HONEY. 



HONEYSUCKLE. 



The first edition of this work contained the 

 foregoing description of the Russian bee-hive, 

 trans 1 ., it ed from a Kuropean publication ex- 

 pressly for the FannT'x <in<l Planter's En-t'ifrlo- 

 psedin. Tliis was the tirst announcement of the 

 nwrtthlr mnih system made in America. Any 

 one who refers to this work and the illustra- 

 tive drawing will perceive that the movable 

 comb-hives, now so much in vogue, are but 

 modifications of the plan which forms one of 

 the leading features of the "Russian bee- 

 hive," (p. 625,) where the arrangement con- 

 templates the constant capacity to watch the 

 bees, and remove the separate combs at 

 pleasure, like the volumes from a book-shelf. 

 re by no means particular in their 

 choice of places to deposit their honey, and 

 the arrangement of the Russian movable 

 comb-hive is such that the bees are made to 

 perform their work under supervision at all 

 times, and allow of the removal of their sur- 

 plus produce most conveniently and in the 

 best form. 



Italian Ifmirii-llee. A highly interesting ac- 

 count of the tirst attempts made to introlu.-e 

 the Italian bee into the U. S., and its final suc- 

 cess in 1859, with a description of its appear- 

 ance, characteristics, and habits, has been 

 given by R. Colvin, Esq., of Baltimore, in the 

 Report for 1863 of the U. S. Commissioner of 

 Mure. The volume containing the Re- 

 1SH5 contains a most interesting arti- 

 cle on ' Hee-Keeping," by Mrs. E. S. Tupper, 

 of Brighton, Iowa, and the results of !. 



\perience with the Italian honey-bee 

 which she highly commends. 



The Italian bee appears to be a race differ- 

 ing from those hitherto imported from Europe, 

 or the natives of the American continent, 

 having m my distinct characteristics in exter- 

 nal appearance and habits. They arc repre- 

 sented to be stronger, much more industrious, 

 and generally more docile, but excessively 

 and vindictive when irritated. Their 

 sting is much more severe than that of ordi- 

 nary bees. Perhaps their greater strength 

 m iv protect them against the destructive 

 ! of the bee-moth. As the best of bees 

 are known to be great robbers and invaders 

 of neighbouring colonies, the Italian bee may, 

 f -o;u superiority of strength and armour, event- 

 ually exterminate the old settlers, as the Nor- 

 way rat has displaced the more feeble aborig- 

 inal rats. This, in a destructive animal, 

 begets a loss, whilst with a productive worker 

 i: may be attended by great gain. 



All comparisons of the productive capacities 

 of the common black bees with the yellow 

 Italian bees result, according to trials made 

 by many apiarians, overwhelmingly in favour 

 of the latter. They appear to have longer 

 bills and to be able to reach the honey in 

 flowers the red clover for example which 

 is not accessible to common bees. Not only 

 do they store up more honey, but the Italian 

 queens are much more prolific than the black 

 queens. "It is wonderful," says Mrs. Tup- 

 per, " how much brood may be taken from 

 one of these queens." 



HONEY LOCUST, or Sweet Locust (Gle- 

 ditaia triacanthus}. The sweet locust belongs 



peculiarly to the country west of the Alleghany 

 Mountains, and it is scarcely found in any part 

 of th 3 Atlantic Slates, except in Limestone Val- 

 ley and its branches, which lie between the 

 first and second ranges of the Alleghanies, be- 

 ginning near Harrisburg in Pennsylvania, in 

 the latitude of 40 42', and extending from 

 i north-east to south-west into the state of Virgi- 

 nia. The soil in this valley is generally very 

 substantial. In the fertile bottoms which are 

 watered by the rivers emptying into the Mis- 

 sissippi, in the Illinois country, and, still more, 

 in the southern part of Kentucky and Tennes- 

 see, the sweet locust is abundant. It commonly 

 grows with the black walnut, shell-bark hick- 

 ory, red elm, blue ash, locust, box elder, and 

 coffee tree, and forms a part of the forests that 

 cover the most fertile soils. In different parts 

 of the United States, this species is called in- 

 differently sweet locust and honey locust; the 

 French of Illinois call it fevier. 



In situations the most favourable to its 

 growth, such as are observed on the banks 

 of the Ohio, between Gallipolis and Limestone, 

 the sweet locust attains a very ample size. 

 Michaux measured several stocks which were 

 three or four feet in diameter, and which ap- 

 peared to equal in height the loftiest trees of 

 these immemorial forests. Some of them had 

 the trunk undivided for forty feet. 



The perfect wood or heart of the sweet locust 

 nearly resembles that of the locust, but its grain 

 is coarser and its pores more open : in thes* 

 respects it is more strikingly characterized 

 than even the wood of the red oak. When 

 perfectly seasoned, it is extremely hard. It is 

 little esteemed in Kentucky, where it is more 

 employed, and consequently can be better ap- 

 preciated, than elsewhere. It is used neither 

 by the carpenter nor the wheelwright: it is 

 sometimes taken by the farmers for rails to 

 fence their fields, but only when they are unable 

 to procure better wood. It is found by expe- 

 rience to be far inferior to the wild cherry and 

 black walnut for cabinet-making. The only 

 destination for which it appears to be pecu~ 

 liarly adapted, is the forming of hedges, which 

 would be rendered impenetrable by its long 

 thorns. 



The sweet locust has been cultivated for 

 many years in Europe. It nourishes, blooms, 

 and yields seed in the climates of London and 

 Paris ; but its vegetation is less active than in 

 the south of France. (Michaux.} 



HONEYSUCKLE (Lonicerd). A genus of 

 very ornamental shrubs which grow in any 

 common soil, and are readily increased from 

 cuttings. One of the most hardy varieties is 

 the American Trumpet Honeysuckle (L. sem- 

 pervirens). 



There are two varieties of the American, 

 both trailing and needing support. The Ger- 

 man or Dutch variety is a hardy shrub, which 

 can be formed into a good round head. ^ The 

 two Italian varieties, the "early white," fra- 

 grant, but of short, duration, blooming in May, 

 and the "yelow," the flowers of which are 

 succeeded by red berries. The American is 

 the most valuable, having strong branches, 

 evergreen leaves, red and fragrant flowers, 

 blooming from June till frost. 



DOl 



