905, 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



157 



lieir crop* of canned honey at the 

 ocal stores without the worry and 

 rouble now attending such a transac- 

 ion, and those having large crops 

 hould hud a ready sale with the deal- 

 rs in their nearest town, instead of 

 eing compelled to ship their honey in 

 ulk to the great cities, as now. 

 Distribution is the great problem 

 1 marketing any crop, and if the poli- 

 y here ou'tlined were carried out it 

 /■ould be solved. Consider a moment: 

 mall producers of honey are scattered 

 irough every county in every state 

 the Union. If each should sell his 

 'op in his own immediate territory 

 le honey would be distributed! 

 Heretofore when a man has made a 

 lipment to a merchant in hivs own 

 ty, that merchant has often reshipped 

 a commission house, taking his own 

 ?rcentage from the commission man's 

 turns. 



It is said that only a small percent- 

 ?e of the honey produced is used on 

 le table, the remainder going into 

 anufactories. When the public de- 

 ands honey on the same scale as 

 itter, coffee or sugar, the supply will 

 )t more than equal the demand, pro- 

 icers will be able to sell nearly di- 

 et to the consumer and a great deal 

 business will be taken out 

 the hands of middle men to the 

 miediate profit of the bee-keeper. 

 Fort Pierce, Fla., July 18. 1905. 



FOUNDATION IN SECTION- 

 HONEY. 



s Use Strongly Condemned. 



BY F. GREINER. 



P HAS SURPRISED me when I 

 read what statements the associate 

 editor, Arthur Miller, made in re- 

 rd to sugar being u^sed largely to 

 oduce comb honey. It is difBcuIt 

 me to believe any .such a thing, 

 ssibly becaii'se I have never even 

 )ught of doing it myself and know 



no other bee-keeper in my vicin- 

 who does. 

 But, as friend Miller has taken up 

 J cudgel and is hot after this kind 



adulteration. I wonder if he will 

 t go a step farther and pursue the 

 her adulterators of comb honey who 

 only use comb foundation in full 

 iets, yes even with bottom starters 



that, but openly advocate it« use? 



elieve the use of foundation in sec- 



tions is largely responsible for the 

 many stories of manufactured comb 

 honey, which are circulating as well 

 avs the i-eadiness with which they find 

 believers. A consumer of honey rea- 

 sons thus: "If these bee-keepers are 

 shrewd enough to give us a substi- 

 tute for the comb, they will surely 

 know enough to mix up the syrup and 

 do tlie rest." 



Editor Hutchinson values comb hon- 

 ey built by the bees at 5 cents per 

 pound above the article that is built 

 on artificial foundation. There is ful- 

 ly (5uch a difference in the value and in 

 the cost of production. Comb honey 

 with artificial foundation as a base 

 should be braBded as a fraud without 

 each box of honey, each section, has 

 on it in plain letters: "Tlie honey con- 

 tained in this box is built on artificial 

 midrib." 



Our bee journals could help the mat- 

 ter along by keeping a standing list 

 of bee-keepers in their journals who 

 Avill not use comb foundation in section 

 honey, at least not more than one 

 square inch per box, which is sulE- 

 cient to start the bees straight. I don't 

 wish to be too hard on the foundation 

 users by asking the publication of 

 their name^s. Wishing to be an honest 

 man, wishing to deal fairly with my 

 fellow-meri, I know I could not look 

 them in the face unblushingly if I had 

 outwitted them by selling them an in- 

 ferior article of coaib honey at a high 

 pi'ice, a price which in their inno- 

 cence they were supposing to pay for 

 the genuine Itee product. 



Comb foundation is a good thing, but 

 the liealth food congress should be af- 

 ter it when it is used in comb honey 

 offered for sale. 



The poorer an article we produce, 

 the more adulteration we practice, the 

 more we will have to advertise to 

 make a market. It would only seem 

 fair that the foundation users pay the 

 bill for the advertising to be done by 

 the Honey Producers' League. The 

 dues of the straight men, if they are 

 expected to join the League, .should be 

 so low as to be nominal. The good ar- 

 ticle will advertise itself; it is the 

 poor article which needs advertising. 



Naples, N. Y., July 4, 1905. 



Dull care! Dull care! the poet sings, 



And smites his mournful harp. 

 My cares are more distressing things 

 They're all uncommon sharp. 



