AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



861 



^~ Do not write anything for publication 

 on the same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Honey of Fine Quality, Etc. 



I have 22 colonies of bees in eight and 

 ten frames, plain Simplicity hives. I 

 did not get a big crop this year, but it 

 was of very fine quality of comb honey. 

 I work for comb honey alone. I have 

 given particular attention to my bees 

 for two years, although I have had a 

 few bees for 18 or 20 years, and I have 

 found a great many bee-trees in past 

 years. I have learned a great amount 

 from the American Bee Journal in the 

 last 12 months. J. E. Enyart. 



McFalls, Mo., Dec. 17, 1892. 



Feeding Sugar Syrup. 



On page 796, Mr. Reeves, of Carmi, 

 Ills., in speaking of honey from sugar 

 syrup, says: "It was simply syrup 

 without the taste of honey to it." I was 

 sorry to see that, for though possibly in 

 part true, it was misleading. In case 

 an inferior article of sugar is fed, the 

 flavor of the sugar kills the honey- 

 flavor, and the honey would be called 

 " sugar syrup ;" but if pure cane-sugar 

 was used, then the honey would not be 

 even thought of as syrup, but as honey. 

 I took some such honey to the recent 

 Lansing convention of the Michigan 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association, and two 

 of the best apiarists and judges of 

 honey in the country pronounced it 

 honey, and of excellent reputation. 



I say fearlessly, and positively, that 

 honey from pure cane-sugar syrup can- 

 not be told from honey. The bees 

 change it, and add so many of the lead- 

 ing characteristics of all other honey, 

 that no one will think it is aught but 

 honey. See my article on this subject 

 to appear in Gleanings for Jan. 1, 1893. 

 A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



[As the matter of feeding sugar syrup 

 for the production of so-called " sugar- 



honey " has been pretty thoroughly ven- 

 tilated in both the Review and Gleanings 

 recently, it is hardly worth while to go 

 over the same ground in the Bee Jour- 

 nal, especially as there are now so 

 many other topics of greater importance 

 to bee-keepers that should receive atten- 

 tion. Nearly all agree that even if it 

 might prove profitable to thus feed 

 sugar, it would almost certainly be too 

 dangerous and risky a thing to do for 

 the good of the pursuit of bee-keeping. 

 There is no need of trying to walk safely 

 over quicksands, when we know there is 

 a pathway where safety is unquestioned. 

 Two of the more important questions 

 just now "before the house" are, 

 "Adulteration of Honey" and "Gov- 

 ernment Aid to Apiculture." Others 

 could be named, but Prof. Cook has said 

 that these two are the questions, so let 

 us devote our thought and efforts to 

 them. See editorial on page 849. — Ed.] 



Report for the Season of 1892. 



I commenced the season of 1892 with 

 38 good, strong colonies of bees, and 

 secured 150 pounds of comb honey and 

 100 pounds of extracted. I had about 

 20 swarms, but doubled back and did 

 not increase any. I enter the winter of 

 1892-93 with 34 good, strong colonies, 

 having doubled up to that number ; all 

 with natural stores enough, I think, to 

 carry them to April. 



The little honey I did get was princi- 

 pally from pea-vine clover, and bass- 

 wood. The fall bloom was immense, 

 but no honey in it. The weather was 

 everything that could be desired, but all 

 to no purpose so far as bee-keeping was 

 concerned. 



I read the Bee Journal each week, 

 and derive a great deal of information 

 and pleasure out of it. I wish it and its 

 editor a long and prosperous life. 



L. G. Reed. 



Kent, O., Dec. 19, 1892. 



Value of Apiarian Knowledge. 



I certainly cannot do without the 

 American Bee Journal, as I found out 

 by sad experience that no one can keep 

 bees, and make it pay, without first 

 having a thorough knowledge of the 

 business. 



