THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



123 



it." That poiut cau not i)robably be reached 

 in our time, so that really all there is for us 

 to do is to let the adulterators severely alone, 

 say uothiug about it, but >,'rin and bear it. 



Now suppose that it is thoroughly under- 

 stood that adulteration can go on without 

 let or hindrance, that openly and above 

 board there cau be put on the market pure 

 glucose labeled "Pure Honey," and I know 

 as well as you that there are thousands that 

 cannot tell the two apart, don't you think 

 adulteration would largely increase? Have 

 you forgotten that a little stirring up made 

 one large firm come out publicly and confess 

 and promise not to do so any more? 



How is it in other lines of business? The 

 man who sells a pound of glucose for a i)ound 

 of honey is in a business of precisely the 

 same kind, different only in degree, as the 

 man who passes a piece of pewter for a sil- 

 ver dollar. One is counterfeiting as much 

 as the other. Now, is the kiud of policy we 

 have been talking about adopted in the case 

 of the man who is detected handling coun- 

 terfeit money? Do we talk after the follow- 

 ing fashion? "Well, it does no good to say 

 anything about it, there is not such a great 

 amount of spurious money in circulation, 

 and if this man is prosecuted for counter- 

 feiting it will only make people suspicious 

 of all money and the consequent lack of con- 

 fidence will militate against the public in- 

 terest. The best poli.y is to say nothing 

 about it." Do we talk after that stylo? Do 

 we say that it is so hard to convict of coun- 

 terfeiting that we better not try it? Do we 

 say, "What good comes of making an out- 

 cry? It simply says to the public: "Beware, 

 there is counterfeit money in circulation ? " 

 Sj far frotn that, we make the peaalty so 

 severe that wheu conviction is secured it 

 serves as a wholesome restraint. 



Friend Hutchinson, I give you credit for 

 trying to be perfectly fair, but in this case 

 it looks to me as if you had started on a 

 theory tliat your good sense and kind heart 

 would not allow you to follow out to the bit- 

 ter end. You say, "I honestly believe that 

 the wisest course is to ket>|' perfectly still," 

 and in the very next paragraph preceding 

 you say, "If a man finds that adulterated 

 goods are in opposition to his own, let him 

 go quietly to work and bring such forces to 

 bear as will rid him of thLM'ompetition." No 

 matter if you do contratli(!t it in the very 

 same paragraph, there stands good advice, 

 aud if it's right for one man to follow it, it 



is right for two men, or for any number of 

 men con.biued. 



No, I don't believe in a policy that says we 

 must keep still and help deceive the public 

 into the belief that glucose is white clover. 

 I believe in letting the whole thing come 

 out. The interests of the public are identi- 

 cal with ours. Say to them if you will, "Be- 

 ware, there are adulterated goods on the 

 market," and then ask them for their own 

 interest as well as yours to help prosecute 

 the conterfeiters, making better laws for it if 

 necessary. 



Makengo, 111,, April 15, 1891. 



Adulteration of Honey. 



PBOF. A. J. COOK. 



f WRITE WITH some hesitation on 

 this subject as I differ with many 

 whose opinion and judgment rank, 

 in my mind, among the first, of whom 

 Mr. Editor, I include yourself. But I 

 have thought a good deal upon this 

 subject, and believe it is a matter of 

 much importance, and one that we should 

 consider. 



I think we saw enough at Detroit to con- 

 vince us all that adulteration is extensively 

 carried on. This is never the work of bee- 

 keepers — the real producers of honey, but of 

 some middle man : some '^manufacturer" 

 whose stock is in Detroit, Chicago, or some 

 other usually large city. A little honey and 

 very much glucose which often sells for half 

 the market price of honey is mixed and all 

 is sold as '^pure strained honey," This is 

 sent out in such large quantities that the 

 business is very profitable. Thus men will 

 engage in what they know is unlawful and 

 fraudulent, because there is money in it. As 

 long as we have saloons and worse places, 

 just so long will men engage in such nefari- 

 ous work as adulteration, unless we say 

 them no, so emphatically that all will listen 

 and heed. I do not believe we should ever 

 defend any such article. I regret Mr. Edi- 

 tor, that you and one other of our honored 

 and justly loved editors have done so. You 

 say it may be better than honey. I say 

 never. Honey is honest; this a lie? A lie 

 never can be as excellent as truth. But this 

 ''pure sfrained honcif is sold under a false 

 name. We do not know what it is. It may 

 be poison. Because a mixture is sweet and 

 pleasant to the taste is no surety that it is 



