46 



SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



cago and have gone to Indiana, and are 

 continuing. 



Dr. Miller: Will you tell us what 

 drove out those few that have gone? 



Mr. Taylor: You have enough left 

 to supply Chicago. 



Mr. Arnd: It isn't likely that a large 

 grocery house would have a house in 

 every state in the union. 



Mr. Dadant: Here are facts. We 

 have been dealers of honey for forty 

 years or more. We never thought that 

 we could sell honey to small grocers. 

 We never tried to. Four years ago I 

 got acquainted with a grocer in Keo- 

 kuk. He handled Chicago honey. He 

 said to me: "You sell your honey at 

 10 or 12 cents a pound in small pack- 

 ages. We can buy honey in Chicago so 

 it can be handled for 10 cents a pound. 

 We like to handle pure goods, but we 

 must meet the price." I met him again 

 last fall. He then said: "We are com- 

 pelled to use pure goods^ and I am 

 glad of it. We will have to use pure 

 honey." I asked him if he could handle 

 our honey now. He took $600 worth of 

 honey that season. And he is still 

 handling our honey. He used to han- 

 dle manufactured honey. Such is 

 sometimes labeled "Artificial Honey." 

 The pure food law has helped already, 

 and it is going to help. The pure food 

 law went into effect January 1, 1907, 

 but no one was prosecuted until Oc- 

 tober. 



Mr. Taylor: The pure food law did 

 not affect that. 



Dr. Miller: The pure food law went 

 into effect last January. There is a 

 prohibiton law passed down in Ala- 

 bama. It doesn't go into effect until 

 January, 1909. But it affects the liquor 

 business. It has its effect before the 

 law really takes effect. These are facts 

 that have an indirect bearing. Where 

 I live it was common to see impure 

 goods year after year — syrups, jellies, 

 and all that sort of thing. I never saw 

 on the labels anything that said any- 

 thing was wrong with them. Now I 

 see largely a com syrup. On another 

 can that formerly was sold as honey- 

 drips, now has such a per cent of corn- 

 syrup. You won't find a can or a jar 

 that doesn't say pretty plainly on it 

 just what it is. If those fellows have 

 gone to some other place they don't 

 send their goods to Marengo. 



Mr. Wheeler: I see about as many 

 grocery stores- as any one here. Lots 

 of these wholesale houses are labeling 

 their articles a certain brand. They 



have "So-and-So's" brand of honey. 

 They don't call it "pure honey." The 

 store-keeper can retail the stuff for 20 

 cents per pound fruit jar. They have 

 it in jars from one pound down. They 

 have a way of dodging the law 

 so that you people don't think 

 of it. People don't look for the 

 word "pure." They see the word 

 "honey" on it and buy it. There 

 is a lot of this kind of goods put on the 

 market that I don't consider pure, and 

 a great deal sold, especially in the 

 poorer districts. Every store has some 

 sort of honey in it. It is sold under 

 different brands, just as the "Old 

 Manse" brand of maple syrup. The 

 dealers claim that if they use the word 

 "brand" it simply means the same ar- 

 ticle has been put up for years before. 

 It is the same article under the same 

 name. I think you would be surprised 

 at the amount of honey in the stores 

 today. 



Dr. Miller: What is there in the 

 price to make him think that it is not 

 pure honey? What are the prices? 



Mr. Wheeler: In the size of pack- 

 ages. A pound and a half of honey 

 cannot retail at 20 cents. 



Dr. Miller: Can pure honey be of- 

 fered at 20 cents for one and one-half 

 pounds? 



Mr. Taylor: Perhaps there is one 

 way in which the pure food law will 

 do good. If the people become con- 

 vinced that the laAv is carried into ef- 

 fect, and that goods are all properly 

 labeled, what will be the result? Not 

 that they will eschew all syrups and 

 jellies, but if they like them they will 

 buy them, still resting upon the law 

 that they are getting just what the law 

 calls for. Many people like these 

 syrups. Chemists tell us they are just 

 as good as honey for eating. Under 

 such circumstances they will buy it 

 just as largely — maybe more largely 

 than before. 



Dr. Miller: Do you think that what 

 was called the "Wiley lie" hurt the sale 

 of honey any? No? Then he is in a 

 class by himself. 



Mr. Taylor: The cry made by the 

 bee-keepers affected the sale of honey. 

 If they had made no fuss there would 

 have been no trouble. 



Mr. Moore: This discussion strikes 

 very close to me. I have an experience 

 of over 20 years, confining myself to 

 family trade. I have been in touch 

 with wholesale trade, and have a pretty 

 general view of the situation. To use 



