273 
so marked a manner in the morning that, so far from there being" 
any danger of its being below the standard, the standard itself 
might be raised with perfect safety to the producer and with 
great advantage to the public. — Farm, Field and Fireside. 
OF INTEREST TO BEEKEEPERS. 
An Important Government Decision that Indirectly Favors the 
Honey Business — Saccharin Barred from Foods 
After July 1, 1911. 
(From Gleanings in Bee Culture.) 
Two or three years ago we had considerable to say on the sub- 
ject of saccharin — a product of coal tar, and hence poisonous as 
a sweetening for jellies, jams, beers, and soda waters. We ex- 
plained to our readers time and time again, that any product of 
coal tar, when used in food, was injurious. The fact that it is 
300 times sweeter than cane sugar makes it very cheap ; and the 
manufacturer of sweet pickles, jams, and jellies, and the brewers, 
have been using large cjuantities of it in place of the more ex- 
pensive sugar. We have been told that a large percentage of the 
soda water fountains have been using the product. 
W^e have been hoping for some years that there would be a 
government decision that would bar the use of saccharin ; and 
now our dear Uncle Sam has given a fair warning that on and 
after July 1 its use must be discontinued. This is what he says : 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, 
Office of the Secretary, 
Washington, D. C, April 28, 1911. 
The Secretary of Agriculture has today issued a decision, 
based upon a finding of the Referee Board of Consulting Scien- 
tific Experts, which forbids the use of saccharin in food on and 
after July 1st next. The decision is under the Food and Drugs 
Act, and will prohibit the manufacture or sale in the District of 
Columbia or the Territories of foodstuffs containing saccharin, 
as well as interstate commerce in such foodstuffs. The finding of 
the Board is the second since its creation, and is regarded as very 
sweeping, inasmuch as the decision affects more than thirty dif- 
ferent classes of foods. Some of the articles affected are soft 
drinks, sweet pickles, jellies, and jams, and, in some instances, 
beer. 
The decision as promulgated is signed by the Secretary of the 
Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of 
