216 



THE fiMERIC?tI« BEE JQUfRlfMlr. 



XUe '%Viley I^ie in Eiig^Iand.— Our 



respected cotemporary iu England, the 

 Britisli Bee Journal, contends that its 

 statement is true, about the existence of 

 the American "adulterating bee-farms," 

 located in the " far West." It says on page 

 126: 



On page 98 we reprinted the reproof of the 

 editor as it appeared in the Ambkican Bee 

 Journal, witliout comment on our part, 

 and have made inquiries, and find that, so 

 far as we can gather, all said in the article 

 headed "Facts," is true. The clergyman 

 who supplied the information, and whose 

 name for obvious reasons we withhold, is a 

 well-known dignitary of the church, whose 

 word we cannot for a moment doubt. 

 Whether he was a victim to a fraud we can- 

 not say, but he further informs us : "The 

 farm 1 was on was 15 miles from Kansas 

 City. 1 do not remember the name, but 

 there are plenty of them in the Western 

 States." Perhaps, this will give American 

 beekeepers a clue to the detection of those 

 unprincipled adulterators who are doing so 

 much harm to bee-keeping. 



It matters not whether the informant is 

 a " dignitary of the Church" or not. The 

 statement about the adulterating bee-farms 

 in the United States, is a positive falsehood 

 — such do not exist near Kansas City or at 

 any other place in America. The " clergy- 

 man " was deceived, it he really thinks he 

 was on such a farm ! . And if so, it is his 

 duty to attempt to clear his skirts, by nam- 

 ing the place and the person who practiced 

 such deception upon him 1 Out with it, Mr. 

 Clergyman ! 



Again, our British cotemporary makes 

 this assertion : 



Our aiticle was based on the above infor- 

 mation, and we also gave an extract from a 

 magazinH, Tlie Monthly Magazine of Plutr- 

 macy, Chemistry, andMedicine tor Decem- 

 ber last, part of which— "So much like the 

 genuine article that only experts can detect 

 the ditference "—the American Bee Jour- 

 nal considers the British Bee Journal to 

 have said, but which was only a portion of 

 the quotation from the Monthly Magazine. 



There again the British Bee Journal is 

 mistaken— we copied on page .52, its exact 

 words, which were : 



The latter of these scientific bee-keepers 

 [the manager of the "adulterating bee- 

 farm."— Ed. A. B. J.] is best described in 

 the following quotation from a magazine 

 of this month. 



No ; no, we made no such mistake ! Im- 

 mediately following the above, was the 

 statement that "ARTIFICIAL HONEY" 

 in "racks" was "now MADE in New 

 York," so much like the genuine article that 

 only experts can detect the difference." 

 Merely another version of the infamous 

 Wiley lie to cause another racfe-et ! 



Finally, the editor of the British Bee 

 Journal avows his disbelief in the story 

 from that " Magazine of this month " in 

 these words : 



Naturally, subjects coming from a Profes- 

 sor would be considered facts, and we hope 

 that our informant was deceived, although 

 we must point out that there is a difference 

 between "artificial combs" as described by 

 Prof. Wiley, and which no bee-keeper for 



one moment would believe it possible to 

 produce, and the productions of combs by 

 feeding, which is not at all impossible, as 

 every bee-keeper will know. 



Had our cotemporary thought far enough 

 ahead last December to have come to this 

 conclusion, that infamous citation would 

 not have been endorsingly given ! This is 

 an after-thought of the real editor— the 

 other was the blunder of a subordinate ! 



It seems to us that it would have been far 

 better to have admitted the blunder, than to 

 have attempted to defend it, and to have so 

 signally failed ! 



We quite endorse the language last 

 quoted, that " no bee-keeper for one moment 

 would believe it possible to produce" the 

 "artificial combs as described by Prof. 

 Wiley !" 



But how peculiar does that assertion ap- 

 pear when placed side by side with what 

 that editor endorsingly copied tinto that 

 original article entitled " Facts," viz : 



The latter of these scientific bee-keepers 

 is best described in the following quotation 

 from a magazine of this month : " Artificial 

 honey now made in New York is so much 

 like the genuine article that only experts 

 can detect the difference. It is in racks, 

 the same as the natural product, and now 

 and then the wings and legs of a few dead 

 bees are to he seen to further the deception. 

 It can be sold at a profit of 5d. per pound. 



"Mistakes will happen in the best regu- 

 lated" periodicals— but when the error is 

 pointed out, it is better to acknowledge it 

 than to try to defend it ! 



Xlie Wesitlier is varied enough to 

 suit the most fastidious. We have all the 

 varieties within 24 hours, with a change of 

 60° of temperature. Mr. Eugene Secor, of 

 Forest City, Iowa, on March 26, 1888, wrote 

 us thus concerning the weather in his 

 locality : 



The past week has discounted the stories 

 of "the oldest inhabitant." One week ago 

 we had a foretaste of Florida ; imme- 

 diately following, the rigors of Nova Zem- 

 bla. One of the worst blizzards of the win- 

 ter came close upon the heels of a balmy 

 spriug day, when geese were winging their 

 way to the northern lakes, when robins 

 were calling their mates to the familiar 

 haunts in the orchard and lawn, and the 

 bees (if in the open air) were sporting in 

 the joyous sunshine. This is a country of 

 michty possibilities ! 



My bees are still in the cellar, and will 

 stay there until the weather settles, "if it 

 takes all summer." 



Yes ; by all means let the bees remain in 

 winter quarters until settled warm weather 

 has come. 



New Catalogues for 1888 are on our 

 desk, from the following persons: 



The D. A. Jones Co., Ld., Beeton, Ont.— 

 20 pages— Bees and Supplies. 



A. O. Crawford, South Weymouth, Mass. 

 —20 pages— Honey Labels. 



E. L. Goold & Co., Brantford, Ont.— 23 

 pages— Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



G. K. Hubbard, La Grange, Ind.— 12 pages 

 — Hubbard Bee-Hive. 



Abbott Brothers, Southall, England— 73 

 pages— Hives and Bee Furniture. 



E. W. Reid, Bridgeport, O.— 34 pages- 

 Small Fruit. 



'Woodman— Spare tliat Xree, is 



the first line of that old song so popular 

 when we were a boy. It forcibly came to 

 our mind when reading the following iu the 

 Plowman from the pen of Mr. C. H. 

 Dibbern : 



Last month I made some suggestions to 

 the farmers to sow Alsike clover, buck- 

 wheat, and other crops of value for honey. 

 Something can also be done to keep farmers 

 and others from destroying trees, and other 

 honey resources we already have. A num- 

 ber of years ago a neighbor and friend of 

 mine was thinning out a wood lot of some 

 35 acres, near my apiary, by cuttinfr out 

 about three-fourths of the timber. This lot 

 contained a good many basswood or linden 

 trees that I had watched jealously. As 

 they were not regarded as of much account 

 tor timber, I soon discovered that they were 

 being cut down, and ash, oak and butternut 

 left to grow. I had ou several occasions 

 given him a present of a few pounds of 

 honey, and I now explained to him the 

 value of the basswood trees for the bees. 

 He at once agreed to let all the good shaped 

 trees of this variety grow, and now I have 

 some forty splendid linden trees within 

 easy range as the result. The man is now 

 dead, but whenever I see these magnificent 

 trees, an impulse of kind remembrance 

 comes over me. Perhaps others can do 

 something on this line with their neighbors 

 also. I have hundreds of linden trees 

 within reach of my bees, but these are so 

 near that they are of special advantage. 



Much can be done to save the the honey- 

 producing trees if attended to judiciously, 

 and in the right spirit. The hint of Mr. 

 Dibbern is a good one, and we hope will be 

 acted upon by others. 



Among Hints to Iteg^lnners, an 



exchange gives the following items ot in- 

 formation : 



Never crush a bee if you can help it. 

 • Bees will not follow one into a building. 



Newly-hived swarms should be placed in 

 the shade. 



It is easiest to manipulate bees when they 

 are gathering honey. 



Let all your movements be slow and reg- 

 ular, if you would not be stung.. Do not be 

 nervous or fidgety when working with bees. 



The proboscis of the bee is moved like the 

 trunk of an elephant, and is susceptible of 

 expansion and contraction, and of being 

 bent and twisted in all directions. 



XUe Old ReliaWe "American Bee 

 Journal " donned a new dress with the new 

 year, and looks as neat and clean as a new 

 dollar. It gives the latest news in bee- 

 keeping, and we never knew a bee-paper 

 that could take its place. Long may it 

 prosper.— Ifestem Farmer and Stockman. 



CONVEIVTION NOTICES. 



Ef^" The annnual meeting of the "Western Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will be held at Independence, 

 Meat the Court House, on April 2r>, 1888. It will 

 be carried on as a sociable. frienJly gathering. Let 

 all bring their baskets and have a good time. 



Pktbr Otto, Sec. 



5^^ The next meeting of the Susquehanna County 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at New Mil- 

 ford, Ph.. on May 5, ik.sh. The f(»llowlng subjects are 

 to be considered : Bee-keeping for pleasure and pro- 

 fit—Spring work with bees— Is it advisable to use 

 foundation? If so, to what extent 7— Huw can we 

 make our Association of the most practical value to 

 Us members. All are cordially invited to come. 



H. M. Seelev, Sec. 



