463 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1 



The third section gives a legal right to enter 

 any apiary. The fourth section relates to 

 the annual report of the inspector to the 

 governor. The fifth section specifies the 

 rate of $4.00 per day and expenses for the 

 inspector. The sixth provides for the punish- 

 ment of any person who knowingly sells 

 another a colony of diseased bees, the fine 

 in this case not to exceed $25.00. The sev- 

 enth section contains the emergency clause 

 whereby the law was put in force as soon as 

 signed by the Governor. If loyally support- 

 ed, this law will go a long way toward erad- 

 icating foul brood from the State. 



QUEER NOTIONS SOME CONSUMERS HAVE 

 ABOUT HONEY FLAVORS. 



It has often been our experience in selling 

 honey (and we think other dealers have had 

 much the same) that buyers who are not 

 familiar with the flavors of different honey 

 usually call for white clover for the reason 

 that the name is well known rather than be- 

 cause they know either its flavor or quality. 

 The following correspondence will show 

 how one customer has turned down a good 

 honey simply because he did not know the 

 flavor, and evidently mistook the flavor he 

 wanted for something else. He writes: 



Please ship one five-tjallon can of white-clover 

 honey, same as we got in September, 1906. 



Taylob Harness and Leather Co, 

 Bellaire, O., Jan. 19, 1907. 



Being out of white-clover honey at that 

 time, we sent this order to one of our dealers, 

 knowing that he was very particular about 

 what he supplies on his own orders or any 

 orders we might send him. February 8 we 

 received the following letter: 



We received the white-clover honey (?), and would 

 say it is not satisfactory, as it is either adulterated 

 or something else is the matter with it. We melted 

 a little of it down, and found it very thin with very 

 little honey taste. We will return the same to- 

 mon-ow, as we do not care for it at any price. We 

 expected to get a pure article from you, and are very 

 much disappointed. 



Taylor Harness and Leather Co. 



Bellaire, O-, Feb. 7. 



To this we answered as follows: 



We are very much surprised to get your report of 

 February 7. We were entirely out of clover honey 

 when your order came in, and we sent this to one of 

 our most reliable dealers, and there is no question 

 that is absolutely pure and of good quality, for we 

 have just as much confidence in this dealer as in our 

 own men at Medina. We hope you have not returned 

 it before the receipt of this. If you have, nothing re- 

 mains to be done. If you have not, please wait until 

 you hear from our dealer who shipped you the honey. 



Medina, C, Feb. 8, 1907. The A. I. Root Co. 



We wrote our dealer as follows: 



Enclosed we hand you a letter just received from 

 the Taylor Harness and Leather Co., with copy of 

 our reply. If agreeable you may take the matter up 

 with these parties direct and oblige 



The A. I. Root Co. 



The dealer replied as follows, under date 

 of Feb. 11: 



Taylor Harness and Leather Co.;— Yours of the 7th, 

 regarding the two cans of honey shipped you Janu- 

 ary 26th, has been referred to me. The honey in 

 question is white '.clover, absolutely pure, and well 

 ripened and best quality. I will inclose a signed 

 certificate as to purity, which< will apply IXo this 

 shipment..! This house has neverihandled adulterat- 

 ed goods, and I am able to stand by this.assertion. 



This honey was produced by a well-known bee- 

 keeper of Michigan. I have handled his crop for a 

 number of years, and this is the first time that his 

 honey has not given perfect satisfaction. " Your letter 

 does not explain your grounds for suspecting that it 

 is not genuine. I should be very glad to know why 

 you have thus decided. In filling any orders for The 

 A. I. Root Co. we have always considered it very im- 

 portant to send the very finest goods, and that is ex- 

 actly what we did in this instance. I should be very 

 glad to hear further from you about the matter; but 

 do not return the goods until you get shipping direc- 

 tions from The A. I. Root Co. 



Our purchaser finally returned the honey 

 to us, and we sent him another lot. As soon 

 as the returned goods came in we submit- 

 ted samples to several well-known bottlers 

 of honey, without any information as to 

 why we were making the inquiry, and the 

 following reports have been received: 



Your sample of honey came to hand. I have exam- 

 ined and tasted it very carefully. While I hardly 

 thought it necessary to give it a laboratory test, as 

 it seems such an exceedingly fine sample, its specific 

 gravity shows that it was thoroughly ripened before 

 extracting, and its flavor indicates that it is largely 

 from white cloiier, with possibly a trace of alsike 

 clover and a slight tinge of sweet clover. I should 

 consider it one of the very best samples o.f honey, as I 

 place this grade of honey above honey from any 

 other source, in my work. I should be glad to give 

 you any further opinion you may desire upon it. 



Philadelphia, Pa., March 7. W. A. Selser. 



In reply to your favor of the 5th we will say that 

 we received the sample of honey some days ago, and 

 that, before we had received your letter, we had pro- 

 nounced the sample very fine honey. 



Middlebury, Vt., March 5. J. E. Crane & Son. 



Your sample of honey is at hand. As to its source I 

 am unable to identify it, although it resembles some 

 that I have on hand that was produced in Michigan, 

 and is supposed to be white clover. As to body, color, 

 and taste, it is excellent, and is the kind that I like to 

 get for my bottle trade for the fancy grocery trade. 



Indianapolis, Ind., Mar. 8. Walter S. Poudbr. 



We submit the correspondence, not be- 

 cause it has any particular value, but to 

 show our experience in trying to satisfy a 

 customer that we had sent him some good 

 honey; and as these experiences are quite 

 common with us, and probably with other 

 dealers, we think it may be of some interest 

 to dealers at least. 



Under date of Feb. 11 the Bellaire house 

 wrote us again: 



We have not reshipped honey yet, as on second 

 thought we concluded to wait until we heard from 

 you. The honey is not good, I don't care how reliable 

 the dealer is. We had a man examine it who was in 

 the honey business for eight years. We do not want 

 it at any price, as we might as well use sugar or mo- 

 lasses. If you haven't white clover, send some of 

 your own alfalfa. 



Taylor Harness and Leather Co. 



THE NEW FUTURE FOR HONEY; HOW SOME 

 OF THE CHEAP SYRUPS, FORMERLY COM- 

 PETITORS, HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. 



During the closing hours of the last Con- 

 gress the full appropriation for the enforce- 

 ment of the national pure-food law was 

 passed, the Senate refusing to endorse the 

 Tawney rider that would, to a very great ex- 

 tent, defeat the very object of the new pure- 

 food law. This measure will in time work 

 a revolution in the honey trade, as it will be 

 very hazardous for any person to offer spu- 

 rious honey for sale in any part of this coun- 

 try. 



