The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-28
HONEY
SELLS TOO LOW
Bee Expert Phillips Gives VAL
liable knowledge to
HaWaiians.

From Aristotle to Honolulu, DR. E.
F. Phillips last evening, at the Uni
versity Club, rapidly reviewed the
history of bees, honey bees, and the
speaker, who is one of the big men
of the Agricultural Department at
Washington, held the close attention
of about half a hundred prominent
men, a number of whom are interest
ed in bee culture, telling them what
he had observed during his stay in
these islands and the opportunities
afforded here.
1t will be remembered that not long
ago there was on the mainland an Of
fetal criticism of certain Hawaiian
honey exports, the declaration being
that the honey sent out from these
islands was not Al, the inference be-
ing in many minds that it was sug
gested that Hawaiian honey was adul-
terated. This was explained by DR..
Phillips as being perhaps on account
of the shipment of what is commonly
known as honey dew. declaration
of the fact, he thought, would avoid
any trouble as far as the food and
drug law of 1906 is concerned, and the
speaker advised, by way of a test
case, that someone here send a tin of
honey dew to some friend in the main
land States with the explanation that
it was honey dew, or what is social
ed, at the same time advising the au-
thorities of his action.
TrI,s LEA sac1az
ington he had a talk with the solicit
tors of the department, and the opin-
ion was given him, for he asked the
question in anticipation of some SUCH
explanation being of advantage here,
that as long as the truth was told
in regard to the nature of the goods
there could be no prosecution under
the food and drug act.
DR.. Phillips said that he had Wis
tied the islands of Hawaii, Maui and
Molokai, besides looking around this
island, and everywhere he had been
shown, as much as his limited time
would allow, what was being done in
the bee line. He had observed IN
every cane field the presence of the
leaf-hopper, and he said that the leaf
hopper was known for the sticky Sc
erection deposited on the sugar leaf.
Such secretions, the secretions of the
leaf-hopper and other insects, We're
gathered by the honey bees at times
and were responsible for the honey
dew product as distinguished from
honey proper.
Not that he desired those here in
terested in bees to become alarmed,
but Dr. Phillips wanted particularly
to draw attention TO the fact that
there was more or less universal bee
disease to be warned of. At present,
as far as he was able to observe, there
was no such disease among Hawaiian
bees. The bee plague to be on guard
against is what is known as foul
brood micro-organic affection most
disastrous to the culture. 1t affects
the developing bee and is present in
nearly all the States. The chief ave-
nues of danger are in the importation
of queen bees and their retinues and
in imported honey which may be used
in assisting local bees.
DR.. Phillips was of the opinion that
Hawaiian honey was sold at too low
a price. He mentioned that the honey
industry, while nothing great, meant
matter of some $2,000,o00 year on
the mainland. Americans, he said, excel
in the matter of practical application
of scientific facts to bee culture. Eu-
ropeans, especially Germans and the
French, were away ahead in the sci
ence of such, discovering the facts
taken advantage of by the Americans.
DR.. Phillips expressed hearty appre-
citation of the manner in which he had
been entertained here and thanked the
club for the honor conferred in the
invitation to make a few remarks on
bees.