THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mar. 2, 



The law on Food Adulteration. 



THOMAS C. NEWMAN, 



Editor and Proprietor, 

 CHICAGO, ILL., MAR. 2, 1881. 



Do Bees Puncture Fruit? 



Editor Journal: The following 

 complimentary notice of the Weekly 

 Bee Journal is condensed from the 

 Lancaster Fanner : 



" The Bee Journal enjoys the en- 

 viable reputation of having been the 

 first periodical exclusively devoted to 

 apiculture in America, and it is, at this 

 time, the only weekly paper devoted to 

 that specialty in the world ! It is a 

 remarkably clean and clear print, and 

 we commend it to our patrons and the 

 public. Each number contains eight 

 pages, well filled with the most ably 

 conducted bee literature in this or any 

 other country. The Weekly will be ac- 

 ceptable to the old patrons of the Bee 

 Journal (and their names ought to be 

 "legion") not only in America, but 

 wherever the English language can be 

 read, or bee culture pursued. And here 

 we would respectfully suggest that so 

 able a specialist as the editor of this 

 Journal should solve the problem, if 

 possible, whether bees do really tear 

 open and destroy the pulp of grapes or 

 not. That charge rests upon them here- 

 abouts, whether true or false, and we 

 would like to have the sentiments of 

 those who are able to speak with author- 

 ity upon this much mooted subject. " 



The reader will observe the invitation 

 of its editor, for a free discussion, 

 " Whether bees injure or destroy sound 

 grapes?" and as the impression prevails 

 m some localities that they do, it is 

 hoped that the subject will receive 

 through the columns of the Journal 

 the attention it deserves. 



Pine Grove, Pa. W. H. Stout. 



The editor would remark that he is 

 unable just now to solve the problem. 

 Many able and experienced apiarists 

 state that they have tested the matter, 

 by placing grapes already punctured be- 

 fore the bees, and when they were busily 

 engaged in sipping the juice therefrom, 

 that they had removed the punctured 

 fruit and put sound grapes in their 

 place ; and that in no case did the bees 

 puncture the sound fruit. 



On the other hand, many grape-grow- 

 ers assert, as positively, that they do 

 puncture the sound fruit. In some 

 cases, however, they have since admit- 

 ted that upon closer examination they 

 found the grapes had been previously 

 wounded by wasps or other insects. 



The question, then, must be settled 

 by observation, acute and critical ; and 

 we invite those who have witnessed any 

 depredations of this sort to state the 

 matter in the Bee Journal. We do 

 not want theories ; but positive wit- 

 nesses, or physiological reasons why 

 bees cannot commit the offenses charged 

 against them. 



We want the facts— whether it be for 

 or against the bees — to ascertain the 

 truth is our only object. If bees can 

 and do commit such depredations, then 

 we must protect our neighbors, or re- 

 move our bees to places where they can- 

 not annoy them personally nor destroy 

 their fruit, unless the fact be established 

 that they recompense for all damages, 

 by the timely assistance they render in 

 the fructification of all fruit germs. If 

 they do not. we want to be able to con- 

 vince our horticultural friends that they 

 are wrongfully charging mischief to 

 the bees. 



The following letter on this subject is 

 from Dr. N. P. Allen : 



Smith's Grove, Ky. 



I am much interested in the articles 

 on adulteration in the Bee Journal. 

 All consumers are interested in having 

 food adulteration prohibited, and bee- 

 keepers should use all their influence to 

 have such a law passed as soon as pos- 

 sible. We need a general law, to include 

 every kind of adulteration, attaching a 

 heavy penalty, to be divided between 

 the informant and the government. A 

 special law, such as we have in Ken- 

 tucky, is valueless— a failure. The 

 English law, as given in the Bee Jour- 

 nal, is to the point as far as it goes, 

 but I would have it embrace all com- 

 mercial articles, for we suffer by the 

 adulteration of almost every artice we 

 purchase. 



The enforcement of the law is the 

 difficult portion, hence the necessity of 

 paying the informer liberally for bring- 

 ing the guilty parties to justice. A suf- 

 ficient number of chemists should be 

 appointed in every State to analyze ar- 

 ticles presented for that purpose, and 

 every thing should be sold under its 

 right name. N. P. Allen. 



" Aye," Doctor, " there's the rub ;" 

 these chemists are not above reproach— 

 they too, can be bought or bribed, or 

 are either incompetent or too lazy to 

 make a proper analysis. A case in point 

 occurred in this city only last week. A 

 manufacturer purchased a barrel of 

 honey, and upon finding it granulated, 

 he concluded that it was adulterated. 

 (He had hitherto been using that not 

 granulated.) He applied to a chemist, 

 and that functionary decided (without 

 analysis), that it was about one-half 

 glucose. We were then appealed to 

 and informed the manufacturer that 

 the granulation was of itself proof of 

 purity. 



By such indolence, and may we add, 

 ignorance, will not the average chemist 

 often decide contrary to the facts in the 

 case, and thus make the law of no avail? 

 Another case in point occurred in this 

 city during the past month— where an 

 official, by a series of excuses, put off 

 the informant, (for we have a city law 

 against the butter fraud), intendingap- 

 parently to wear him out, and defeat 

 the enforcement of the law. 



It will require the closest scrutiny 

 and the most practical knowledge, to 

 make a law that will be successful in 

 driving to the wall, the unscrupulous 

 adulterators. We must confess we have 

 but little faith in the law before con- 

 gress, and if passed, we fear that it will 

 prove more of a snare than a blessing. 



est in bee-culture in that state and sell 

 their supplies. It will no doubt accom- 

 plish its mission. 



The following Circulars and Price 

 Lists are on our desk. 



D. 8. Given, Hoopeston, 111.— 18 pages, descriptive 

 of his comb foundation press and wired frames. 



Riegel & Drum, Adelphi, O.— An 8 page price list of 

 bee-keepers' supplies. 



Paul L. Viallon, Bayou Goula. La- 16 page price 

 list of implements for the apiary. 



J. E. Moore, Byron, N. Y.— 4 pages, descriptive of 

 his Perfection Honey Box, &c. 



W.J.Davis, Voungsville.Pa.— 3 page price list of 

 Italian Queens and Bees. 



Hiram Roop, Carson City, Mich.— 1 page— Italian 

 Bees, Hives, Ac. 



J. P. Moore, Morgan, Ky.— 1 page— Italian Queens 

 and Bees. 



Williamson & Bro., Lexington, Ky.-32 pages— Lum- 

 ber and Bee-keepers' Supplies. 



M. Richardson, Port Colborne, Ontario Canada.— 

 8 pages— General Supplies for the Apiary. 



J. A. Osborn, Rantoul, 111.— 4 pages-Implements 

 for the Apiary. 



A. E. Manum, Bristol, Vt.— 32 pages— General Bee- 

 keepers' Supplies. 



Frances Dunham, Depere, Wis.— It. pages— Comb 

 Foundation, Machines, and Apiarian Supplies. 



Alfred H. Newman, Chicago, 111.— 32 pages— Bees, 

 Implements for the Apiary, Books, &e. 



G. M. Doolittle, Borodino, N. Y.— 12 pages— Bee- 

 Keepers' Club List, Queens, &c. 



S. E. Stauffer, Adamstown, Pa.— 1 page— Poultry 

 and Bees. 



J. D. Enas, Napa, Cal.— 1 page— Italian bees, queens, 

 hives, &e. 



James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.— 20 pages, describ- 

 ing his hive, and giving prices of supplies generally. 

 F. L. Dougherty, Indianapolis. Ind,— 12 pages— Bee- 

 keepers' supplies, bees, queens, &c. 



Edward B. Beebee, Oneida, N. Y.— 12 pages— Cyp- 

 rian, Syrian and Italian Bees, &c. 



D. A. Pike, Smithsburg, Md.— 4 pages— Albino and 

 Italian bees and queens. 



C H. Lake, Baltimore, Md.— 2rt pages— Apiarian 

 Supplies and Club List for bee papers. 



J. F. Hart, Union Point, Ga.— 8 pages— Hives, 

 Frames, and Bee-keepers' supplies. 



F. W. Holmes. Coopersville, Mich. — 4 pages— Comb 

 Foundation, Extractors, Smokers, &c. 



Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta, Ga.— 26 pages— Italian 

 and Cyprian Bees, and Apiarian Supplies generally. 



(^ This issue of the Bee Journal, 

 the first in the month, goes to all the 

 subscribers of the Weekly, Monthly 

 and Semi-Monthly. Should any of the 

 latter wish to change to the Weekly, 

 they can do so at any time, by paying 

 the difference. 



New Publications and Price Lists. 



igg" Right glad are we to welcome the 

 Rev. L. L. Langstroth to our corps of 

 correspondents. Having in some meas- 

 ure been restored to health, he immedi- 

 ately grasps his pen, and the article en- 

 titled "Stingless Bees," on page 67 of 

 this Journal, is the result. Nearly 

 two years have elapsed since he last 

 wrote, but he knows nothing of the in- 

 tervening time — hence the repetition of 

 some things found in our remarks in 

 Nos. 1 and 2 of the Weekly Bee Jour- 

 nal. With his active brain and ready 

 intellect, he will very soon grasp the 

 whole, and catch up. 



Food Adulteration.— The Sural New 

 Yorker, remarks as follows upon the 

 subject : 



The adulteration of food, condiments 

 and beverages, has become an immense 

 business from which some people derive 

 very respectable profits. 



Many people would not seriously 

 object to eating oleomargarine, know- 

 ing it to be such, but they do object to 

 eating it for butter. When sold as oleo- 

 margarine it is well enough, for when 

 properly manufactured it is much more 

 wholesome and nutritious than poor 

 butter. 



Pulverized sugar has many properties 

 that would not make it " half so sweet " 

 if we knew what they were. The pres- 

 ence of certain acids is necessary in 

 order to correct the dull, yellow color of 

 the cane sugar, and glucose is now 

 largely used in sugar manufacture ; so 

 largely, indeed, in one instance that it 

 is said a single firm in one year realized 

 as profits $1,000,000 on a capital of $400, 

 000. Glucose syrup mixed with low 

 grade molasses makes an excellent 

 golden syrup, which sells well in market, 

 or when allowed to harden it can be 

 ground up and mixed with low-grade 

 dark-brown sugar, and a substance re- 

 sults having the appearance of a refined, 

 light-brown sugar, though not quite as 

 sweet. 



And so we might go on through the 

 list, finding in confectionery almost ev- 

 ery metalic poison known to science ; 

 in coffee, various quantities of chicory 

 and other substances ; in certain teas, 

 35 per cent, of poisonous substances ; 

 in pickles, blue vitriol and alum ; in 

 pepper, mustard husks, etc., to the 

 extent in an extreme case, of 98 pounds 

 to 2 pounds of pure pepper, and in vine- 

 gar corrosive sublimate was found. It 

 is gratifying to know that, in some sec- 

 tions of the country, not only individ- 

 uals but corporations are becoming thor- 

 oughly awakened to this kind of fraud 

 and imposition, and are waging an un- 

 relenting warfare against it, and we 

 trust that at no distant day such pre- 

 ventive means will be used as that no 

 article shall be sold, in quantities large 

 or small, under any other name than its 

 proper one. 



"Extracted Honey; Harvesting, 

 Handling and Marketing." This is the 

 title of a 24 page pamphlet, by C. & C. 

 P. Dadant, Hamilton, 111., price 15 cts 

 This gives in detail the methods and 

 management adopted in their apiary. 

 It contains many good and useful hints 

 and is well worth the price. 



Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers, 

 by Chas. F. Muth, Cincinnati, Ohio ; 32 

 pages, 10 cents.— This pamphlet gives 

 Mr. Muth's views on the management 

 of bees, and embraces several of his 

 essays given at Conventions, &c. It 

 will be read with interest by beginners 

 as well as those more advanced in the 

 science of bee-culture. 



The Kansas Bee-Keeper is to be 

 issued monthly by Scovell & Anderson, 

 Columbus, Kan. It contains 4 pages, 

 about two being reading matter, and is 

 evidently intended to wake up an inter- 



ior" Can I put in my advertisement 

 once each month and reach all the read- 

 ers of the Bee Journal ?" This is a 

 question that is asked by several. Of 

 course you can. The first issue in every 

 month goes to every subscriber — month- 

 ly, semi-monthly and weekly. But as 

 19 out of every 20 of all our subscribers 

 take the weekly, it is a matter of small 

 moment which week an advertisement 

 is inserted. Those who are too poor to 

 take a weekly, or those who are not 

 enough interested in the art to get and 

 read it, will not benefit an advertiser 

 very much. Advertisements may be 

 inserted every other week, or once a 

 month, or weekly, as desired. 



g'ffe can supply but a few more of 



the back numbers to new subscribers. 



If any want them, they must be sent for 



soon. 



■ — i^ii 



^•Instead of sending silver money in 



letters, procure 1, 2 or 3 cent stamps. 



We can use them, and it is safer to send 



such than silver. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1881. Time and Place 0/ Meeting. 



March 12— Mills Co., Iowa, atGlenwood, Iowa. 

 April 2— S. W. Iowa, at Corning, Iowa. 



5— Central Kentucky, at Winchester, Ky. 



Wm. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. 

 7— Union Association, at Eminence, Ky. 



E. Drane, Sec. pro tem., Eminence, Ky. 

 7— N. W. Ohio, at Delta. Ohio. 

 13— N. W. Missouri, at St. Joseph, Mo. 



D. G. Parker, Pres., St. Joseph. Mo. 

 May 4— Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valley, at Cam 

 bridge, Guernsey Co., O. 



J. A. Bucklew, Sec, Clarks, O. 

 5 — Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. 

 10— Gortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y. 



C M. Bean, Sec. McGrawville, N. Y. 

 11— S. W. Wisconsin, at Darlington, Wis. 



N. E. France, Sec, Platteville. Wis. 



Sept. National, at Lexington, Ky. 



•-Kentucky State, at Louisville, Ky. 

 Oct. 18 -Ky. State, in Exposition B'd'g.Louisville.Ky. 

 W. Williamson, Sec, Lexington, Ky. 



13T In order to have this Table complete. Secreta- 

 ries are requested to forward full particulars of time 

 and place of future meetings.— ED. 



^" The next meeting of the N. W. 

 Illinois and S. W. Wisconsin Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, will be held at H. W. 

 Lee's, 2 miles n.w. of Pecatonica, Win- 

 nebago county, Ills., on the 17th of May, 

 1881. J. Stewart, Sec. 



account of unfavorable weath- 

 er the convention at Monroe Centre, 

 111., met on Feb. 8, and there being but 

 few present, adjourned to the same 

 place on March 29, 1881. 



A. Rice, Pres. 



Premiums. — For a club of 2, weekly 

 we will give a copy of "Bee-Culture ;" 

 for a club of 5, leeekly, we will give a 

 copy of " Cook's Manual," bound in 

 cloth ; for a club of 6, we give a copy of 

 the Journal for a year free. Do not 

 forget that it will pay to devote a few 

 hours to the Bee Journal. 



