126 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



attract the palate. No fooling. Say we com- 

 mence this season — not one of us, but every 

 one of us. I know we have put this off too 

 long ; but in a few years from now we shall 

 shape things around so that manufacturers of 

 honey-extractors will be compelled to work 

 overtime. Then think about our getting bet- 

 ter acquainted. If we find any black sheep 

 in our flock we will contrive some way to weed 

 them out. I shall be certain to find some one 

 that I shall not be afraid to order from any 

 time nn' supply runs out. This will help the 

 demand a little. 



When I am scoring these chaps who are 

 throwing out thin honey, I atn all the time 

 expecting them to come back at me. Yes ; 

 and if their cause is a just one they will. And, 

 again, if I fail to get a good following on this 

 line of reform I shall then make up my mind 

 that too many have formed a habit and are 

 too deep in the old rut to get out. I mean 

 they will not resist the temptation of simply 

 dropping unsealed combs ( honey in all stages) 

 into the extractor, and, with a slight turn, out 

 comes the honey and water. 



I imagine I hear some one say, "I extract 

 just before the bees commence capping the 

 honey." I will admit, if one is careful enough 

 he can get a very fair grade of honey; but 

 possibl}' this subject will come up later on, 

 then we will discuss it. 



Since my last article I have learned some- 

 thing worse than I ever before imagined ; and 

 that is, a bee-man who actually boasts of get- 

 ting a larger yield of honey from about 90 

 colonies of bees than almost any other person 

 could have gotten. He says plainly he is 

 after quantity and not quality ; and by ex- 

 tracting each hive ever}- day he gets the quan- 

 tity. This was put into barrels, and sent to 

 the cities. Think of probably 10,000 lbs. of 

 this stuff getting into our markets just from 

 one man ! How extensivel}- is this work going 

 on ? I say, shame on sucii work. Dare any 

 one say this is all right ? 



Talk about the dairyman watering his milk! 

 Even if he does I can respect him just as 

 much as I tlo the thin-honey man. Do I hear 

 any one say there is no use, or not plenty of 

 room to grade extracted honey ? I believe it 

 is a duty to call a halt on this selling water in 

 honey, and then lay it all to the little innocent 

 bees putting the water in there. Give the 

 bees a chance, and we atl know they will be 

 honest. Shame on the man who will rob the 

 bees of their stores and honesty too. I know 

 if it were myself I would just let the bees cure 

 up the honey all right ; then if I were bound 

 to sell some water I would just go to the pump 

 and get all my conscience would stand, and 

 proceed to do the mixing. Of course, I don't 

 believe any one can feel just right after doing 

 this; but you see I want it so arranged that 

 some day, when I feel too bad about it, and 

 no one around to hear what I say, I can un- 

 load the Vjurden a little by just saying to the 

 bees, "I have been honest to you, anyhow; 

 and if the honey I watered is not all right, 

 you may lay it all to me. ' ' I am perfectly 

 willing to help coax any one to be honest on 

 this line; but if we can not bring about the 



required result, why not ask for the enactment 

 of a law something like the one the maple- 

 syrup producers of Ohio are compelled to 

 comply with ? 



I believe one can write much better and 

 easier if he reads what others say on this line, 

 and I feel like thanking Emerson Taylor 

 Abbott for what he says in Jan. 1st Glean- 

 ings. He talks as though it were getting to 

 be (juite the fashion to rail about the farmer 

 bee-keepers. I don't understand it that way. 

 My aim is directed at those who are making 

 bee-keeping their main business. Bro. Abbott 

 closes with precisely my sentiments : Go to 

 work and produce a little better honey than 

 our neighbors, and then sell it at home, or as 

 near home as possible. Yes, sir, Bro. Abbott, 

 I have been doing this very thing ever since 

 I learned to sell nothing but the very best 

 perfectly ripened extracted honey. My first 

 two years' experience was a little on the thin 

 order ; and the injury done to my home mar- 

 ket during those two years can hardly be 

 described. At that time I hardly knew what 

 to do with just a few hundred pounds of 

 honey. Everybody Vi?^^ gone back on extract- 

 ed honey. I know all about it, because I was 

 doing ni}' best to sell what little honey I had. 

 " [ don t like extracted honey " got to ringing 

 in my ears so I could hardly sleep. Some- 

 times the tune would change, "/want comb 

 honey." I had tried to produce comb honey, 

 but made a failure at that, and how I was 

 going to ply about SlOOO debt for hives and 

 fixtures was a sticker. It is a wonder I con- 

 tinued in the business; but I found out I could 

 fool the people some of the time, but could 

 not fool them atl of the time, and so I con- 

 cluded I would just go at this honestly, with 

 no fooling about it. Had I not mended ni}' 

 ways, possibly I should now ])e dumping my 

 product in Bro. Abbott's market. Certainly I 

 should not have had any control over a home 

 market. There is no theory about this right 

 and wrong way of doing any business. Facts 

 are what we want— actual facts. 



I wish I could say a few words of encour- 

 agement about placing extracied honey in the 

 hands of grocers, but I can not do it. There 

 are several serious obstacles in the way. Put- 

 ting it in attractive packages, and commission, 

 make it too near the price of comb honey. 

 Then many honestly believe that liquid honey 

 put up for the grocery is not pure hone}'. So 

 many people consider honey a luxui^y, even if 

 sold very low, they will not take it from the 

 grocers as they should before we can ever 

 throw our honey on the market as we want to. 

 We must, in many places, educate the people 

 by commencing in the common branches, and 

 we must be so thorough that we finally see 

 them graduate. Say we bee-men join hands 

 by doing our part first class in every respect. 

 Suppose we say 1 ss about the mixer and 

 adulterator, and hunt out these chaps who 

 will continue extracting this thin, green, raw, 

 unripe stuff Many a time this stuff has been 

 called adulterated honev; and is it to be won- 

 dered at, when we consider the wide difference 

 between well-ripened honey and poor unripe 

 honey ? I believe I understand whj' so many 



