278 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



thought fair to assume that twice as man\' 

 pounds of extracted as of comb honey are 

 produced. This would make the number 

 of pounds of extracted honey 100,000,000 

 in round numbers. CalHng this worth five 

 cents a lb., it would be worth $5,000,000, 

 and the comb honey at ten cents a pound 

 would be worth a like sum; making the 

 annual honey crop of this country worth 

 $10,000,000. 



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AM.A.LGAMAT10N. 

 During the last three years, or more, 

 there have been several unsuccessful at- 

 tempts at uniting the National bee-keep- 

 ers' Union and the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, but it now seems 

 that there are bright prospects for its ac- 

 complishment. There has been, of late, 

 considerable correspondence between Dr. 

 Mason and Mr. T. G. Newman, looking 

 to the amalgamation of the two societies, 

 and at the Philadelphia convention 

 changes in the constitution were recom- 

 mended, which, if adopted at the next 

 annual vote of the two societies, will 

 unite them. 



i^rfn^mrf**^** 



IM'RI-: FOOD LAWS. 

 Many people suppose that Congress 

 can pa.ss a law prohibiting the manufac- 

 ture and sale of adulterated articles in the 

 United States. This cannot be done. It 

 can make a law prohibiting the sale of 

 adulterated articles in the District of Col- 

 umbia and in the Territories, but not in 

 the States. The most that it can do in 

 this direction is to prohibit the shipping 

 of adulterated goods from one State to 

 another. Each State can regulate this 

 matter to suit itself, but National pure, 

 food laws have only to do with Inter- 

 state commerce. Such a bill has been in- 

 troduced and referred to the Committee 

 on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 

 It is known as the Brosius bill. I\Ir. 

 Pvmerson T. Abbott explained all tliis at 

 the Philadelphia convention. He also 

 said that we as bee-keepers ought not to 

 ask for the passage of a pure food law 



simply to protect us in selling our honey. 

 No class ought to ask for special legisla- 

 tion to protect their business. The sel- 

 ling of adulterated foods ought to be pro- 

 hibited simply because it is an injustice 

 to the consumer. Many articles of food 

 that are adulterated are not injurious to 

 health, but it is a fraud to sell them for 

 what they are not. All mixtures ought 

 to be labeled showing exactly what they 

 are; then if a purchaser wishes to buy 

 them, no wrong is done. 



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OUOTATIOXS AND COMMI.SSION.S. 



In the discussion at the Philadelphia 

 convention of commission men and their 

 methods, as mentioned in another place, 

 there was one other point to which I must 

 call attention, and that is the misunder- 

 standings in regard to the quotations giv- 

 en. It transpired in the discussion that 

 some supposed that the figures given were 

 those that would be realized; but the gen- 

 eral impression prevailed that the quota- 

 tions given were those at which the hon- 

 ev was sold, and that freight, cartage and 

 commission must be deducted from these 

 figures. Considering that there is a dif- 

 ference of views, it was suggested that 

 the editors of the journals learn the truth 

 of the matter, and keep a standing notice 

 at the head of the colunm in which quota- 

 tions are given. 



There is still one more point upon which 

 light was asked, aiul that is, what jjer 

 cent, cuniniission is charged for hand- 

 ling lioney? If a man knew that the 

 figures given are those at which the hon- 

 ej' is sold, also what commission would 

 be charged, he could consult his railroad 

 agent in regard to freight rates and would 

 then be able to decide in regard to which 

 point to seiul honey. Without this data, 

 some of which he could secure only 

 through exLen.sive correspondence, he is 

 somewhat at sea. How many of those 

 who give quotations in the Review are 

 willing to slate just what is meant by the 

 figures given in their quotations, and also 

 to say what commission they charge 1 



