1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



311 





I wouivD call attention to a valuable article 

 from M. M. Baldridge, in this issue, on how 

 to treat extracting-combs filled with candied 

 honey. Such an article is especially seasona- 

 ble for this time of year. 



I HAVE just returned from attending a con- 

 vention of the Chicago Bee-keepers' Associa- 

 tion — an organization that takes in bee-keep- 

 ers of the city and immediate vicinity. The 

 convention, while not large in attendance, 

 was an excellent one, and the discussions were 

 of the very best. 



After the convention I had a delightful visit 

 with Dr. Miller and his family. In later 

 issues I will tell you something about "go- 

 backs." If you do not know what they are, I 

 will leave you to guess until I can find a little 

 more space to tell you about them. The Mil- 

 ler family are in possession of a valuable little 

 kink which I believe the average bee-keeper 

 does not know about, and which, too, I be- 

 lieve, will be worth hundreds of dollars. 



HOW TO BLEACH POLLEN-STAINED SECTIONS ; 

 PASTE THIS IN YOUR HAT. 



Just before returning home I hunted up 

 Byron Walker's place, only to find that he 

 was not in. As he had gone out with a load 

 of honey he would not be back till late at 

 night. But I met his man, Mr. R. S. Chapin, 

 of Marion, Mich. He received me very cour- 

 teously, and when I inquired in regard to Mr. 

 Walker's method of bleaching he very kindly 

 gave me the modus operandi. 



"Quite accidentally," he explained, "Mr. 

 Walker had placed in the show-window a case 

 of sections, the faces of which were stained 

 yellow. When he came to get them, some 

 days afterward, he found they were bleached 

 out almost white, and that portions of the sec- 

 tions shaded by the case were of the same yel- 

 low tint, showing that the sunlight had done 

 the work. This accidental discovery led Mr. 

 Walker to place more sections of the same 

 sort in the window, with the result that these 

 likewise were bleached as the first were." 



"But," said I, "can you bleach travel- 

 stained and greasy sections ? " 



"No," said Mr. Chapin. "Sunlight will 

 have no effect on these whatever. The only 

 sections that we can bleach are those that ap- 

 pear to be pollen-stained or have a yellowish 

 coating over the cappings. These can be 

 bleached .so they will sell for No. 1 sections, 

 provided, of course, they are No. 1 in all oth- 

 er respects." 



" How long does it take to bleach ? " I in- 

 quired. 



"Anywhere from two to three days," he 

 answered. 



Mr. Walker had said that, when he got 

 time, he would write up this matter, adding 

 that sunlight was the agent usjd. As over a 



year has elapsed, and he has not found the 

 time, 1 take it from some things he has writ- 

 ten that he will be glad to have me give the 

 method. 



This may be a little kink that will be worth 

 hundreds of dollars, as it may save some sec- 

 tions that are otherwise fancy or No. 1 from 

 being put into lower grades. A knowledge of 

 how to make these darker sections fancy and 

 No. 1 white, thus making them sell at the top 

 of the market, may be worth hundreds of dol- 

 lars to some bee-keepers. So I would advise, 

 " Paste this in your hat." 



THE GOOD WORK OF THE UNITED STATES 

 BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION, NOW THE NA- 

 TIONAL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 

 It will be remembered that the United States 

 Bee-keepers' Association (now the National 

 Bee-keepers' Association), by the advice and 

 direction of General Manager Secor, assisted 

 by Herman F. Moore and G. W. York, arrest- 

 ed in Chicago certain alleged sellers of glu- 

 cosed honey for a violation of the Illinois 

 pure-food law. While the suits resulted in 

 the acquittal of the first defendant, it appear- 

 ed then, and it appears much more so now, 

 that the retail dealers in syrups and certain 

 brands of so-called pure honey were scared 

 all over the city. I learned with a great deal of 

 pleasure that since the Association raised its 

 hand to strike a blow, the amount of glucosed 

 honey on the Chicago market has been cut 

 down very materially, and that which is sold 

 is pretty sure to be labeled "imitation." The 

 newspapers at the time stated that the United 

 States Bee-keepers' Association was back of 

 these suits, and that it did not propose to give 

 up the fight — that the guilty would surely be 

 brought to justice. So, taking every thing 

 into consideration, the effort resulted in a 

 great victory for the Association, although it 

 appeared to be at first a defeat. 



I understand, also, that a new law will be 

 in force in Illinois about the first of July, by 

 which it will be the duty of certain food com- 

 missioners to make tours of inspection every 

 so often to see whether adulterated goods are 

 being sold in Chicago, and, if so, whether 

 they are labeled " imitation." It appears that 

 the sellers of these spurious goods are already 

 scrambling to close out their "green goods." 

 The suits that were already begun by the Asso- 

 ciation, and the enactment of the new law, are 

 going a long way to wipe out adulteration in 

 one of the worst centers of adulteration in 

 the United States. Indeed, I should not be 

 surprised if it would stamp it out entirelj'. In 

 either event, no one will know just how much 

 the Association has contributed to bring about 

 this very desirable result. But that it has cer- 

 tainly done soviethiug can not be denied. I 

 tell you, brethren, we ought to stand by the 

 Association. Give it your dollars, because it 

 is fighting your battles in a way that ^-ou can 

 not do single-handed and alone, and I prom- 

 ise you there will be some later developments 

 that will be an eye-opener if nothing else. 



By the time the National meets in Chicago, 

 in Augxist. I hope there will not be a pound of 

 adulterated goods to be had in the city. 



