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GLEANESfGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1 



WEDDING BELLS. 



Gabx>s are out announcing the marriage 

 of Miss Mary Hibbs Geisler to Dr. Everett 

 Franklin Phillips, on the 27th of October 

 last. Dr. Phillips, of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, is too well known 

 to need any introduction to our readers. 

 Mrs. Phillips, like her husband, is a trained 

 entomologist, both having graduated from 

 the University of Pennsylvania, and both 

 having taken post-graduate courses. The 

 <'0uple will be at home after Jan. 1, at the 

 Nansemond, 22d and N. Sts., N. W., Wash- 

 ington. Gleanings offers its sincerest con- 

 gratulations and best wishes. 



THE SBW NATIONAL PURE-FOOD LAW; ITS 

 PROTISIONS, PENALTIES, AND SCOPE. 



The Hepburn pure-food bill, one of the 

 most important measures that ever passed 

 C/'ongress, became a law on June 30 of this 

 year, but will not be in force until January 

 i. 1907. I have before me a copy of the law, 

 and the rules and regulat ons applying to 

 said law as they were prepared by the Secre- 

 fcaries of the Treasury, of Agriculture, and of 

 (bmmerce and Labor. That the new law 

 has "teeth" in it, can not be denied. It is 

 going to do more to wipe out adulteration 

 and misbranding than any thing that has 

 ever been done before in half a century. 

 While in a sense it is restricted to interstate 

 and territorial business, yet its practical 

 working effect will be to prevent the dishon- 

 est food and medicine purveyors from doing 

 Imsiness in any State, whether it has a pure- 

 food law or not. No glucose mixer or adul- 

 terator, after Jan. 1st next, will dare put his 

 goods on the market again; for if he does he 

 is liable to run up against Uncle Sam in a 

 way that will not only subject him to a heavy 

 tine, but may put him behind the bars where 

 he will stay for a time. It is a well-known 

 fajOt that law-breakers are far more afraid of 

 United States officials than mere State offi- 

 cers. , - 



It is vitally necessary that every bee-keep- 

 er and honey-seller know something about 

 this new law. Even honest men might inad- 

 vertently become entrapped; and it is impor- 

 tant, alike for both the law-abiding as well 

 as the would-be law-breaker to know what 

 the law is. 



In a general way it makes it a crime agamst 

 the United States to misbrand or adulterate 

 any food product, medicine, or liquor, with- 

 (jut showing the exact contents on the out- 

 side of the package. In any State where 

 there is no pure-food law one may adulterate 

 and misbrand as before, providing his prod- 

 ucts do not go beyond the limits of that State. 

 But the moment they pass beyond the border- 

 line into another State he is liable to fine 

 and imprisonment. There is where the rub 

 is. Inasmuch as it would be impossible to 

 do a strictly within-the-State business, the 



§raotical working effect of the law would be 

 lat misbranding and adulterating will have 

 to atop on every foot of ground owned or 

 controlled by any State or by the United 



States as a whole. The law goes further. 

 One can not adulterate or misbrand goods 

 that are to be used for export into a foreign 

 country without taking fearful chances. 



PENALTIES. 



Any person who shall violate any provi- 

 sion of this law relating to an interstate or 

 territorial business shall be guilty of a mis- 

 demeanor, and shall, on conviction, be fined 

 not to exceed $500, or be sentenced to one 

 year's imprisonment, or both; such fine and 

 imprisonment to be at the discretion of the 

 court. F<jr each subsequent offense and con- 

 viction he shall be fined not less than $1000, 

 or sentenced to one year's imprisonment, or 

 both, at the discretion of the court. 



The penalty for exporting misbranded or 

 adulterated goods will be $200 for the first 

 offense, and $500 for a succeeding offense, or 

 to be imprisoned one year, or both, at the 

 discretion of the court. 



GUARANTEE OF PURITY REQUIRED. 



A special feature of this bill is that no 

 dealer in food or drug products will be liable 

 to prosecution if he can show that the goods 

 were sold under a guarantee of purity from 

 the wholesaler, manufacturer, jobber, dealer, 

 or other party residing in the United States, 

 from whom purchased. It is proper to re- 

 mark right here that it is very important 

 that every pui'chaser of honey or beeswax se- 

 cure from each wholesaler, jobber, or pro- 

 ducer, that the goods purchased are guaran- 

 teed by him to be pure. In the event that it 

 is found afterward that they are adulterated 

 or misbranded, the presentation of this guar- 

 antee by the dealer will protect him, when 

 proceedings will be taken up against the 

 maker of the guarantee, and he, in turn, as I 

 understand the law, can go back to the orig- 

 inal producer, provided, of course, that he 

 in turn is protected also by a guarantee of 

 purity from said producer. As I understand 

 it, this guarantee will not apply in any case 

 where the original package in which the 

 goods wei'e received has been broken and the 

 goods have been put into other packages. 



It will come to pass that, before a sale can 

 be consummated, a guarantee of purity will 

 have to be furnished. When the examination 

 or analysis shows that the food or drugs are 

 adulterated, the dealer furnishing such goods 

 shall be duly notified. 



PROCEDURE WHEN ADULTERATION OR MIS- 

 BRANDING HAS BEEN DETECTED BY A 

 UNITED STATES OFFICER. 



Section 4 of the law is liberal toward the 

 suspected offender in that it gives him a 

 chance for a hearing before the actual pen- 

 alty is applied. When examination or anal- 

 ysis shows that he is possibly or probably guil- 

 ty, notice is served to him or to the parties 

 from whom he obtained the goods, or who 

 executed the guarantee as provided in the 

 law. A date is fixed by the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, or such other official connected 

 with the food and drug inspection service as 

 may be commissioned by him for that pur- 

 pose, when a hearing shall be held. Said 



