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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 17, 





THOMAS C. NEWMAN. 



Editor and proprietor, 

 CHICAGO, ILL., AUG. 17, 1881. 



Maple Sugar.— Mr. W. F. Standish, 



Evansville, Wis., gives the following 

 incident : 



Quite a large number of pails of 

 "Vermont maple sugar " were sold in 

 this village last spring. It being 

 only 14 cents a pound, I bought one to 

 melt up for syrup ; but on melting it 

 makes a sickish-tasting liquid, which 

 has a thick, cream-colored sediment. 

 We cannot use it, and a half pail of 

 the " sugar " now stands in the cellar. 

 It is fermenting and souring. Whether 

 it is sugar or glucose, I want no more 

 of it. I have no doubt that it would 

 kill bees. 



The trash you have purchased for 

 maple sugar is evidently the commer- 

 cial article— about seven-eighths glu- 

 cose. It is a "favorite" with the adul- 

 terators, because it is so profitable. 

 That "it kills" thousands of children 

 every year does not trouble their con- 

 sciences—" It is business, you know, 

 and we cannot help the results ; if we 

 don't do it some one else will." This 

 is the excuse we heard offered for such 

 diabolical action, only a few hours 

 ago. 



Marketing Extracted Honey. 



Mr. Win. C.Carson, Addison, N. Y., 

 asks for information concerning the 

 marketing of extracted honey, and 

 where he can obtain tin pails or cans, 

 if such are suitable. 



This is an important matter, for a 

 good article, attractively put up, will 

 always command the best price, and 

 it is, therefore, of the utmost impor- 

 tance to producers to have honey put 

 up in the best marketable shape. 



Of glass honey jars there are two 

 sizes, those holding, respectively, one 



dg" We have received No. 1 of anew 

 paper, published by II. A. Poole, Me- 

 chanic's Falls, Me. It is called the 

 "New England Bee Journal and Home 

 Gazette ;" 4 pages are devoted to bee- 

 culture and the other 4 to home mat- 

 ters, news, etc. The Gazette has our 

 best wishes for success in all earnest 

 endeavors to assist in elevating the 

 science of bee-culture in New England 

 and elsewhere. 



Local Fairs.— Bee-keepers attend- 

 ing fairs this fall should have a few 

 bee-keepers' manuals, etc., with their 

 exhibits. When taken in % dozen 

 lots by express, for this purpose-, we 

 will supply any or all kinds, or one or 

 two of each to make the half dozen, 

 at 30 per cent, discount. If wanted 

 by mail, add the postage. We do not 

 send any " on sale or return." We 

 will furnish copies of the Bee Jour- 

 nal free for distribution at fairs. 



f$3T On page 241 , in the 3d paragraph 

 of the article on " An Assistant for 

 the Apiary," read " The top of this 

 tool box is hinged" instead of shingled. 



(ST A single number of the Weekly 

 Bee Journal is often worth more 

 to a bee-keeper than a whole year's 

 subscription costs. Read what those 

 who have taken it for years say on 

 several pages of this Journal. 



^" We have prepared a SPECIAL 

 edition of the Bee Journal, just as 

 it will be published in 18S2(16 pages), 

 for distribution at Fairs, Conventions, 

 etc. Any one who may desire to dis- 

 tribute them to bee-keepers will be 

 supplied free, in any quantity they 

 may be able to judiciously use. 



Glass Honey Jars. 



or two pounds ; these are very con- 

 venient and attractive for small con- 

 sumers. Some also use the large glass 

 jars, but we do not think they are as 

 good as tin pails, such as are sold by 

 Ch. Dadant & Son, for several rea- 

 sons. We give the following from the 

 pamphlet entitled "Extracted Honey," 

 by Ch. & C. P. Dadant : 



Having failed to succeed in the 

 sale of honey in glass jars, on account 

 of the regular granulation of our 

 honey and its unattractive appearance 

 in glass, since it looked like butter, or 

 lard, or even worse, we concluded that 

 the only thing to be used for small re- 

 tail packages was tin. Small wooden 



A Nest of Tin Pails for Honey. 



packages were tried, and found inad- 

 equate, as the honey soaked or leaked, 

 more or less, through any of the 

 cheap packages that we could pro- 

 vide, unless they were coated with 

 wax, which made them too expensive. 

 But tin was entirely successful. We 

 already had the 10-pound pail, but this 

 was too large for a very large retail 

 grocery trade. We had a 5-pound pail 



made, which, though half of the for- 

 mer, was still found too large. A pail 

 half of this was then made. It was a 

 pretty little thing— a real toy— and 

 took well. But this was not small 

 enough for some customers, and at 

 the request of several grocers, we di- 

 vided it again, and now had a box of 

 ]Ji pounds. 



Mr. Heddon used earthen crocks 

 holding about 10 pounds, and he likes 

 them very well ; it is very convenient 

 to take the honey from them when it 

 is candied, or to liquify it by placing 

 the crock in warm water. 



For larger packages we know of 

 nothing superior to the spruce or 

 pine kegs. Of these there are 3 sizes, 

 holding, respectively, 50, 100, and 160 

 pounds of honey. When compared 

 with large barrels, holding from 300 to 

 500 pounds each , they are fully as cheap 

 and often cheaper. They need no 

 waxing, but should simply be thor- 

 oughly scalded with boiling water be- 

 fore being used. The leakage so often 

 occurring in the large hard-wood bar- 

 rels can be entirely prevented by 

 using spruce kegs. Considering the 

 cost and trouble of waxing, the loss 

 of honey by leakage, and the ease with 

 which these kegs can be handled and 

 shipped, with an actual saving in orig- 

 inal cost, it is apparent to all that they 

 are the best. The smaller packages 

 (jars or pails) should be labeled, and 

 made attractive. 



It is gratifying to know that during 

 the present season extracted honey has 

 been produced to a much larger ex- 

 tent than ever before. Without say- 

 ing anything to the disparagement of 

 comb honey, we may say that we think 

 it will become a staple only in the ex- 



Lecture at St. Joseph, Mo. 



We have consented to give a lecture 

 on "Bees and Honey," at the Court 

 House in St. Joseph, under the auspices 

 of the apiarian department of the St. 

 Joseph (Mo.) Inter-State Exposition, 

 on Thursday, Sept. 8, 1881, at 8 p. m. 

 R. S. Musser, Esq., the Superintend- 

 ent of the department of apiculture, 

 seems determined not only to have a 

 very fine display of bees, honey, apia- 

 rian implements, etc., but also to try 

 to elevate the science and beget a pro- 

 gressive spirit in the honey producers 

 of the Missouri Valley. 



We hope to see a large number of 

 the intelligent bee-keepers of the 

 Missouri Valley at this meeting ; we 

 shall endeavor to elucidate many 

 points of interest to those who keep 

 bees and produce honey. Let there 

 be a general rally. 



We have been solicited to lecture on 

 apicultural matters at several points 

 in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Mis- 

 souri, but shall be unable to do so this 

 fall, as we have other engagements. 



Small Keys for Honey. 



traded form. Its excellent qualities, 

 when it is better understood, will 

 bring it into almost universal favor. 



Every bee-keeper should fully sup- 

 ply his own locality, and he should let 

 it be distinctly understood that it is 

 the pure honey taken from the combs 

 by centrifugal force— that nothing is 

 added to it. and nothing taken from 

 it but the comb— that it is not the old- 

 fashioned " strained honey," which 

 was obtained by being taken from 

 smashed brood-combs, and "strained" 

 from dead bees, pollen, etc., but that 

 it is the pure liquid gathered from the 

 flowers, which will give health to the 

 body, force to the mind, and strength 

 to the intellect of those who use it. 



It should also be kept before consu- 

 mers that granulated honey can be re- 

 duced to its liquid state in a few mo- 

 ments by placing the honey in a jar in 

 warm water. When thus liquified 

 it so remains for some time before 

 again crystallizing. Consumers may 

 be sure of a wholesome article by pur- 

 chasing granulated honey and reduc- 

 ing it. 



The Honey Harvest of Switzerland. 



— The Bulletin DApiadteur, published 

 by Mons. Bertram!, in Nyon, Switzer- 

 land, has an extended review and co- 

 pious extracts from the pamphlet on 

 Extracted Honey, by C. H. & C. P. 

 Dadant. In a private letter, the edi- 

 tor of that paper remarks as follows : 



We have had a very hot summer, 

 with no rain for seven weeks. A few 

 nights since we had several earth- 

 quakes. Such a state of things has 

 not occurred since 1793. On account 

 of the cold winds in April and May, 

 our early crop of honey was only one- 

 half of the average ; but our mountain 

 crop will be very good. I expect this 

 year to obtain only about 3,000 or 3,500 

 pounds in my three apiaries. 



Mr. Bertrand (our friend and co- 

 I laborer) is one of the most scientific 

 and progressive apiarists in Europe. 

 He manages his bees in true American 

 fashion, and closely watches all our 

 improved methods in bee-culture and 

 for obtaining honey. He adds: "The 

 Weekly Bee Journal (though it is a 

 monthly when it comes to me) pleases 

 me very much, and I could not do with- 

 out it. It is, for me, the Standard." 



<^° It will pay to devote a few hours 

 in getting up a club for the Bee Jour- 

 nal. Read the list of premiums on 

 this page. Every bee-keeper should 

 take it. 



Honey and Bee Show in Canada. — 



At the Toronto Industrial Exhibi- 

 tion, Sept. 5-17, prizes for" Honeyand 

 Apiarian Supplies" are to be given to 

 the extent of $115, besides two medals 

 and six diplomas. 



igg" The Planters' Journal, published 

 at Vicksburg, Miss., is one of the 

 finest monthlies in the United States. 

 The August number is a model of 

 perfection, and a credit to " the art 

 preservative." We wish it abundant 

 success. 



Premiums.— Those who get up clubs 

 for the Weekly Bee Journal for 

 1882, will be entitled to the following 

 premiums : 



For a Club of »,— a copy of " Beea and Honey." 

 " " 3,— a Binder for I8t?2. 



" " 4,— Cook's Manual, paper. 



" " 5,— " cloth. 



" " 6,— Weekly Bee Journal for 1 year. 



W The Ninth Grand Exhibition of 

 Art and Industry will be open for the 

 reception of articles on Wednesday, 

 Aug. 17, to Tuesday evening, Sept. 6. 

 Open to the public from Wednesday, 

 Sept. 7, to Saturday, Oct. 8. 



