724 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



September, 1917 



clusters of a species of lady-bug on the 

 trunks and branches of the basswood-trees. 

 This insect was marshaling its forces to 

 head off the tussock moth ; but the arsenical 

 poison killed friends and foes indiscrimi- 

 nately. In using arsenical poisons to head 

 off the potato-beetle we kill the little spotted 

 lady-bug that devours the eggs. For this 

 reason I have tried to handle the potato- 

 beetles by hand-picking, as far as possible. 

 In our last issue M.-A.-O. rather ridi- 

 cules my plan of picking by hand the 

 striped squash and melon bugs; and I wish 

 to add right here what he failed to mention ; 

 and that is, that by a very determined 

 "hand-picking," and leaving the crushed 

 bugs scattered on the leaves of the plants 

 I headed them off entirely; and my vines 

 are now making great promise of both 

 melons and squashes. But in order to come 

 out a victor, for a little spell I looked after 

 the bugs three or four times a day — in fact, 

 every two or three hours, and they very 

 soon learned that it was a matter of life 

 and death if they did not get away just as 

 soon as I came in sight. This is war time 

 just now, and I believe in fighting; but 

 shall we not be exceedingly icareful to know 

 exactly before we wage war to the bitter 



death that we do not by some mistake kill 

 friends as well as foes? 



Just a word about the diflftculties in hav- 

 ing one regular price for honey. First and 

 foremost there is a vast difference in the 

 quality of honey. Some people who buy 

 honey may think that the 9-cent honey I 

 have mentioned is a very small price. Let 

 me explain that, in buying honey from 

 different sources all over the United States, 

 we get light honey and dark honey as well 

 as fine-tasting honey, and some that is not 

 so fine. But most of the honey we get from 

 Florida is more or less dark-colored, and 

 looks has quite a gi'eat deal to do with 

 honey. From California and some other 

 places we get fine honey or that which is 

 almost white; in fact, they are often called 

 "water-white." The water-Avhite California 

 sage honey from the mountains made quite 

 a sensation years ago, and this has com- 

 manded ever since a very high price. In 

 bottling honey when shipping it by the car- 

 load we try as far as possible to have th-^ 

 quality and color pretty nearly uniform; 

 and this we do by making a blend. In 

 order to have a sufficient amount of light- 

 colored fine-flavored honey we sometimes 

 pay almost twice the 9 cents I have men- 

 tioned, especially where we pay freight. 



HEALTH NOTES 



ROBBING SICK PEOPLE AND FRAUDULENT ADVER- 

 TISING 



Mr. Samuel Hopkins Adams, and we 

 have probably no better autliority, tells us 

 that ten per cent of the advertising before 

 the general public is fraudulent. In our 

 July issue my good friend M.-A .-0., page 

 572, mentions my crusade whicli I have car- 

 ried on for almost lialf a centui'v against 

 fraudulent advertising; and I wish to put 

 in a word once more right here, about the 

 doctors and others who promise to do great 

 things for your health for a certain sum of 

 money. Most of them have a kind of "cor- 

 respondence school" or h-alth institute. 

 Their regular fee is $50, or may be only 

 $25; and if you read all their literature yon 

 may be inclined to think they are wonderful 

 philanthropists; but if you neglect to bite at 

 the first bait, in a couple of weeks or so 

 they will give special reasons why they have 

 cut the price in two for a limited time. If 

 you do not bite then, still later you will get 

 another ofTer. It may read something like 

 this: 



"A lot of my good friends who have been brought 

 to health by our treatment, urge, for the sake of 

 humanity, that I should, fo^r a brief time, cut the 

 price still loM'er in order to bring it within the 

 reach of people who are absolutely unable to pay 

 the regular price." 



And then they cut it down to one-fourtli. 

 In order to see just how they work I have 

 followed the thing thru several times, as I 

 have mentioned in past years. The cor- 

 respondence school for the aid of the mem- 

 ory is an example. I think the price was 

 $20.00; but after I waited until they came 

 down to $5.00 I sent the money; and the 

 information received was not only old stuff 

 that has been in print more or less for fif- 

 ty years, but the whole thing could be 

 furnished for 25 cents. 



Then there was a correspondence school 

 to give instruction in growing potatoes. I 

 wanted instructions particularly for my 

 use in Florida ; and the advertisement said 

 it would be given personally so as to fit the 

 need of any given locality. Well, the ini- 

 structions I got gave lentzthy details in re- 

 gard to the Colorado potato bug in Florida. 



