POISONOVS HONEV OF NORTH AMERICA. 159 



ing at the other end of my premifes. I have always two 

 watchmen every night, and they go the round every half hour. 

 I am, 

 SIR, 



Your obedient humble fervant, 



EXETER, 

 Burghles, June 9, 1 8 03 . 



IV. 



Some Account of the Poifonous and Injurious Honey of North 

 America. By Benjamin Smith Barton, M. D.* 



IN the year 1785, I had an opportunity of obferving fome Honey is fome- 

 of the difagreeable effe&s of our wild honey upon feveral per- *™™ T ° f J™ h * 

 fons who had eaten of it, in the weftern parts of Pennfylvania, injure the con- 

 near the river Ohio. From thefe effe&s I was perfuaded, that ftitutl0n - 

 a fubftance which is generally confidered as entirely innocent, 

 is capable of doing much injury to the conftitution. I was, 

 therefore, induced to pay fome attention to the fubjedt. The 

 refult of my inquiries I now communicate to the Philofophical 

 Society. 



It is not neceffary to make any remarks on the fabric of ho- it always par- 

 ney. It may be fufficient to obferve, that the honey will al- takes of the n *~* 

 ways partake, in a greater or IefTer degree, of the fmell, the ers w h en ce it 

 tafte, and general properties, of the flowers from which it is « gathered. 

 obtained. This obvious facTfhould have folicited more of the 

 attention of thofe whofe employment it is to raife large num- 

 bers of bees, for the purpofe of obtaining the valuable pro- 

 duct of thefe little infedts. But, in this country at leaft, hardly 

 any attention has been paid to the fubje<5t. Perhaps, the fol- 

 lowing loofe hints, by pointing out fome of the fources from 

 which an ill-flavoured or pernicious honey is obtained, may be 

 of fome fervice to the new or remote fettlers of our country. 



I mull obferve, that in thefe hints I do not mean to include Common honey, 

 among the difagreeable confequences of the eating of honey, 

 the occafional effecl: of its purging : for although, as I fhall 

 prefently obferve, a purging is one of the common effects of 

 the poifonous honey, yet the moft innocent honey will often 



* American Tranfa&ions, V. 51. 



induce 



