AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



849 



Producing Sugar-Honey.— 



This subject has been discussed in both 

 the Review and Gleanings, until the lat- 

 ter, at least, has wisely said, " no more 

 discussion is cared for at present." We 

 have persistently refused to permit a 

 discussion of the subject in the columns 

 of the American Bee Journal, believ- 

 ing that it was unnecessary, unwise, and 

 entirely uncalled for. All who have 

 written to us, or with whom we have 

 conversed on the subject, have com- 

 mended us very strongly upon our posi- 

 tion, except, we may say, Prof. Cook and 

 Bro. Hutchinson. 



We still believe that we have taken 

 the very wisest course in regard to the 

 matter, excepting that it bow seems that 

 some of our readers think that by our 

 silence we favor the production of 

 "sugar-honey," as its defenders are 

 pleased to call it. Nothing could be 

 further from the truth, for the American 

 Bee Journal is "agin" it first, last, and 

 all the time, and believes that the less 

 said about the subject the better. That 

 is our position, no matter whether the 

 production of such an article would be 

 profitable or not. 



The following conversational letter 

 from one of the brightest and best lights 

 in bee-keeping we offer as an excuse for 

 referring to the subject at all in these 

 columns. Omitting the name of the 

 writer only, it reads as follows : 



Friend York : — I have noticed you 

 have said nothing pro or con regarding 

 the sugar-honey discussion going on in 

 the other bee-papers, and that is the 

 very reason I mention it. I have been 

 requested to give my views on the sub- 

 ject, and this is the way it came about : 



Mr. 6., of this place, who is about 60 

 years old, and a great bee-keeper, came 

 in with Gleanings in one hand, and the 

 Review in the other, and said : 



"Say, look here, are we to believe, by 

 the silence of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal, that Messrs. York, Newman, you, 

 and the rest of the big family of the 

 American Bee Journal are in favor of 

 that sugar-honey swindle ?" 



" Oh, no, Mr. G., oh, no," I replied. 



" Well, it looks very much like it, as I 

 have always been taught that to be 



silent was to give consent ; and I have 

 followed the Bee Journal all along the 

 line of adulteration, and have endorsed 

 its views on that subject from the begin- 

 ning, and I have always thought that it 

 was the most solid for the right, and the 

 most ready to storm out like a peal of 

 thunder against wrong,of any I ever saw. 

 And we have always looked upon the 

 American Bee Journal as the leading 

 bee-paper of the world, always ready to 

 defend the bee-keeping interest, and 

 ready to discuss leading topics. Now, if 

 this sugar-honey business is not a lead- 

 ing topic, and leading bee-keepers to 

 destruction as fast as the Mississippi 

 river is leading its waters to the sea, 

 then I am fooled. And here you all sit, 

 with the most influential means in your 

 grasp — the American Bee Journal 

 asleep. Wake up, and fight this old 

 serpent, just as if you wern't afraid of 

 Hutchinson, Hasty, Cook, or any one 

 else, and live without fear or favor from 

 any one." 



"Well, Mr. G., you see I would rather 

 not say one word about it, at present 

 anyway, as I would rather let those that 

 started the fight end it. Why don't you 

 sit down and write to the Bee Journal 

 all about it ?" 



"Ah, you know I can't write anything 

 — couldn't say what I wanted to say if I 

 tried. Now, you say a little something 

 about it, and may be you will start the 

 ball to rolling," he answered. 



The above is not all the conversation, 

 but it is enough, I hope. Mr. G. is what 

 people call a pretty long-headed old gen- 

 tleman, if I am allowed such an expres- 

 sion, and he rather stirred me up a 

 little, anyway. I am glad to see you 

 have vetoed the discussion. 



My own opinion is as follows : From 

 a long experience in feeding bees, I have 

 learned that, by feeding sugar syrup, or 

 anything else to the bees, does not in the 

 least change it. You may feed a colony 

 of bees a barrel of sugar syrup, and it is 

 no more honey after than before feeding. 

 Of course, when the syrup is stored in 

 the combs, and used as comb honey, the 

 beeswax flavor goes along with it, which 

 may make it taste a little like honey, 

 but, even then I should think it would 

 be a very poor bee-keeper, indeed, that 

 could not readily detect it. I think the 

 cow will have to jump over the moon be- 

 fore I will believe that the bees have the 

 power to convert sugar syrup into any- 

 thing that even resembles honey, to me. 

 I will add, that I believe that those 

 who are using the press to argue this 

 question, are doing wrong, and walking 



