1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



463 



Bee-keepers can aid Uncle Sam in the ex- 

 ecution of this just law by furnishing the of- 

 ficers with information as to where the law 

 is being violated. There are enough readers 

 of Gleanings and other bee papers to make 

 it quite uncomfortal)le for all adulterators, 

 no matter where they have their headquar- 

 ters, as the law covers the whole United States. 

 We may now regard Prof. Wiley as a Ijene- 

 factor, because his department will prosecute 

 our enemies y/'cc of cliaiujc. 



It will take a little time to get the law in- 

 to working order; but just as soon as it is, 

 bee-keepers may expect better prices for their 

 produce, and in any event there should not 

 be any idea of a return to low prices, no 

 matter how large the crop may be. 



According to rulings of the Department of 

 Agriculture, a good deal of syrup which was 

 formerly sold quite freely will be entirely 

 barred in future, and legitimate substitutes 

 for honey will be scai"ce and rather high in 

 price for some time to come. The bee-keep- 

 ers can, thei'efore, stand out for a fair price 

 for their product without any fear, and it is 

 to be hoped none will be so weak-kneed as 

 to undersell those who are atteiupting to 

 hold up honey prices. This is not the time 

 to talk low prices, and there is no need to. 

 Regarding the outlook, the, American Orocer 

 of March 6 has this to say: 



Further proof that retailers are more careful as to 

 quality is had in the heavy sales of hig-h-class goods 

 for next season's deliveries. The makers of absolute- 

 ly pure jams, jellies, catsup, canned beans, peas, to- 

 matoes, corn, spinach, apples, and other vegetables 

 and fruits, are overwhelmed with orders. One firm, 

 noted for the high quality of its products, has been 

 unable to take an order from new customers in sever- 

 al years, and yet it is one of the largest of its kind in 

 the country. 



The retailer's trade in preserved foods can be in- 

 creased by judicious local advertising, the scope of 

 which should include the compilation and circulation 

 of dainty little brochures, folders, and circulars show- 

 ing the possibilities of different sorts of canned fruits 

 and vegetables. Furnish well-selected recipes for 

 their use, prefaced by a brief description of where the 

 article is grown and the care taken in preparing it 

 for market. 



The foregoing applies equally well to hon- 

 ey- 

 The same authority also states: 



The plea that the poor people want cheap stuff is 

 humbug from start to finish. The palate of the wage- 

 earner is just as sensitive (generally more so) than 

 that of the rich, and the desire for self-gratification 

 is stronger with the poor thaii those rolling in wealth. 



Bee-keepers ought to feel encouraged by 

 these words, and make up their minds to 

 furnish a good article to meet the price. 

 One thing seems certain, good honey will 

 command a remunerative price soon. 



IIO'W THE MASK WAS REMOVED; THE SER- 

 VICE PKOF. WILEY HAS KENDEK- 

 ED BEE-KEEPERS. 



It is really amusing how the dealers in 

 syrups and general food stuffs are iiustling 

 to comply with the national pure-food law. 

 A subscriber tells how he was buying syrup 

 to feed his bees, from a syrup concern in 

 the South. It was branded "pure cane " up 

 till Jan. 1 of this year. On another shipment 



of the same goods, after that date, the barrel 

 came branded "pure cane and pure corn 

 syrup." Our correspondent immediately 

 raised a protest, as he says, as he was not 

 bujang corn syrup and did not want the stuff 

 around. It appears, though, he had been 

 buying the mixture, supposing it to be pure 

 cane. The syrup dealer, on receipt of his 

 reply, simply wrote him that, since Jan. 1, 

 they were obliged to " l)raud our barrels with 

 what they contain." Then they add, "In 

 future we will quote our molasses, this par- 

 ticular brand, cane and corn syrup com- 

 pound." Our bee-keeping friend for the 

 tirst time had his eyes opened that he was 

 buying glucose and paying the pri(re for 

 ' ' pure cane ' ' syrup ; and the result is, he 

 wants no more of those goods. 



Just the other tlay our grocer told us how 

 the grocery trade was hastening to comply 

 with the provisions of the national law. 

 " Why," said he, " the ordinary oyster crack- 

 ers have been known to the trade as farina 

 crackers, and we have always ordered them 

 by that name; but since the new food law 

 went into effect that name can not be used 

 any more on those goods because farina 

 forms no part of the cracker. And that is the 

 way it is going," said he. "Every thing 

 nowadays must be labeled just what it is." 

 In general he expressed himself as being very 

 much pleased with the operation of the law, 

 "because," he said, "we know just what we 

 are getting. Before, we tlionght we knew, 

 but we dicfn't." 



No more can injurioits preservatives be 

 put in canned goods; no more can glucose 

 be sold as pure cane or New Orleans molass- 

 es; no more can glucose be sold for honey. 

 We can scarcely estimate the importance of 

 all this from the standpoint of health. The 

 presiding genius who had very much to do 

 with bringing this about is Prof. H. W. Wi- 

 ley, Chief Chemist of the Department of Ag- 

 riculture, and yet there are many who are 

 throwing mud at him. He is loved for the 

 enemies he has made among the erstwhile 

 makers of bogus food stuff's. 



PREPARED AND PREDIGESTED FOODS ; HON- 

 EY AS A NATURAL AND SAFE FOOD. 



There is a great demand just now for ac- 

 curate information regarding the physiolog- 

 ical effect of dift'erent kinds of food on the 

 human system, and consumers generally are 

 only beginning to learn the tremendous im- 

 portance of the sul)ject from every point of 

 view. To a very great extent people have 

 found out they have been misled, and are 

 now looking for facts which can be relied 

 on. Probably the leading feature of the 

 new century will be the great study of the 

 prevention of diseases in mankind by sani- 

 tary, measures. Already public opinion has 

 greatly changed, and as yet we have made 

 only a beginning. We tlo ncjt know just 

 where this agitation will lead us, but we ide- 

 alize it will make for better things. 



One thing we feel sure of, natural foods 

 such as honey are likely to ccMue to the top 



