1176 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



market by French mantifaclurers. The most common 

 is called Bar-le-Duc. I notice in the ABC many rec- 

 ipes for using- honey in cookinK. hut none for pre- 

 serves. A reply in Gleanings would be much ap- 

 preciated. H. C. King. 

 Benson, Neb. 



^^'hen the above letter was sent to iiie I 

 wrote to the Sprague-Waruer Coixipaiiy. 

 Chicago, wholesale grocers, and receiveil the 

 following reply: 



Dear Sir: — Your letter of the 17th, with inclosure, 

 was duly received and referred to the writer; but ow- 

 injr to his absence from the city it was held in abey- 

 ance, awaitintr his return. Referring to the use of 

 honey in the preparation of preserves, it is not gener- 

 ally used in this country, we presume, partially owing 

 to the higher price it brings on the market as com- 

 pared with sugar. We presume that, as a preserving 

 medium, it probably would add somewhat to the fla- 

 vor of the goods in the composition of which it might 

 be used, and possibly is so used by the housewife in 

 her home cooking, but probably to a limited extent. 

 We think this is largely due to the fact that honey is 

 not generally obtainable for use in homes, except at a 

 considerably higher price than other sweetening 

 agents. 



Bar-le-Duc is prepared in Prance and shipped to 

 this country, being nothing more nor less than red or 

 white currants preserved in honey. The seeds, how- 

 ever, are first extracted from the currants; conse- 

 (luently. as you probably know, it makes that item 

 too high priced to be of general use, it being found 

 only in the homes of the more wealthy class and more 

 select clubs provided with restaurant facilities. 



In our own business we prepare a white cherry, 

 pitted, preserved in honey, for which there is a limit- 

 ed sale. 



There is no doubt that, if the proper kind of mis- 

 sionary work were done, the use of honey as a pre- 

 serving medium could be largely increased. 



Sprague- Warner Co., 



by J. C. Puetz, Manager. 



I also wrote to the Austin Nichols Co.. 

 wholesale grocers, New York, who replied 

 as follows: 



Df'ar Sir:— In answer to yours of the 17th we would 

 refer you to the Arm of G. B. Raffetto, 412 West Thir- 

 teenth St., as packers of Bar-le-Duc jelly. These peo- 

 ple are impoi-ters and packers of various fruits, and 

 can give you all the information you desire. 



Austin Nichols Co., 

 per H. B. Coulter. 



Upon receipt of the alcove I wrote to Mr. 

 Raffetto, and received the following letter: 



Bear Sir:— With reference to your favor of the 21st, 

 I beg to state that Bar-le-Duc is not preserved with 

 honey but with sugar only. I have been in France, 

 and have visited some preserve-factories, but I have 

 never heard of nor seen any honey used in manufac- 

 turing Bar-le-Duc. None of my other fruits are pre- 

 served with honey. G. R. Ratfetto. 



Upon inquiry I found Bar-le-Duc at all the 

 first-class groceries. It comes in a glass 

 tumbler holding about four ounces, and re- 

 tails at 25 cts.. white and red, imported and 

 domestic. One way of serving it is to pour 

 it over Neuchatei cheese, for w^hich a charge 

 of 75 cts. is made. It certainly is fine eat- 

 ing. Imt its cost limits it to the class Mr. 

 Puetz mentions. 



With regard to the white cherry mention- 

 ed by Mr. Puetz, I had the good 'fortune to 

 meet their "man" in Columbus, and sam- 

 pled the goods, which were in a good state 

 of preservation and of an elegant fiavor. 

 They were put up in plain clear glass jars, 

 in two sizes — in pint and quart, and I'etail 

 for 35 and (35 cts. respectively. I was told 

 they were preserved by a firm in California, 

 probably by "BLshop." 



Our own experience here in our home has 

 been very satisfactory in the use of honey in 



canning anil making preserves. Of course, 

 we do nothing in a commercial way, ])ut 

 every year Mrs. McGlade puts vip whatever 

 fruits she desires, in honey — strawlierries, j 

 currants, peaches, canned, preserved, and I 

 jellies. Strawberries preserved in honey ' 

 ai'e about as fine eating as I ever expect to 

 get in this life. As to the keeping qualities 

 we have them of various ages — two and 1 

 three years old. and none spoil. The fruit ' 

 is handled the same as when sugar is used. 

 We have put the honey over the fruit and 

 let it stand all night l)efore cooking: again 

 after the fruit is cooked the honey has been 

 put in. Either way proved entirely satis- 

 factory. We use about the same amount o- 

 honey as of sugar. If you can make pref 

 serves, jellies, and jams with .sugar you can 

 with honey. There certainlj- is an excellent 

 field here for an enterprise in a commercial 

 Avay which can not help yielding large re- 

 turns. The people are willing to buy that 

 of which they have the assurance of purity. 

 Hebron, O. 



[About a year ago Mr. Frank McGlade 

 called upon us and left in our oflice a couple 

 of jars of peaches canned in honey liy his- i 

 wife. These got shoved over to one side, 

 and were not discovered till recently; but I 

 took them over home and tested the peaches. 

 I am glad to say they were fine, having a 

 distinct fiavor of honey. As we are just now 

 right in the mid.st of the canning season. I 

 would suggest that our l)ee-keeping women 

 test honey for this purpose. — Ed.] 



FACTS TO SUPPORT THEORIES. 



Do Bees Hear? 



BY D. C. LEACH. 



I see the question. "Do bees hear?" is oft- 

 en referred to in Gleanings. I do not see 

 how any person, familiar with the habits of 

 bees, can doulit that they not only hear Ijut 

 that they have a keen sense of hearing. 

 Here is an incident that seems to me to have 

 a direct bearing on the (jiiestion. 



Some years ago. late in the spring. I founil 

 a colony of bees dead, and moved the hive 

 to the storeroom. A few days later, when 

 taking the frames from the hive I found a 

 live queen. It occurred to me then that I 

 had a colony which was queenless, in which 

 a few l)ees were still alive. I took the queen 

 to the queenless colony anil I'emoved the 

 cover, and found less than half a dozen bees 

 in sight. Two or three wei'e standing to- 

 gether, and by them I placed the queen. In- 

 stantly they saluted her and raised their 

 wings in a joyful sound. Immediately, from 

 all parts of the hive, came the few scattered 

 bees, every one on the run, aiitl wings in 

 rapid motion. In less time than it takes 

 to write a dozen words, every bee in the 

 hive stood near the (]ueen. evidently in a per- 

 fectly blissful state. In no other way than 

 by sound coukl they have l)een notified so 

 quickly that their mother was found. Sure- 



