82 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The National Convention was a very 

 haitiioiiious body, and we are fully 

 persuaded never thought of being 

 thti.s stretched upon a " rack " of 

 torture. 



On page 8G, it will be seen that a 

 uialcontent sent a letter to the Utica 

 Convention " making complaint that 

 the American Bee Jouknal con- 

 tinually misquotes and endeavors to 

 weaken tlie honey market." Having 

 spared neither time nor money in our 

 endeavors to develop the honey mar- 

 ket, and just as honey is being made 

 n staple article commanding a cash 

 price at our very doors, to have such a 

 foolinh complant entertained by the 

 Convention and a "committee ap- 

 pointed to investigate the matter and 

 report next year" — is supremely 

 ridiculous ! 



Tlie same individual sent his com- 

 plaints tons witli a threatening letter, 

 a few weeks ago — intimating that a 

 new bee paper would be started to 

 "take the idaceof the Bee Journal," 

 etc., — to wliich we replied in full, 

 and added : 



" As you think best to impugn my 

 motives and use tlireatening language 

 hostile to me and the Journal — 

 please let tliis cktse the correspond- 

 ence. I have no time to attend to 

 SMcli, iu)r relish for it. I have done 

 the best I could to get up a good Bee 

 I' iper, and shall continue to do so, 

 regardless of consequences.' You or 

 anyone else have tlie same privilege, 

 wiUiout consulting me or my 

 interests." 



As we own the Bee Journal and 

 h;ive to take the full responsibility of 

 its prosperity or adversity, we don't see 

 wtiat any individual or Convention 

 ba.-i to do or say concerning its man- 

 agement. We cheerfully receive 

 " suggestions " from anyone, but can- 

 not submit to any dictation. If the 

 ]5ee Journal does not suit bee- 

 keepers tliey are under no obligation 

 to take it. This is a-fvee country, and 

 there are seven or eight bee papers, 

 and he must be hard indeed to please 

 who can (ind none lo suit him. 



Let bee-keepers try to cultivate gen- 

 erous feelings towards one another — 

 eucourage brotherly love, and practice 

 ciiarity — then tliey will neither And 

 time, occasion, nor inclination to pick 

 a quarrel with their fellow laborers. 

 This is to be deplored every where, 

 but no where more than among bee- 

 keepers. 



Conventions conducted in the 

 interests of the pursuit of bee-keep- 

 ing will ever receive the cordial atten- 

 tion and support of honey producers 

 — b'lt if such are to be prostituted to a 



display of personal animosities, and 

 the jealousies of the discontented — 

 then it is far better to never more 

 liold a Convention — the pursuit, now 

 being on a linn basis, will prosper, and 

 honey become popular with the masses, 

 even though tliere be no concerted ac- 

 tion among beekeepers. Thepin-snit 

 will be " wounded in the Inuise of its 

 friends" — but it will not be destroyed. 

 Its professed friends will alone be the 

 losers. 



Artificial Comb Honey. 



Much has been said about tlie man- 

 ufacture and sale of artificial comb 

 honey, and so numerous and appar- 

 ently well authenticated have been 

 some of tlie rumors regarding its ac- 

 complishment, that many thoughtless 

 persons have accepted it as a fixed 

 fact. One story even goes so far as to 

 advance the price of such bogus stuff 

 two cents per pou«d above the genuine 

 article, in the Eastern retail markets. 



We have been i/nable to surmise 

 how the hoax originated, and after 

 much inquiry and investigation have 

 come to attribute its start to tlie same 

 cause as that assigned by Prof. Cook, 

 on page 8.5 of tliis number — a joke. 

 A. R. Kolmke, on page 93, this issue, 

 referring to this matter, says that af- 

 ter the comb is built out by the bees, 

 the bee-keeper may "fill it with any- 

 thing he pleases, and seal it himself, 

 too. He adds : 



" Tlie modus operandi I have known 

 for several years, but, considering 

 there is enough cheating and adulte- 

 ration going on, as it is, I deem it not 

 advisable to give vent to this inven- 

 tion".... 



In a matter like this, or any other, 

 we think the real fact, fully and 

 plainly told, is most beneficial. The 

 method referred to, we presume, is 

 that exhibited at a German Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Convention, where an ingenious 

 member present sealed over a comb of 

 honey by a process of spraying on hot 

 wax ; but the work was slow and ted- 

 ious, and instead of suppressing tlie 

 fact as prejudicial to the bee-keeping 

 public, the affair was given publicity 

 as a triumph of patience and skill. 

 Notwithstanding our abiding faith in 

 the ingenuity of luimanity at tliis day, 

 we do not believe it possible to artifi- 

 cially seal honey combs at a cost to 

 compete with the labor of the bees; 

 nor do we believe it practicable to fill 

 the combs witli anything, by hand or 

 mechanical means, and then depend 

 upon the bees to complete the work 

 profitably and satisfactorily. And as 



to the making of artificial combs, with 

 cell3 built out to natural length, and 

 in close imitation of the wonderful 

 work of nature's little drudges, it has 

 not been done. The genius who shall 

 accomplish this may next turn his 

 attention to the discovery of a perpet- 

 ual motion, or prepare his crucible for 

 the transformation of the baser metals 

 into gold. 



Honey as Food and Medicine. 



We liave just issued a new edition 

 of our pamphlet bearing the above 

 title. It has been revised and en- 

 larged from 24 pages to 32, the new 

 pages being devoted to new Recipes 

 for Honey Medicines, as well as all 

 kinds of cooking in which honey is 

 used. 



It is undeniable that jjwre honey is 

 the simplest, the healthiest, the most 

 natural, and tlie most strengthening 

 article of food for healthy persons, as 

 well as the best remedy for the sick ; 

 and fft' the convalescent it is the true 

 balsam of life, to restore them to their 

 wonted strengtli and health. 



What is needed is to educate the 

 comni unity up to this idea, and in no 

 vvay can that be done so well as by di- 

 recting their attention to the merits 

 of honey. 



This little pamphlet should be scat- 

 tered by thousands all over the coun- 

 try, by honey producers. In this way 

 it will create a home market in almost 

 any locality. 



"We have put the price of them low 

 to encourage bee-keepers to scatter 

 them far and wide. Single copy 6 

 cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents; 

 per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100 

 or more, we print, if desired, on the 

 cover-page, "Presented by," etc., 

 (giving the name and address of the 

 bee-keeper who scatters tlieni). This 

 alo!ie will pay him for all his trouble 

 and expense — enabling him to dispose 

 of liis honey at honie, at a good profit. 



When 100 or more copies are wanted, 

 they will be sent by express, at the 

 expense of the purchaser. 



1^" The present seems to be an un- 

 usually mild winter all over tlie world. 

 An English correspondent, at Derby, 

 writes on tlie 12tli of Ueceinber, " I 

 liave plenty of sunflowers in bloom in 

 the garden, and primroses. Some of 

 my daisies are in bud. Tlie season is 

 a remarkably open one." During 

 January they had a "cold wave," as 

 did nearly the whole Northern World. 

 Still on the whole the winter lias been 

 a delightful one in America as well as 

 in Europe. 



