166 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the miuds of bee-keepers. It is so 

 different from all others, both in con- 

 struction and metliod of management 

 that its peculiarities have to be 

 learned physically as well as mentally. 

 All my students disliked it at first, 

 but all gave it the preference after 

 becoming accustomed to it. One trial 

 hive, placed among other kinds, would 

 hardly have a fair showing ; but truth 

 will finally prevail. The merits of the 

 hive will defend it ; and I hope the 

 honor of our brotherhood will defend 

 its inventor. 



Several have written me to know 

 what I claim, and what my patent 

 covers. I think that my patent fails 

 to cover all tliat I have invented, and 

 that I am also entitled to, but my very 

 able patent attorneys tell me that 

 they think my patent will hold more 

 than I imagine, when forced to legal 

 test. Patent law is also complicated, 

 and perhaps no one can tell just how 

 much I could hold legally without 

 a test case in the United States courts, 

 and this, I trust, will never be needed. 

 Outside of the profession false ideas 

 prevail regarding the legal rights of 

 patentees. 



For the past 20 years I have been 

 associated with one of the most suc- 

 cessful patent attorneys in our coun- 

 try, and I will, in the near future, 

 write an article on that subject, and 

 from the best authority endeavor to 

 clear up some of the mistaken ideas 

 regarding it, that prevail among our 

 bee-keepers. 



Dowagiac, p Mich. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Consumptioii of Extracteil Honey, 



C. W. DAYTON. 



That honey is and always will be 

 considered a luxury, I believe there 

 are ample reason for doubt, especially 

 in the case of extracted honey. In 

 the first place, extracted honey is as 

 cheap, or cheaper, than correspond- 

 ing grades of cane-sugar. As to the 

 grape-sugar, we need not expect 

 much from that unless it be from the 

 commercial article which, it seems, 

 has already acquired a reputation 

 that bids fair to drive it entirely out 

 of use except as an adulterant. With- 

 out question, there will be maintained 

 as wretched a subsistence, as there 

 will also be gloomy times for all 

 parties, when all of our food is com- 

 posed of adulterants. That people do 

 not buy honey and consume as large 

 quantities of it as of cane-sugar, is 

 nothing strange, unless it is that it 

 would be an impossibility. AV'ere the 

 people of the United States to cease 

 using sugar for a week, and use honey 

 in its stead, there would not be 

 enough honey to fill the gap. 



The main point for consideration is 

 the limited but growing acquaintance 

 regarding the uses to which honey 

 may be put, and being suspicious of 

 the honest man's enemy (adultera- 

 tion), all wish to know the method by 

 which honey is obtained. Quite all 

 of those who buy honey (notwith- 

 standing so many who never use it) 



consider it to be honey, and a luxury 

 only, never surmising it to be a con- 

 summate substitute for all the other 

 sweets, and are surprised when in- 

 formed of the fact that it is equally 

 as good, and will go just as far as 

 sugar in cooking. 



The objection might be brought to 

 bear that honey is liquid, and con- 

 quently not so pleasant to get along 

 with as a dry material. Why this 

 property should be an objection rather 

 than an advantage, I fail to see, un- 

 less it is in carrying a jug of it on the 

 street ; but in such a case very much 

 would depend— whether its liquidity 

 is an objection or not, we must go 

 around it one way or the other, and if 

 it should chance to be the other, we 

 will arrange strainers in the bottoms 

 of our honey barrels, drain the liquid 

 portion out, and get it there in the 

 shape of sugar. This plan was tried 

 the past season, and it was found 

 that granulated extracted honey when 

 drained dry, sells well and gives satis- 

 faction. I would suggest that when 

 we will need to do this will be when 

 there is enough honey produced to 

 make it an object, and when the time 

 is ripe for it. I say when the time is 

 ripe for it, because I believe it to be 

 with bee-keeping as it is with other 

 kinds of business, that when it has 

 been carried on in its present ad- 

 vanced state long enough so that 

 people have become acquainted with 

 it as an ordinary industry, and not 

 filled with exaggerations and wonders, 

 then will honey be inquired for, not 

 as a curiosity and expensive luxury, 

 but in a general way and as an ordi- 

 nary article of food. That will be the 

 time to work up a wholesale trade in 

 our home markets. 



As has been said before, bee-keep- 

 ers can do themselves no greater 

 favor than to let the adulteration of 

 honey take care of itself, except in 

 the contradiction of false statements. 

 It is displeasing, if nothing more, to 

 behold the consumption, wholesale 

 and retail, of materials whose whole 

 make-up are well known to be pure 

 and unadulterated frauds ; and then 

 the upbraiding 06 a whole industry 

 accusing it of being connected with 

 fraud in very rare or incapable in- 

 stances, all because it is respectable 

 and a newcomer! This is like 

 " straining at a gnat and swallowing 

 a camel." 



The guarantee which I offer, that 

 my honey is pure, is to label the pack- 

 ages Pure IIoney ; but when ac- 

 costed with the comparatively consol- 

 ing news that honey is adulterated, I 

 inquire what it is adulterated with ; 

 tell them to inquire of my neighbors, 

 or invite them to act in their own 

 favor by coming to the apiary and 

 profit by what they will see with their 

 own eyes. One day last June, a 

 farmer, living some 18 miles distant, 

 on the road to market chanced to 

 stop at my place for a drink of water, 

 and on speaking of the bees and 

 honey, I took him to the extracting- 

 room and showed him how it is done. 

 Expressing great surprise at what he 

 had learned, he went on to market 

 and returned with a large crock 

 which he carried home filled with 



honey. During the fall and winter 

 many a crock of honey went out to 

 the friends and neighbors of this 

 farmer where honey had scarcely ever 

 been used before. 



Last fall a customer from that 

 neighborhood told me that those who 

 saw the honey could hardly believe it 

 to be pure, but as their neighbor was 

 here and saw it taken from the combs, 

 they concluded that it must be so. 

 Instances of this kind show that the 

 words of one uninterested person is 

 worth more as a recommendation 

 than all the arguments that might be 

 produced by interested parties ; and 

 that extracting honey at Fairs is a 

 capital way to advertise the business. 



The great obstacle which lies in the 

 way of our progress toward the in- 

 troduction of our product is, that 

 ordinary minds are incapable of thor- 

 oughly comprehending such sudden 

 advancements as apiculture has 

 brought out. We know how difficult 

 it was to bring into use steam, sew- 

 ing-machines, and certain agricul- 

 tural machinery; those who performed 

 the labor of introducing, declare that 

 a generation had to be raised before 

 they were successful. To a large ex- 

 tent this is true of the Langstroth 

 frame. It is my opinion that we may 

 advertise, talk and write all we please 

 about the good properties of honey, 

 and the bad effects of glucose, and 

 the two methods of offering our 

 honey will still remain — either as a 

 high-priced luxury on a continually 

 glutted market, or as a corresponding- 

 priced substitute for sugar. Which 

 method is preferable ? 



Bradford, d Iowa. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



LenEllieiiing tlie Swarming Imnnlse. 



J. B. POND, JK. 



On page 86 Mr. Doolittle complains 

 that some were uncourteous in the 

 replies to Query, No. 173. Mr. D. 

 has been so long and so well known 

 to all as an honest, upright man, that 

 no one would intimate or even sus- 

 pect that he had indulged in " the 

 tricks of the trade '" in order to im- 

 pose on any one. He also gives his 

 views in regard to the swarming im- 

 pulse, and explains his method of 

 queen-rearing, claiming that it is 

 superior to that of those who rear 

 queens " artificially." I fail to see 

 the difference, however ; in fact, it 

 appears to me that bis method is 

 practically the same as those he con- 

 demns. 



What is the swarming impulsed 

 Does it or does it not differ from the 

 queen-rearing impulse V In the cor- 

 rect answer to these questions will be 

 found the correct theory of queen- 

 rearing. That the two matters are 

 alike in some respects is admitted; 

 but I claim also that in some respects 

 they are widely different. The 

 "swarming impulse" is the desire of 

 the bees to "multiply and replenish 

 the earth." This, however, can be 

 done to as good advantage by bring- 

 ing the reason of man to the aid of 

 the bees, and thus prevent swarming 



