1376 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1 



PURE FOOD. 



In our country it appears to be legal to la- 

 bel goods "Pure maple-syrup compound," 

 also "Pure strawberi-y jam " mixture. The 

 law should not allow this. Again, hotels 

 should not be allowed to place on their bill 

 of fare adulterated syrups, etc., without put- 

 ting upon the same, "adulterated." Bee- 

 keepers and every honest person can lose 

 nothing by helping on the crusade against 

 adulterated foods. Adulteration has been 

 far less prevalent in Canada than the Unit- 

 ed States. Let us not be content now until 

 Canada has as stringent pure-food laws as 

 the United States. 



REQUEENING. 



I agree in practice, at least to a very great 

 extent, with a recent article in the Review 

 by R. L. Taylor in which he opposes "arti- 

 ficial supersedure or requeening." He says, 

 in brief, that to treat an apiary so is a very 

 great expense, which, in the majority of 

 cases, gives as many poor queens after the 

 opei'ation as there were before. Let us try 

 to have the best strain of bees to begin with, 

 then let us watch for failing queens, chang- 

 ing them, and leaving the rest to nature. 

 That is my practice to a very great extent, 

 and yet I have often thought I might do bet- 

 ter. I should like to feel sure that the best 

 method is practiced by me. Having a fall 

 flow, I believe, tends to the superseding of 

 many failing queens. Such a flow is, 1 be- 

 lieve, an advantage, and helps to work out 

 the method I practice but do not altogether 

 feel like preaching. 



MR. AND MRS. J. W. SPARLING. 



The judge in honey at the National Expo- 

 sition, Toronto, Canada, was Mr. J. W. 

 Sparling, Bowmanville, Ontario, whose pic- 

 ture, with that of his wife, appears on the 

 next page. Mr. Sparling, with the assist- 

 ance of Mrs. S., has exhibited quite fre- 

 quently at Toronto. Their exhibit has, in 

 my humble estimation, displayed as much or 

 more artistic taste than any put up at To- 

 ronto, and the writer has not been backward 

 in taking lessons from them in this line of 

 work. This is particularly true in the blend- 

 ing of colors. How many honey exhibits 

 we see in which the beauty is marred by the 

 improper blend in colors! It has been my 

 pleasure to visit Mr. and Mrs. Sparling at 

 their home, where the same taste is display- 

 ed. Mr. Sparling has been president of the 

 Ontario Bee-keepers' Association; and while, 

 no doubt, liable to err, as we all are, he has 

 shown himself fearless in carrying out what 

 he has thought to be right, regardless of 

 friend or foe ; and in his official capacity he 

 has helped to lay the foundation to the pro- 

 gressive spirit with which the O. B. K. A. is 

 embued. Scripture asks, "What shall it 

 profit a man if he gain the whole world and 

 lose his own soul? Mr. and Mrs. Sparling 

 and many of us know it shall profit nothing, 

 and their trust is in Christ their Redeemer. 



THE NATIONAL. 



Arthur C. Miller and W. Z. Hutchinson 

 are having a heart-to-heart talk about the 

 National, in the September Review. I believe 

 Mr. Miller is largely unjust in his criticism; 

 but let us be open to Suggestions. 1 am in- 

 clined to think that the majority of bee-keep- 

 ers do not look for help from the National 

 to buy or sell honey and bees, and yet there 

 may be those who like such help. Mr. France 

 always sends such information out with crop 

 reports and the like, so that the added cost 

 is, after all, not so great. Is it not as well, 

 after all, for those who believe thut the Na- 

 tional can do better work to stay with it and 

 help in its councils and guidance? I find 

 such a policy far more effectual, where con- 

 science is not affected, than to step out. 

 Stay by it; look upon every defeat as only a 

 temporary reverse, and go on cheerfully un- 

 til victory crowns the effort. Such are the 

 men dreaded by the opposition, and such 

 are the men who accomplish reforms. It has 

 been well said that there are Vjut few men 

 who do not tire of battle if victory is not 

 soon attained; and the opponents of reform 

 and government action (or, rather, inaction) 

 often build upon this trait in human nature. 



BROOD REARING IN THE SPRING. 



How to Build up the Colonies Rapidly; Ex- 

 tracting Sealed Honey in May from the 

 Brood-nest to Make Room for Brood- 

 rearing ; Brood-combs of Honey not De- 

 sirable for Spring Feeding. 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



[The following article by our correspondent will, we 

 feel sure, be read with unusual interest. Mr. Alexan- 

 der is sometimes startling in his suggestions, and es- 

 pecially so in this case. When he advocates extract- 

 ing all the honey in the spring, and then feeding it 

 back, he departs from the generally accepted prac- 

 tice. Mr. Doolittle and others have argued that a lot 

 of combs of stores in reserve to give to the bees in the 

 spring to stimulate brood-rearing make the best kind 

 of spring capital. While Mr. Alexander does not deny 

 that such combs may be used to advantage, he goes a 

 good deal further and advocates taking away the 

 honey and then feeding such honey back in a diluted 

 form; or if sugar syrup be cheaper, give that instead, 

 thus saving the margin of profit between the cost of 

 the two. He gives some good arguments in favor of 

 this procedure, and we feel sure that all the veterans 

 as well as beginners will be glad to read it carefully. 

 In the mean time, if there are others who have prac- 

 ticed the same plan, and made a succpss or failure, we 

 should be glad to hear from them.— Ed.] 



According to our experience along this 

 line I very decidedly differ with some hon- 

 ey-producers, and say, "Yes, it is not only 

 advisable, but it is of as much importance as 

 any other one thing connected with late 



