1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNALo 



803 



would have no rheumatism, but if I would stop for awhile I 

 would have the rheumatism again. For four or five years 

 during the winter I would have it a great deal, but in the 

 spring it would get well. I do not know whether it was the 

 bee-stings or not ; but the rest of my brothers and sisters who 

 do not handle bees are still tussling with rheumatism. My 

 elder brother has been disabled about half the time, and they 

 all have trouble with it but myself. I do not know whether it 

 is the bee-stings or not that workt the cure. 



Secretary — (Why doesn't Mr. Abbott manage somehow to 

 get some bee-stings into those suffering brothers ?) 



A. I. Root — It might be well to mention the fact that we 

 have sold bee-stings in the past to a medicine manufacturing 

 institution — a considerable quantity of bee-sting poison. 



The Annual Report of General Manager Secor was then 

 read by him, as follows : 



Report of tlic Oeneral inanHg;er of the United 

 States Bee-Keepers' Union. 



It is considered one of the legitimate purposes of this 

 society to promote legislation in the interest of bee-keepers. 



Acting on that idea the Executive Committee appointed 

 three delegates to attend the Pure Pood Congress held in 

 Washington, D. C, beginning March 2, 1898. The delegates 

 consisted of E. T. Abbott, of Missouri, Dr. A. B. Mason, of 

 Ohio, and your humble servant, the General Manager. 



The object of the Pure Food Congress was to unite all the 

 producers and all the manufacturers of food products, and all 

 societies and people that believed in the necessity or desira- 

 ability of protecting the public against adulteration and mis- 

 branding, on the common ground of honesty in the prepara- 

 tion and marketing of all articles intended for food, drink or 

 medicine, consumed by man. 



Believing that in no other way could this society speedily 

 and effectually bring about the results it was seeking to 

 achieve, Mr. Abbott and myself attended that convention. 



We were greatly pleased, not only with the number of 

 delegates present, but the representative character of the men : 

 Scientists of national reputation, leading physicians and 

 pharmacists, pure food commissioners from many of the 

 States, intelligent and progressive farmers ; representatives 

 of wholesale and retail grocery and confectionery associations, 

 and many other organizations and interests were represented 

 by able and earnest delegates — solely in the interest of purity 

 of all articles of human consumption. 



What was accomplisht at that Congress Is more fully ex- 

 plained by Mr. Abbott in his paper. The Busy Bee. and copied 

 in the American Bee Journal of March 31, page 200, and my 

 own report publishtin the last-named paper on page 216. 



I think the National Congress has not yet acted on the 

 Bill which It has thought best to urge. 



All acquainted with National legislation will understand 

 that its Acts are seldom rusht through without a good deal of 

 discussion, both useful and useless. 



After the Brosius Pure Pood Bill was amended and per- 

 fected by the Pure Food Congress, it was again introduced in 

 the National House and referred to the Inter-State and For- 

 eign Commerce Committee. As soon as I learned this fact I 

 addrest the chairman of that committee, who happens to be 

 from my own State, the following letter, using the printed 

 letter head of the United States Bee-Keepers' Union : 



Hon. William P. Hepburn — 



Chairman of Inter-State and Foreign Commerce Committee. 



Di:ar Sir:—\ believe the Pure Food and Drug Bill introduced 

 by Mr. Brosius, March 1.5, 1898, was referred to your Committee. 

 If so. may I be allowed to urge you to use your influence to enact 

 it into law at the earliest opportunity ? 



I had the honor to be a delegate to the Pure Food Congress 

 held in Washington, March 3 last, and the Bill now before the 

 National Congress was gone over very carefully by a committee 

 representing about every organization interested in the purity of 

 our manufactured food products. Possibly there may be some 

 crudities in the Bill, but I am persuaded that something of the 

 nature and intent of this Bill ought to be on the Statute books. 



I represent an industry that has suffered greatly from adul- 

 teration fraud. The purest and best sweet ever given to man — a 

 sweet distilled in Nature's own laboratory — a sweet digested with 

 less effort than any made by man — a sweet that may be counter- 

 feited, but never successfully imitated — honey, has been degraded 

 by glucose syrup until the bee, like Othello, finds her occupation 

 gone. 



If the waning of the honey industry, and the consequent loss 

 of occupation to a worthy class of the rural population were the 

 only consequences caused by the glucose flood of adulteration it 

 would not be so bad ; but it must be understood that bees play an 

 important part in the economy of Nature aside from the honey 

 stored, which we appropriate for our own use. The fruitfulness of 

 the whole country depends largely on the pollinating assistance 

 rendered by this useful insect, and if bees are allowed to perish for 



want of encouragement to their keepers, the fruits and flowers, the 

 vineyards and gardens, will suffer also. 



But we can't produce honey in competition with liquid glucose 

 sold under the guise of honey. 



All we ask is honesty in branding and labeling packages ; then 

 if people prefer corn syrup with one-half the sweeetning power of 

 honey, to honey itself, all right. 



We have no war to wage on any other industry, and only ask 

 an open field and fair competition, protected against fraud. 



We shall be glad of your influence. Yours truly, 



Eugene Seoob. 



On behalf of bee-keepers producing nearly 100,000,000 pounds 

 of honey annually. 



I hope every bee-keeper who has not already done so, will 

 write an appeal to his Congressman in behalf of the Brosius 

 Bill, or in the interest of pure food legislation. A hundred let- 

 ters by a hundred different persons will do a world of good. 



Please don't expect me or any other representative of this 

 society to write an appeal to your political representative that 

 will be as effective as a letter from you. A line from one of 

 his constituents will attract his attention at once. 



In April last I got a letter from Frank Gilmore, Water- 

 town, Conn., enclosing a letter from a law firm of his town in 

 which Mr. Gilmore was notified to remove his bees within 15 

 days under a threat of prosecution and injunction. The com- 

 plaint was, that the aforesaid bees destroyed the entire crop 

 of peaches, rasberries and other fruits on the promises of a 

 neighbor; that they stung horses and visitors. I gave Mr. 

 Gilmore such advice as I thought best, and presume he escaped 

 the clutches of the law, as I heard nothing further of the case. 



During the same month, Mr. B. Baldwin, of Mexico, Mo., 

 sent me an account against a Chicago commission-house, say- 

 ing he could get no pay for honey billed to the firm. I at 

 once began correspondence with the commission-men, and 

 after a couple of letters got a draft in full. Mr. Baldwin ex- 

 prest himself as entirely satisfied with the transaction, and 

 donated to the Union two years' membership in advance. 



Ed Gerould, of East Smithfield, Pa.,, was threatened 

 trouble from a neighbor who was determined to spray his 

 peach orchard while in full bloom, altho it had been explained 

 to him that by so doing his neighbors' bees might be poisoned. 

 Mr. Gerould wrote me for advice and help. I sent him some 

 printed matter and advised him how to proceed, which was 

 the last I heard of the matter. 



Chas. Haise, a quiet, peaceable, unoffending person who 

 lived in Atlanta, III., received from the marshall of the town 

 the following notice in June, 1898 : 



"Sir: — You are hereby notified that your bees, situated and 

 kept on the premises now occupied by you, have become and are a 

 nuisance to the neighborhood and public, and you are hereby noti- 

 fied to abate, remedy, or remove the same immediately as provided 

 by ordinance. A failure to do so will subject you to a penalty of 

 not less than $300. 



The Union was appealed to by Mr. Haise and his neighbor 

 beekeepers. The trial had been already set, and only three 

 days remained in which to get my advice to him regarding a 

 plan of defence. But it proved sufficient. The case was dropt 

 when the prosecutor found an organization with money, cour- 

 age, and law behind the defendant. The bee-keepers inter- 

 ested exprest their gratitude for the prompt and efficient aid 

 rendered by the Union, aud said they believed the case was 

 dismist because of its assistance. An effort was made before 

 the Western Classification Committee to rescind the rule in- 

 structing all railroad agents to refuse bees by freight In less 

 than car-lots. I put up the best argument I could think of by 

 letter, but failed. The rule still stands, I believe. Mr. Aikin 

 appeared before the committee by request of the President, 

 for the same purpose. If the matter is of any importance to 

 bee-keepers it can be taken up at another time ; perhaps we 

 may be more successful next time. 



My correspondence with bee-keepers other than the ones 

 mentioned above has been considerable. Appeals to the Union 

 for help have not been confined to the cases cited. Advice and 

 assistance have been given whenever in the judgment of the 

 General Manager good could be accomplisht thereby, and If 

 the funds on hand warranted action. 



Important matters have always been referred to the Board 

 of Directors, if time permitted, and the nature of the case 

 seemed to render it advisable. No money has been paid out 

 except upon approval of the Board. 



A full statement of the financial condition of the society 

 will be mailed to all members at the close of the year. 



Eugene Secor. 



Mr. Whitcomb — I move that the report of the General 

 Manager be accepted, and that the thanks of the Union be 

 extended to Mr. Secor for his labors In our behalf. 



