58 



THE AMI5RICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



I 



Marcl 



THE CLIMATE AND HONEY. 



lu J. A. Green's department, "Bee- 

 Keeping Among the Ilockiefi," in 

 Gleanings, be says: "It seems that 

 there are localities in Texas where 

 basswood is abundant. I have been 

 told this by those who have been there 

 and say that there are large tracts of 

 country covered with it. Reports at 

 the Texas convention indicate that it 

 yields honey just as freely as in the 

 Northern States. It appears to be nice 

 honev, too. Several years ago, some 

 of the Canadians argued that, the fur- 

 ther north basswood honey was pro- 

 duced the better was its quality, and 

 they claimed superiority for their pro- 

 duct over that produced in the 

 States on that account. I wonder if 

 the Canucks did not manufacture that 

 theory out of 'whole cloth.' " 



That the "Canucks" had ever made 

 this claim, we were not aware, but we 

 have not forgotten that the records of 

 the Omaha convention, in 1898, credit 

 Mr. Whitcomb, of Nebraska, with this 

 statement: "Climate has much to do 

 with the flavor of honey; a w^arm cli- 

 mate producing that of inferior 

 quality, and a colder climate produc- 

 ing honey of a much better flavor." 



Mr. Whitcomb has persistently ig- 

 nored all requests for some explanation 

 as to the grounds upon \\hich such an 

 assertion is based. 



It is remarkable how freely and 

 fluently some persons pour forth their 

 wisdom to the world, until someone 

 ha-s the audacity to question a point, 

 and then, as if by magic, become as 

 eternally and as oppressively silent as 

 an Egyptian tomb. 



The American Bee-Keei^er, of a: 

 things, desires to be fair with ever 

 contributor, regardless of anj^ ill fee 

 ing which such a course may incui 

 and if any correspondent fails to s( 

 cure an impartial hearing through on 

 columns, it is because of his own fai 

 ure to conform to the established rule 

 of this journal. 



However, it is -suggested that, a 

 tending to refute Prof. Benton's fins 

 charge in the article referred to, that 

 can be no reasonable objection t 

 quoting his own words, as published i 

 the British Bee Journal for Novembe 

 15, 1883, page 259, as follows: 



THE HEWITT-BENTON DISCUS- 

 SION. 

 No subject that has been introduced 

 through the American Bee-Keeper in 

 years, has been productive of moi'e 

 widespread interest, than that of 

 Punic bees. It is a matter of regret 

 that the subject might not have been 

 pursued in our columns, until we 

 should all know something definite, in 

 regard to the facts and details in con- 

 nection therewith; but INIr. Hewitt's 

 response to Prof. Benton's article in 

 our issue for October, 1904, was found 

 unavailable, for various reasons. Mr. 

 Hewitt feels that we have inflicted 

 upon him a grave injustice b,v publish- 

 ing PrAf. Benton's attack, and with- 

 holding his reply, which deals very 

 minutely with the points brought for- 

 ward by Mr. Benton. 



MR. JOHN HEWITT. 



"Again, in 188J, from Beyrout, Syr 

 larger numbers of queens were sent 

 various countries of Europe, and t 

 success" of sending by mail on su 

 long sea-voyages further demonstr! 

 ed. No other person has aided me 

 much in determining the conditio 

 necessary to success, the exact caus 

 in case of failure, etc., nor given me 

 many valuable suggestions in regard 

 this "matter as the Sheffield gentlema 

 whose name I have already mention* 

 Mr. John Hewitt. Had others given 

 prompt, exact and full reports regai 

 ing queens mailed to them. I won 

 have been much less time deterraini 

 upon the best method of packing." 



Being the most amiable bees he h 

 ever owned, good honey gatherers, a' 

 very prolific, the editor of The B« 



