100 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Nov., 



gathered in May when the flowers are in their 

 fullest strength and blossom, is the best. 



Of all species, virgin honey, that which is 

 stored in pure, freshly-built, white combs, in 

 which no brood has been bred, or pollen stored, 

 which flows of itself from the uncapped cells is 

 the finest and best ; the other species, extracted 

 from old combs through heat, pressure, &c, 

 contains, owing to this mode of obtaining it, por- 

 tions of pollen and other extraneous matters 

 which, in a greater or less degree, give to it a 

 strange taste and a dark color. 



Barrel honey is impure, dark, and of an in- 

 sipid taste, which arises from the fact that the 

 entire contents of the stock, brood, pollen, and 

 other impurities are thrown into the cask and 

 sold. 



Owing to difference in countries and situations, 

 to pasturage and degrees of purification, honey 

 differs greatly as to color, taste and smell. 



Honey from flowers is mild and pleasant 

 tasted ; mountain honey is sharp and aromatic ; 

 forest honey is less palatable ; buckwheat honey 

 has greater heating qualities, and heath honey 

 has a pitchy and vegetable taste and is the poor- 

 est of all. 



As to color, honey from Linden blossoms, 

 Eyebright (Euphrasa Officinalis), white clover, 

 buckwheat, and Esparsette, is more or less 

 white, the last species having a tendency to red ; 

 . from rape, chicory, and blue bottle ( Cenlaurea 

 . Ceyamus, L.) is yellow ; buckwheat is red with 

 . a greenish tinge, (in summer during great heat, 

 : it has a brownish yellow), and from wild buck- 

 wheat has a reddish-brown color. 



Athea, in Greece, furnishes, from the south 

 . side of the hill Hymettus, and Sicil y, from the hill 

 .and country surrounding Hybla, in which place 

 : Thyme scents the air, honey, which, through- 

 out the world is held to be the finest and best. 

 .Also the honey from the country surrounding 

 Mantua, the home of Virgil, from Mount Ida, 

 from the shores of the Black Sea, and from the 

 : islands of Crete, Cyperus, and Kalydon, were 

 'held in high esteem ; and even yet, the honey 

 jfrom Spain, and especially from the Grecian Is- 

 i lands, is highly prized, and every year hundreds 

 rof quintals are transported to Constantinople, 

 ■ and is of great demand at the Palace of the Sul- 

 tan. Of most excellent quality is the honey 

 .from the Island of Minorca, from Charmouny in 

 J Savoy, from Champagne, Narlonne and Mont- 

 pellier, in southern France, and also that from 

 Portugal. The latter is nearly white, and re- 

 ceives a pleasant aromatic taste from the abun- 

 jjdant Rosemary and other sweet-scented flowers, 

 , fruits and herbs. 



Bohemian honey was noted already in ancient 

 ' times for its rich aroma and its bright gold color ; 

 , also in the vicinity of Salzbury and the Alps, the 

 'honey has rare value. 



Linden honey, if gathered exclusively from 



the blossoms of the Linden, and thus unmixed 



' with that of any other flower, is* esteemed in all 



lands as the best of all species, owing to pleasant 



- balsamic smell and agreeable taste. Superior 



; honey is also obtained from the aromate plants 



belonging to the family Labial® (rosemary, 



lavender, melissa, sage, penny-royal, phetony, 



thyme, etc.), also from violets, Primrose, pinks, 

 marigolds, roses, lillies, may-flowers and a great 

 number of trees and shrubs. 



Poland, of all European countries, produces 

 the most honey. There are beekeepers there 

 owning 1,000 stocks, and from which they derive 

 upwards of 500 barrels of honey. 



C. THE USE OF HONEY AS A FOOD, AS A PRE- 

 SERVER OF HEALTH AND AS A REMEDY IN SICK- 

 NESS. 



Honey, as has been already shown, was known 

 and used as the best, most natural and healthiest 

 article of food, can be used in tea and coffee, and 

 as a substitute for sugar in both food and drink. 



Honey not only replaces sugar, but in many 

 respects excels it. 



If one thinks only on the material from which 

 sugar is made, examine the separation of the 

 foreign substances, such as the process of puri- 

 fying, etc., I am convinced that this will be suf- 

 ficient to show that outside of the quality of 

 sweetness there is little to be recommended in 

 sugar, and that honey, that gift of God, far ex- 

 cels it. 



Through the use of honey man takes in a most 

 agreeable way both food and medicine, which, 

 with unusual benefit, works into the human sys- 

 tem as a preservative against many diseases, and 

 is especially beloved by children ; and granting 

 that it has been well purified, can be preserved 

 for years, and in every period of the year be of 

 the same use, and can be thus held as a true 

 medicine chest. 



Good, pure, unadulterated honey should there- 

 fore always be on hand in ecery family. 



Honey eat upon wheat bread is very beneficial 

 to health. 



Children will eat honey-bread sooner than 

 butter-bread ; one pound of honey will reach as 

 far, yes farther, than two pounds of butter, and 

 has, besides, the advantage that it is far more 

 healthy and pleasant-tasted, and always remains 

 good, while butter soon becomes rancid and 

 often produces cramp in the stomach, eructa- 

 tions, sourness, yea, even vomiting and diar- 

 rhoea. 



Well purified honey has the quality of preserv- 

 ing for a long time in a fresh state anything that 

 may be laid in it or mixed with it, and to prevent 

 its coirupting in a far superior manner to sugar ; 

 thus many species of fruit may be preserved by 

 being laid in honey, and by this means will ob- 

 tain a pleasant taste and give to the stomach a 

 healthy tone. One who has once tried it, will 

 never again use sugar in the preserving of his 

 fruits ; besides, honey sweetens far more than 

 sugar. 



In medicine, and especially in the healing of 

 wounds, was honey, already in early times, used 

 as a universal remedy, constitutes yet the prin- 

 cipal ingredient of many medical preparations, 

 is used with the best results in many internal 

 and external diseases ; serves as a means for tak- 

 ing powders, for the preparation of salves and 

 the sweetening of medicine. 



Honey molilies ; promotes festering ; causes 

 gentle purging, divides and dissolves, warms, 

 nourishes, stops pain, strengthens the tone of 



