AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



393 



Bug- Juice.— The following ques- 

 tion has been sent us by a correspondent 

 with a request that we answer it: 



Will you please answer through the 

 Bee Jouknal, why it is that our promi- 

 nent bee-keepers, including the editor 

 (page 329), persist in using the inele- 

 gant expression of bug-juice instead of 

 honey-dew? See Webster On honey-dew. 



Ottumwa, Iowa. C. Lawrence. 



The sweet saccharine substance exud- 

 ing from plants and trees, found on the 

 leaves in small drops, resembling dew, 

 was pardonably called honey-dew, because 

 of its form and sweetness. To distin- 

 guish this from the secretions of the 

 aphides, Prof. Cook named the latter 

 bug-juice. The use of this term has 

 been quite general of late, because of its 

 appropriateness, without thinking of its 

 inelegance. 



We are well aware that Webster says 

 that two " substances have been called " 

 honey-dew; "one exuding from the 

 plants, and the other secreted by certain 

 insects, especially the aphides." But 

 when it became necessary to distinguish 

 between these two substances, another 

 term was essential for one of the two. 

 We now, therefore, call that which 

 exudes from the plants (a natural plant 

 nectar) honey-dew ; while the secretion 

 of insects is named (inelegantly, we 

 grant) bug-juice. The name indicates, 

 in some slight degree, the abhorrence we 

 feel for the latter product. It is not 

 '• honey," neither is it "dew,'^' and in 

 no way is it entitled to the appellation of 

 "honey-dew." It is the nasty exudation 

 of plant lice, as Webster calls the 

 aphides. To sell it for honey should be 

 more strongly condemned than to sell 

 glucose for it, because of its impurity 

 and filtbiness. , 



vlu^tralia^ New Zealand, Tasmania, 

 New Guinea, etc., will be admitted to 

 the Postal Union on Oct. 1, 1891, This 

 is good news for our subscribers in 

 Australasia. It will save them one-half 

 of the postage they have been payir.^ 

 on the Bee -Tourxal, and will plaro 



them on a level with European subscrib- 

 ers, who have for years been paying only 

 one cent postage for each copy, while 

 they have been paying 2 cents. 



For New South Wales, Victoria, 

 Queensland, New Zealand, West Austra- 

 lia and Tasmania the letter rates have 

 been 12 cents per half ounce ; news- 

 papers, 2 cents per copy ; other printed 

 matter and samples of merchandise, 1 

 cent per ounce. 



The new rates will be : Letters, 5 

 cents per half ounce; postal cards, 2 

 cents each ; newspapers or other printed 

 matter, 1 cent for each two ounces, or 

 fraction thereof ; samples of merchan- 

 dise .not in excess of four ounces, 1 cent 

 for each two ounces or fraction thereof. 



Where all mail to these points 

 formerly had to be prepaid, payments 

 will now be optional. Registration fees 

 an letters or other articles will be 10 

 cents. 



The only countries now excluded from 

 the Postal Union are Cape Colony, Natal, 

 Orange Free State, St. Helena, Ascen- 

 sion, Transvaal, China, Madagascar and 

 Morocco. 



A S^^eet 'Way to cultivate the 

 honey market is shown by the following, 

 from an exchange: 



One good woman in New York, who is 

 not in society, not rich, not fashionable, 

 and not willing to have her name printed 

 in the newspapers or charity reports, con- 

 tributed 1,400,000 slices of fresh bread 

 and honey during the school year just 

 closed, to 1,000 little industrial scholars. 

 Every day for the 200 days the lunch 

 has been provided, averaging 7,000 

 slices, not one of which went to waste. 



Wlien Writing a letter be sure 

 to sign it. Too often we get letters 

 with the name of the post-office, but no 

 County or State. One such came 

 recently, and we looked into the Postal 

 Guide and found there were places by 

 that name in 13 States. That order for 

 goods wil! have to wait until another 

 letter comes to give the proper address. 

 Be sure to stamp your letter, or it may 

 go to the dead letter office. 



Clube of 5 New Subscriptions for ^4.0< t 

 to any addre>-pe&. Ten for 17.50. 



