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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



J^ovemier 17 



GEORGE W. YORK. EDITOR. 



PPBI.ISHT WEEKLY BY 



118 Michigan Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 



fEntered at the PostOffice at Chicago as Second-Class Mall Matter.] 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION 



Organized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture : to promote the interests of bee 

 keepers; to protect its members ; to prevent the adulteration of honey; and 

 to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



Memberstilp Fee-91.00 per Aimtixn. 



KXECUTITE COMMiTTEE-Pres.. George W. York; Vice-Pres., W. Z. Hutchinson ; 

 secretary. Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B. Toledo, Ohio. 



^°iS"„°^ DlRECTOHS-E. R. Root; E. Wbitcomb; E. T.Abbott : C. P. Dadant; 



W.Z.Hutchinson; Dr. C. C. Miller. 



General Manager and tbeasdrer— Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



VOL. 38. NOVEMBER 17, 1898. NO. 46. 



Note.— Ihe American Bee Journaiadopts the Orthography of the following 

 Kule, recommended by the joint action of the American Philological Asso- 

 ciation and the PhiloIogicalSociety of England:— Change "d" or "ed" Hnal 

 to I when so pronounced, except when the "e" affects a preceding sound. 



The Plortli-western Convention it Is thought 

 best to postpone until low rates are In effect on the railroads, 

 as such are esential for attendance. It has been found over 

 and over that unless reduced rates can be secured very few 

 feel that they can afford to attend a bee-convention. As soon 

 as we learn that general excursion rates to Chicago obtain, we 

 will try to arrange for the next meeting of the Northwestern 

 Bee-Keepers' Association. 



■» » » 



That New Bee-Book Offer on page 732 ought 



to " make your mouth water," If you haven't already one of 



the standard books on bee-keeping. Remember, that liberal 



offer will be withdrawn Dec. 10, and no mistake about it. We 



couldn't afford to hold It open longer than that, as we expect 



that the edition may be exhausted before that time. Better 



write quick if you want Prof. Cook's 450-paKe, cloth-bound 



bee-book for only 50 cents! Turn to the offer now, and read 



It — on page 732. 



<-»-*^ 



Attention, Colorado Bee-Keepers. — Pres. 

 Aikln, of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Association, wants 

 every Colorado bee-keeper to read this notice ; 



TO ALL COLORADO APIARISTS. 



The Bee-Keepers' Association will meet In the Capitol 

 Building, Denver, room 33, second floor, Nov. 30 and Dec. 

 1 and 2. Never In the history of the Association have we had 

 so large a membership and so much work done as during this 

 year. There Is important work to be done at this meeting. 

 Your Marketing Committee will have a report of the season's 

 work. Last winter we revised our constitution and by-laws, 

 and there are yet some more changes to be acted upon at this 

 meeting. We will discuss Marketing, Grading, Foul Brood, 



Experiments, Solar Wax Extractors, Improved Appliances, 

 Legislation for Bee-Keepers, etc. We expect help from the 

 Agricultural College and Senator Swink. Let every Colorado 

 bee-keeper who reads this come if possible, and if you cannot 

 come, write of what most Interests you, .and tell us what you 

 want done. Write either to myself or to Secretary F. Rauch- 

 fuss. Elyria, Colo. R. C. Aikin, Pres. 



Loveland, Colo. 



We believe that the officers of the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association have workt harder the past year for 

 their organization than any set of apiarian officers we know. 

 If the membership, or bee-keepers, in that State would take 

 as much interest in their society and its objects, as do the 

 officers, it could easily lead this whole country in apicultural 

 affairs. Let every Colorado bee-keeper attend that meeting. 



Xbe Union and Comb Honey Lies.— Lately 

 we received a clipping from one of our readers— a Mr. Irving 

 — taken from the New York Evening Post, who enquired if 

 we couldn't do something about It, as it was one of the com- 

 mon lies that certain newspapers seem to delight in keeping 

 alive to the Injury of all honest producers of comb honey. 



We conceived the idea of forwarding Mr. Irving's letter 

 and the clipping to General Manager Secor of the United 

 States Bee-Keepers' Union, with the suggestion that he write 

 the editor of the Post, calling attention to the untruthfulness 

 of the statements, and pointing out the injurious results that 

 would follow the publication of such misleading statements in 

 an influential newspaper. 



Well, Mr. Secor acted promptly upon our suggestions, and 

 here is his able letter of correction : 



Forest City, Iowa, Oct. 29, 1898. 

 To the Editor of the New York Evening Post. — 



Dear Sir:— A friend from New York has sent a clipping 

 which he says he cut from your paper of Oct. 22. It is as 

 follows : 



'■ It is a blow to learn that the honey of commerce is not above 

 reproach. Its adulteration is, it seems, quite common. Glucose is 

 one of the ingredients used tor the purpose. Even honey in the 

 comb is not to be accepted with absolute confidence, as the cells 

 can be imitated in parafBne. An occasional diet of honey is an 

 excellent thing for children. Its qualities are searching, and it is 

 cleansing and stimulating to the system. It is a curious thing, 

 that children will crave it and eat it ravenously for a short time ; 

 then turn from it entirely. When the period of rejection sets in, 

 it is an evidence that the system has had enough." 



I am sure you do not wish to Injure any honest Industry, 

 and that you endeavor to publish the truth on all subjects. 

 Your past record for fairness, and the high position the Post 

 holds among journals, convinces me that It aims to be just 

 and reliable. 



But that fact only Increases the danger if an error by any 

 chance creeps into Its columns. 



I wish to comment on that sentence relating to comb 

 honey, which says : "Even honey In the comb is not to be 

 accepted with aljsolute con8denoe, as the cells can be Imitated 

 In parafflne." 



There is a sort of "thus saith the Lord" positlveness 

 about that statement which will prejudice lovers of honey 

 who have never investigated the subject, and it Is that sen- 

 tence which I especially wish to explain, and. If possible, 

 elucidate. While the writer does not say positively that arti- 

 ficial honey is placed In the ceWs " imitnted in parafflne," a, 

 reasonable construction would warrant that inference, and I 

 have no doubt the general reader would so understand it. 



This is not the first publication of such a misleading state- 

 ment. Others have asserted that comb, in imitation of that 

 made by bees, is made by machinery, filled with glucose syrup 

 and sealed over by a hot Iron. But such statements are usually 

 founded on ignorance of the subject, or wrong motive, or a 

 desire to startle the public mind by marvelous revelations- It 

 is of the same credibility as that other wonderful statement, 

 that eggs are actually manufactured, shell and all, so per- 

 fectly that no one can tell the difference except by trying to 

 hatch them ! 



When we realize the delicate texture and fragile nature of 

 honey-comb as made by bees, it will be easy to understand 

 that it Is a mechanical impossibility to make an article In imi- 

 tation of It that cannot be readily detected. 



The limit of mechanical ingenuity up to the present time 

 seems to have been reaoht when the septum, or base of cells, 



