 There must be bees enough to take possession 

 of the whole super, or nothing will be gained — 

 may as well go on in the old way. Now, if this 

 statement is against the system, then so much 

 the worse for it. I want to tell all I know con- 

 cerning it. 



The perforated zinc, as suggested by Mr. 

 Scott, works well ; but it is pretty hard to keep 

 it straight. Only for that difficulty, and the 



