226 



GIvEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



Mr. Porter's first introduction to bees was 

 not unlike A. I. Root's first experience. A 

 colony of bees was flying overhead where he 

 was cultivating. This was too much for the 

 boy. Cultivator and horse were left in the 

 field, and the bees were pursued. They were 

 tracked to a maple, where they clustered fifty 

 feet above the ground. But this was no ob- 

 stacle — not the least. A man or boy whose 

 heart is on fire with enthusiasm will not stop 

 for a little circumstance of this kind. How 

 young Porter managed to get to the bees, and 

 get them down, is not important, but the bees 



w. t,. PORTER. 



were brought home in triumph. However, 

 during the next winter (a severe one), they 

 died. But this, instead of dampening his 

 ardor, fired it up to the highest point. It is 

 this element in his nature (enthusiasm, and 

 ability to overcome obstacles) that has made 

 him the successful bee-keeper that he is. 



In a short time afterward we find him at the 

 Michigan Agricultural College, under Prof. 

 Cook, as a student. His general aptitude for 

 the bee business resulted in his being placed 

 in charge of the apiary of the Agricultural 

 College. He used well his opportunities, and 

 finally became the possessor of some bees of 

 his own. He suffered many reverses, but made 

 the bees of some assistance to him financially 

 in helping him through college. Ill health 

 and a lack of funds finally compelled him to 

 give up his course before he had completed it. 



He subsequently drifted to Wisconsin, and 

 formed a partnership with Miss Allyn — a part- 

 nership which he says was "very happy and 

 successful." He soon engaged in beekeep- 



ing again, meeting with his usual success. 

 But again ill health caused him and- his wife 

 to move to the land of gold, sunshine, and al- 

 falfa honey, in 1881, and here he has cast his 

 lot and his fortune ; and if I may judge from 

 general appearances he has secured a fair share 

 of the sunshine, of the alfalfa honey, and the 

 gold which it brings. A man who knows no 

 obstacles too great to overcome, richly de- 

 serves this success. 



While at the Porter home I was delighted 

 with the graino coffee, and subsequently learn- 

 ed that it is a honey coffee that Mr. Porter 

 himself prepares. The flavor was so delight- 

 ful that I finally asked for the recipe for mak- 

 ing, and this Mr. Porter has kindly given me 

 as follows : 



HONEY CEREAL COFFEE. 



5 lbs. fresh wheat bran; mix with 2 Ib.s. rye flour, 2 

 lbs. alfalfa honey. Mix honey with 3 pints of bo ling 

 water. After the honey and water have come to a 

 boil, pour into the bran mixture. Stir thoroughly, 

 and knead to a j//^ dough; put through a domestic 

 meat-grinder to separate them. Dry in a warm oven. 

 Brown the same as coffee, por a coffee flavor, add two 

 pounds best Mocha and Java. Have it all ground and 

 put in air-tight cans for future use. 



I am not very fond of strong coffee ; but 

 this graino honey drink is one of the best that 

 I have ever sampled. I suggested to Mr. Por- 

 ter that as he had, in the estimation of his 

 friends, made up a better graino coffee than 

 any of those on the market, he should adver- 

 tise and sell the same as alfalfa-honey coffee. 

 " No," said he, " I have something else to do. 

 I will give you the recipe, and you can give it 

 to the bee-keepers." 



Bee-keepers are fond* of "taffy" — that is, 

 providing it is the right kind. Miss Mary 

 Porter is an expert in " taffying up " bee-keep- 

 ers — at least that which I received was some 

 of the nicest I ever tasted. It is made of al- 

 falfa honey. Her recipe for making is as fol- 

 lows : 



HONEY TAFFY. 



Boil extracted honey until it hardens in cold water. 

 Pull until white. Any quantity nray be used. One 

 pound requires about twenty minutes' steady boiling. 

 Mary' C. Porter. 



Whether there is something in the pulling 

 or in the boiling, or in that delightful alfalfa 

 honey, or in some other peculiar method of 

 handling, I can not say ; but the honey taffy 

 that I tasted at Mr. Porter's is certainly the 

 best I ever tried. 



Mr. Porter, at the time of sending the other 

 recipes, sent one also for fastening labels on 

 tin. It is as follows: 



recipe for HONEY' PASTE FOR PUTTING LABELS- 

 ON TIN. 



Take two spoonfuls of wheat flour and one of 

 honey ; mix the flour and honey, and add boiling^ 

 water to make right thickness. This is fine for labels 

 or wall paper where paper will not stick with ordi- 

 nary paste. W. L. Porter. 



Mr. Porter's method of marketing his crop 

 is best told in his own words. He writes : 



I have had a local market for all honey. When I 

 came to Colorado all the honey in market was from 

 California. My honey sold readily at 2r> cts. in a 

 wholesale way — i. e., to the grocers, for comb, and 20 

 cts. for extracted. Honey for our local trade I put 

 in Yi and % jelly-glass and one pint Mason jar, but 

 sell a great deal to customers in galloti and half-gal- 

 lon pails, and in five-gallon cans with screw tops. 

 The last three years I have marketed most of my comb 

 honey through our honey association. 



