AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



417 



ANOTHER GREAT MISTAKE. 



In penning the following elucidation, 

 I feel rather like placing "my hand 

 upon my mouth, and my mouth in the 

 dust." Certainly none but the best of 

 good will is entertained severally and 

 collectively for the gentlemen composing 

 the late Michigan State Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention. I regard them as the lights 

 of the profession to whom I would look, 

 as to a father, for good, and only good, 

 things. If I was indignant at what has 

 been shown before, I was deeply shocked 

 and pained at their resolutions, which 

 will be found on page 88. 



Knowing as I do, somewhat of the 

 way resolutions are introduced and 

 passed by the average convention, I did 

 not believe that this one represented the 

 sober second thought, sense or knowl- 

 edge of the members of the convention. 

 So believing, and in order to refute the 

 allegation against my business, and the 

 large number of the fraternity who retail 

 extracted-honey, I addressed the follow- 

 ing letter to each of the Committee on 

 Resolutions: 



Ionia, Mich., Jan. 13, 1891. 



Dear Sir : — I have before me the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal of this week, containing 

 the proceedings of the last Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Convention at Detroit. I wish 

 you would give me the names of all of the 

 parties you know who are making, selling, 

 or offering for sale, adulterated liquid 

 honey, to which your resolutions refer. I 

 am a bee-keeper, and would like to get 

 some of the stuff, so as to convince my 

 customers and others that I am selling a 

 pure article. 



Yours respectfully and fraternally, 



Harmon Smith. 



Following is the gist of the replies 

 received : 



I do not remember the address of the 

 parties, but have referred your letter to a 

 friend, who will answer it. He has been 

 selling honey in Detroit this Fall, and 

 knows all about them. P. B. Knight. 



Mr. Byron Walker, of Capac, Mich., can, 

 I think, give you the information you 

 desire. A. W. Fisher. 



Mr. Walker has not replied to my 

 inquiry, although I have written him 

 twice. 



Wishing to ascertain what the older 

 leading members of that convention 

 knew about the matter, I addressed a 

 letter to several of them, from which the 

 following is an extract : 



Ionia, Mich., Jan. 16, 1891. 

 My Dear Sir : — I think the resolutions 

 * * * do a great, and almost irrepara- 

 ble, injury to our industry. Will you 



please give me the names of those whom 

 you Know are selling or making adulter- 

 ated honey j * * * if such men are 

 within reasonable distance, I will see that 

 they are prosecutedt ; if too remote for 

 my personal attention, I think I can pre- 

 sent the matter to the prosecutors of this 

 State in such a manner as to at least pre- 

 vent future sales. Please give me the 

 names and addresses of the " adulterators." 

 Yours fraternally, 



Harmon Smith. 



X [We are in receipt of a letter from Mr. 

 Walker, in which he gives the names of 

 two firms who are putting up the most of 

 this adulterated honey, and excusing his 

 delay in answering our letter by the state- 

 ment that he has been absent from home 

 for several weeks. We will furnish these 

 names to Mr. Smith, and he can then make 

 good his promise to see that they are 

 prosecuted.— Ed.] 



Following is the substance of the 

 replies received : 



I do not know who the adulterating par- 

 ties are. James Heddon. 



You can get names of adulterators by 

 writing to Byron Walker, Capac, Mich. 

 A. J. Cook. 



Byron Walker probably knows more 

 about the matter than any other man in 

 the State, and I think he will put you on 

 the right track Geo. E. Hilton. 



Byron Walker was the one who brou^t 

 up the matter, drew up the resolution, and 

 put the matter through. The names of the 

 adulterators were mentioned in private 

 conversation, and I think Mr. Walker could 

 give them. W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Byron Walker can give you the names of 

 the firms. He is the one who reported the 

 matter to the convention. It is a fact, that 

 a large quantity [of adulterated honey] is 

 on the market in Detroit all the time, and 

 it has no taste of honey, and never has any 

 name on the label. M. H. Hunt. 



Now, does this proof indicate that 

 there was any foundation whatever for 

 the passage of those resolutions ? I say, 

 no ! None of these witnesses give any 

 information sustaining the statement 

 " that many of the cities of this State 

 are supplied with adulterated honey." 



The concluding remark of Mr. Hunt 

 might be construed into an intimation 

 that way ; but is an article which " does 

 not taste like honey " an adulteration? 

 I say that the allegation of that resolu- 

 tion is utterly and completely disproven, 

 and all I can now see left is, for the 

 members of that convention to do what 

 they can to undo the injury they have 

 done to the trade, and to the honey-pro- 

 ducers of the State of Michigan, 



The law is ample for punishing any 



