1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1087 



THE MAPLE-SYKUP BUSINESS IN OHIO. 



A clipping sent us contains the following: 



Aecorclingr to the last United States Government 

 Census, Ohio produced 950.000 gallons of maple syrup 

 out of a total of two million gallons produced. 



We were well aware that Ohio does a big 

 business in producing maple syrup, and that 

 it is equal to any produced in the world; but 

 I did not know before that our State came 

 so near producing half of the product of the 

 entire United States; and, thanks to our re- 

 cent pure-food laws, those who produce pure, 

 honest, tirst-class syrup are going to have a 

 better chance than they ever had before. If 

 the above clipping is a mistake, will some- 

 body who is competent give us the truth in 

 regai'd to the matter? My impression is 

 there is no more ivholesome sugar made in 

 the world than that which comes from the 

 maple-tree. 



THE $10 SECRET FOR PICKING OUT A LAY- 

 ING HEN. 



One of our subscribers who is in posses- 

 sion of this secret, even though he has signed 

 a contract not to divulge it has seen tit 

 to tell me this much. He says he can not 

 understand it, because he is not an expert in 

 poultry matters. The information is, there- 

 fore, of no use to him. From the advertis- 

 ing cii'culars submitted it looks very much 

 as if the owners of the $10 secret had hold of 

 something valuable in regard to sorting out 

 profitable hens. But even if this were true 

 it is a poor sort of way to benefit your 

 fellow-men — selling them a secret and ex- 

 acting a written promise not to divulge, 

 etc. Every newdiscoveryof any value along 

 this or similar lines will soon be public prop- 

 erty, notwithstanding the precaution; and 

 in the majority of cases, dear friends, you 

 will find the information is already more or 

 less public property. It is against the spirit 

 of the age and the spirit of our American in- 

 stitutions to sell secrets. Let the discoverer 

 make known his discoveries through a fair- 

 sized book sold at a reasonable price, and 

 both he and his customers will get their re- 

 ward. 



PARCELS POST; EXPRESS COMPANIES, ETC. 



A few days ago we received by express two 

 Rhode Island pullets from Walter Sherman, 

 Newport, R. I. The express charges on the 

 two "chickens" were $1.93 — not two chick- 

 ens, however, after all, for one of them was 

 killed by poking its head through the wood- 

 en slats nailed across the heavy grocery- box. 

 The $1.93 might have been considerably less 

 had the shipper used a light shipping-crate 

 weighing perhaps only a fourth as much as 

 the big heavy box he put them in; and had 

 this light shipping-coop been made of the 

 right kind of wire cloth or netting so the 

 pullet could not have poked her head through 

 we might have two chickens now instead of 

 one. I wrote to Mr. Sherman about his way 

 of shipping fowls, and then investigated in 

 regard to the express charges. The report 



came back that it was all right, for there 

 was an extra rate on breeding-fowls. They 

 said if I would make a statement that the 

 chickens were not to be used as breeders I 

 might get some rebate; but I could not do 

 that and continue to write the Home papers. 

 I did not ask the express company to pay for 

 the dead chicken, because I thought it was 

 the fault of the shipper and not theirs. But 

 I did feel that $1.93 was a pretty big price 

 for one chicken, and not by any ineans a 

 good-looking one. Friend Sherman says, 

 however, he will make it all right, and use 

 better shipping-crates in the future. 



Now, friends, we have all been sorely tried 

 and vexed for years past in having to pay 

 more express charges on a thing than it was 

 worth — sometimes two or three times over; 

 but the express companies have all along 

 claimed they could not afford to carry our 

 traps any cLaaper. Just a few months ago 

 there was a big row among the florists, es- 

 pecially in the East, because the express com- 

 panies had increased the rates on their stuff. 

 They said they could not "make a living" 

 at their previous prices, and I think some of 

 the florists and gardeners have felt also as if 

 they could not make a living. Well, just now 

 the papers are full of a recent revelation in 

 regard to the express companies' methods; 

 in fact, we are having a great big search-light 

 turned in on an enormous graftT which has 

 been reaching directly into the pockets of 

 our working people. Read the following, 

 which we clip from the Rural New - Yorker 

 for July 6: 



Blight and other diseases of the vine have driven 

 thousands of melon-growers out of business. Many 

 sections where in former years melon-growing was a 

 leading industry now barely produce enough for home 

 consumption. The Adams Express Company has just 

 cut up a " melon " which shows that blight and downy 

 mildew have no terrors for themi They are able to 

 spray the crops with dimes and dollars taken out of 

 the public. The Adams Express Company is suppos- 

 ed to have a stock capital of $12,000,000. Up to 1898 it 

 paid eight per cent interest. It then had sufficient 

 earnings to issue gratis to stockholders $12,000,000 

 worth of four-per-cent bonds. Now, besides paying 10- 

 per-cent dividends the company issues out of its earn- 

 ings $24,000,000 more of these bonds, or 200 per cent on 

 its capital stock. Surely there is nothing sickly 

 about that " melon " for those who hold stock in the 

 Adams Express Company! We should remember, 

 however, that every cent of this $36,000,000 came out 

 of the people in small sums paid for carrying express 

 packages. People have wondered why this great sur- 

 plus was distributed in this way. The New York 

 Eveninu Post gives this, among other reasons: 



"One reason why the 200-per-cent dividend was'de- 

 clared at this time was that, under the Hepburn Rate 

 law, the Adams Express Company, for the first time 

 in its history, would be forced to make a statement of 

 its affairs. Up to the present time none of the express 

 companies has ever published a statement of earnings, 

 liabilities, or assets. In fact, there is only one copy of 

 the Adams Express Company's charter, and that is 

 kept locked up in a safe. When the. shares were list- 

 ed on the Stock Exchange it was not customary to de- 

 mand a copy of the charter, together with statements 

 of earnings, assets, liabilities, mortgages, etc.". 



Under the new law the express company will be 

 treated as a "common carrier" — though it seems to 

 have uncommon capacity for carrying money away 

 from the people. By changing this vast sum of cash 

 into stock the express company can make a great 

 bluff that it is paying only a fair rate on its stock. 

 This will not deceive any one who knows the facts. 

 There is no use cursing the express company. That 

 concern has our money and will continue to absorb it 

 until we obtain a fair parcels post. Give us the privi- 

 lege of sending packages by mail at fair rates, and 



