Jannary 29, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
99 
unsurpassable ; but best of all it candied, and that change brought 
another, making it of most exquisite flavour. This is a case showing 
that candied honey should not be disqualified unless it becomes insipid, 
as much of it does, especially where it has been subjected to heat. 
These remarks may not prevent associations fixing the points that 
hone} r should possess, but I trust it will impress bee-keepers to be 
careful what they present to the public for sale.—A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
THE BRITISH HONEY COMPANY—APICULTURE IN 
DANGER. 
On page 42 “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” names the above company 
as likely to be of doubtful benefit to the British honey producer, but 
probably he has not seen a prospectus of the company and carefully 
studied the articles of association printed on its back. In these articles 
not a word is said about dealing in pure British honey, or even pure 
honey ; but in the second clause, sections a and b, power is taken to pro¬ 
duce, purchase, sell, or otherwise deal with or in any kind or form of 
honey and wax, British or foreign, or any mixture of honey ; in section c , 
to manufacture, purchase, use, vend, or otherwise deal with or in all 
articles and things belonging to or having reference to bees or their pro¬ 
ducts ; and in section f, as an incorporated company in England or else¬ 
where, or as an anonymous partnership in any British possession or 
colony, or in any foreign country, possession, or colony. 
When this company was first mentioned by its chairman in the 
British Bee Journal, page 336, vol. xii., the lines laid down weie strictly 
to “ deal ” in pure British honey only, and on pp. 353 and 427 no men¬ 
tion is made of anything different, all the articles or correspondence in 
that jourual clearly showed that all looked at the scheme in this light. 
The only thing which seemed at all wrong is the report of the Com¬ 
mittee of the British Bee-keepers’ Association on page 412 of the 
British Bee Journal, when out of the twelve members present five of 
them were promoters of the company, one of whom is its chairman and 
originator, and which, after the whole body of members of the British 
Bee-keepers’ Association had adopted the frame 14 in. by 8| in. as the 
standard, and consequently 4£ in. by 4 in., as the 1 lb. section, or without 
any authority from the members, resolved that the American standard 
1 lb. and 2 lbs. sections should be the standard for this country, thus 
making it possible for American comb honey to be imported and palmed 
off as British, and this in the face of the fact that the 2 lb. section (6^ in. 
by in.) will not fit either in or upon a standard frame hive ; while 
the 1 lb. (4^ in. by 4 in.) and 2 lbs. (4^ in. by 8 in.) will do both [there 
can be no excuse on account of cheapness, as the American makers make 
even small lots of odd-sized 1 lb. to 2 lb. sections at the same price as 
standards], and cannot be very well used in any hive in America. 
When I read the report I remarked to all my friends, “ Does this 
honey company intend buying American honey unless they can get 
British cheaper ?” and so was not at all surprised when I saw the pro¬ 
spectus. At the present time there is a ship due or nearly due in Liver¬ 
pool with 100 tons of comb and extracted honey on board from San 
Francisco. 
I have no fears of pure American honey coming to this country duty 
free, and no other bee-keeper need fear it if it is sold honestly ; but take 
the present as an illustraticn. In the United States during the past 
season they have had a quantity of what they call “ honeydew.” The bee 
journals say they must not sell it, or they will spoil the market, as people 
will never buy a second lot for fear of its being like the first ; and they 
must not winter their bees with it, or it will produce dysentery and cause 
all their bees to die. Well! what must they do with it if they are 
neither to sell or use it ? Does not the answer suggest itself ? Why, 
export it to England to sell for what it will fetch, and being in the same 
sized sections as the British standard, in which you cannot “ taste before 
you buy,” it ultimately condemns British honey as being like it, so pre¬ 
venting a second purchase and keeping down the demand for pure British 
honey. This is no imagination. Honeycomb commands in New York 
and Boston lOd. per lb. wholesale from the producers, while the Rev. 
V. H. Mayle offers 9 d. for British, and says he could lay his hand on 
130 tons; so honey cannot be shipped from New York to this country 
under Is. per lb. 
What has the British Bee-keepers’ Association done to help the 
honey producers ? The Lincolnshire Association annually holds a fair 
for the disposal of members’ honey, which has always been a success ; 
but the British Bee-keepers’ Association has never followed the example 
and started one in London or elsewhere. They have done their utmost 
to increase the number of bee-keepers, and cause a demand for hives and 
appliances for the especial benefit of dealers, and so cause competition and 
reduce the price of honey, without in any way benefiting the present 
ones. At the York Show I heard their expert tell the public, when show¬ 
ing them an eccentric extractor, “ that they could take all the honey 
from the comb3 with it, which they could sell for Is. to Is. 6dl. per lb., and 
feed their bees with syrup for winter, costing 2d. per lb.” Some bee¬ 
keepers who have read the publications and are going to spend their 
money in high-priced hives into which to transfer the contents of their 
straw ones, are filled with amazement when I tell them to stick to their 
skeps and never transfer them until they have thoroughly mastered the 
principles and details of the bar-frame. I also show them how to make 
a frame hive for 3s., into which they can put swarms to learn with. 
What we want now is a union on the lines—with some important 
modifications and additions—laid down by your able correspondent ‘ A 
Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,” whose articles give me the greatest pleasure, as 
he writes so much which I know from experience is correct and so little 
I can question. I always, when anyone asks me for a good authority to 
read, refer them to his articles in this Journal. 
I and a number of bee-keepers are preparing a scheme for the organi¬ 
sation of all the bee-keepers in the British Isles into a union for our 
mutual benefit and protection, and if you will assist us a draft of the 
rules or constitution shall be sent you for publication and criticism. 
There is to be no ornamental beeless members in it; only bond fide bee¬ 
keepers.—A Hallamshire Bee-keeper. 
THE BEE AND FRUIT FARMING COMPANY. 
We understand that this company, the prospectus of which has 
appeared in our advertising columns, is being favourably regarded by 
persons interested in the twin industry of honey and fruit productior. 
Already in a private manner, and not by Mr. Garratt alone, the practice 
of combining apiculture with fruit culture has been lucrative ; and, well 
conducted in favourable districts, there is every reason for expecting 
satisfactory results. It is impossible to estimate the vast quantity of 
honey that is wasted yearly in orchards by the want of bees to gather it, 
while these pay for what they extract in the work of fruit-fertilisation, 
which is a chief element in contributing to a golden harvest. We may 
add that this is not the company referred to above by a correspondent. 
APICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE. 
If a person would reach the very highest success in horticulture, he 
must love trees and plants, must love to look at them, to inquire into 
their wants and requirements, and to administer to their wants as living 
things. If a man loves a tree for its beauty, for its shade, for its fruit, 
and for its company, and loves to study varieties of fruits and habits 
of plants and trees, then he has the first rudimentary qualifications of a 
tree and fruit raiser, and may enter on work with assurance of success. 
The same rule will apply to apiculture. A person who would succeed 
should love the bees and their products, must love to look at them, 
ascertain their requirements, and administer to their wants. No others 
can expect to succeed. Though it is not essential that a person should 
enjoy the eating of honey, it is still desirable that such should be the case, 
for some human stomachs will not endure its sweetness. In such cases, 
however, a glass of sweet milk drank after eating the honey will usually 
cause a pleasant condition of the system generally, and add to the health 
of the person using it. 
If one loves the honey bee for its docility and beauty, for its pleasant 
and sporting flight, for its industry and work, for its architectural skill 
and indomitable energy, then the first principles of a bee-keeper present 
themselves, and such may safely proceed, expecting ultimate success. 
In this, as in all other departments of business, it is only the careful 
and practical that may hope to succeed. Nature has provided the health¬ 
giving delicious nectar in myriads of beautiful flowers, which deck forest, 
field, and garden, and developed the bees to gather this abundant sweet¬ 
ness and store it in quantities far exceeding their wants, providing an 
opportunity for man to step in and second the efforts of Nature and the 
bees, and utilise the surplus honey for his pleasure and sustenance. 
Bees and flowers are so closely allied, so dependant the one on the 
other, that we may well love both. What is there in all creation so 
soul-inspiring as a cultivated garden of Nature’s flowers of variegated 
hues and heavenly grandeur ? None but the unfortunate or despondent 
can fail to enjoy Nature in her garb of beauty, decked by the bounteous 
hand of Deity ! 
To produce a garden of living gorgeousnes3 we may all aspire and 
long enjoy its gratifying results. We may as well become enthusiasts 
upon bees and flowers, for apiculture and horticulture go hand-in-hand.— 
(.American Bee Journal .) 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Thomas S. Ware, Hale Farm, Tottenham .—Catalogue of Flower Seeds 
and List of Dahlias and Bulbs. 
Regel & Kesselring, St. Petersburg .—Catalogue of Fruit and Ornamental 
Trees, Boses, Hardy Plants, <j c. 
*** All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. Wa 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
