AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



697 



The Adulteration of Honey — 

 Shall it be Stopped i 



Written for the Amerir.an Bee Journal 

 BY THOMAS 6. NEWMAN. 



After carefully reading the article by 

 Prof. A. J. Cook, on page 663 of the 

 Bee Journal for this week, I would 

 like to say that I fully agree with him 

 as to the crime committed by those who 

 adulterate honey and sell it as genuine. 

 And since the price of glucose has kept 

 pace with the price of honey in its 

 downward course, the villainous practices 

 of adulterators have increased consider- 

 ably. It is therefore a necessity to use 

 every practical method to crush the 

 viper which is seeking to destroy our 

 honorable pursuit. 



Prof. Cook has made an excellent sug- 

 gestion about the enactment of a United 

 States law against adulteration. The 

 Hon. R. L. Taylor is just the person to 

 frame such a law, and I feel sure that 

 he will do it. Then, at the Capital we 

 have influential friends, who can aid us. 

 A wonderful amount of assistance can 

 be given to such a measure by Assistant 

 Secretary Willits, of the Department of 

 Agriculture (formerly President of the 

 Michigan Agricultural College) ; Dr. C. 

 V. Riley, Chief of the Division of Ento- 

 mology, and Mr. Prank Benton, the 

 Apiarist of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, as well as several others I might 

 name, who are located at head-quarters. 



But there should be no attempt to 

 conceal the fact that it will take money 

 to have some one go to Washington and 

 press the passage of such an Act of 

 Congress. Are bee-keepers willing to 

 put their hands down into their pockets 

 and furnish the "sinews of war" for 

 this purpose ? If so, it can be done ! To 

 accompish it, three things are neces- 

 sary, and without these it will be totally 

 useless to make any move in that direc- 

 tion, and these are : 



First, a determination to succeed. 



There must be no half-hearted, " milk- 

 and-water" fighting — no dilatory tactics, 

 nor foolish sensitiveness. We must go 

 in for " war to the knife," and as the 

 old and somewhat inelegant maxim very 

 forcibly expresses it — "fight the Devil 

 with fire." Unless an enthusiasm can 

 be worked up which will begin and end 

 with a fearless determination to crush 

 out the viper — do not think of doing 

 anything at all ! Just lie still and let 

 the monster of iniquity triumph ! Let it 

 mount the pursuit like a dung-hill, and 

 lustily "crow" over the cowards who 

 dare not defend their chosen vocation ! 



Secondly, money must be available. 

 Without it, determination is but bluster, 

 and indignation is only a mockery ! If 

 5,000. bee-keepers will rise in their 

 might and majesty, and each present a 

 dollar to prosecute this work, then suc- 

 cess is possible. If only 500 are brave 

 enough to do so, out of the 300,000 

 bee-keepers of America, and 299,500 

 lag behind like cowards — then drop the 

 matter right here, and submit to the 

 degredation and ruination which must 

 result to the apicultural profession ! 



Thirdly, above all, a vigorous, pushing 

 leader is indispensable. He should be 

 young, full of enthusiasm, and possess 

 the magnetism which will draw the 

 forces after him. Of course he must be 

 cautious, and always on the alert — able 

 to meet the deceptive tactics of the oppo- 

 sition, and check-mate all the moves of 

 the enemy. With such a leader, mar- 

 shalling on the forces, 5,000 strong, 

 with money for full equipment, there is 

 no telling what might not be done. 



Now, what will apiarists in general 

 say to this ? Reader, are you ready for 

 the fray ? If so, let us hear from you 

 at once. There is no time to be lost, if 

 the work is to be done at the next ses- 

 sion of Congress. 



I would thank Prof. Cook for his 

 words of approbation for the . gratuitous 

 work I have successfully done as Gen- 

 eral Manager of the National Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Union. Evidently the Union in- 

 tends to take no steps for a change, so as 

 to take up this work as suggested soma, 

 time since — for not even one response to 

 that appeal has been heard. I suggested 

 a way to accomplish the work, but no 

 action has been taken so far as J have 

 heard. Perhaps that settles the matter 

 in that direction. 



As the Professor suggests that 1 take 

 the management of the prosecutions of 

 adulterators, let me add that though I 

 am much improved in health since last 

 spring, still I have not the energy one 



