AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



497 



and children time to arrange themselves 

 alongside the wagon. 



While they were thus viewing the 

 menagerie, I carelessly remarked that 

 there was a difference in honeys, and 

 although the honey they may have 

 eaten may not have been good, they 

 might again tind some which they liked, 

 continuing that nearly all Colorado 

 honey was gathered by the bees from 

 the blossoms of alfalfa (a plant with 

 which they were intimately acquainted), 

 the principal feed for horses and cattle, 

 and which, like red clover in the East, 

 is plowed under so that potato and 

 wheat crops may be raised afterward. 

 Alfalfa is a God-send for Colorado. Then 

 I spoke of the honey resources of the 

 East, and the poor season. 



The lid of a pail had some honey on it, 

 and I gave it to a little girl to lick off — 

 my hands were so busy elsewhere. 

 Presently she spoke up, "Mamma, this 

 is good honey ;" and straightway the 

 other children advanced for a taste, and 

 finally the mother. 



Here I shot off in another direction, 

 about the people of (Jheyenne being iso- 

 lated, as it were, in the midst of the 

 plain, and must buy all eatables which 

 must be hauled long distances to them 

 (all of which fitted their own case) ; the 

 high prices of butter, eggs and meat, 

 and scarcity of sauce, and I was taking 

 a load of honey to them as a change. 



But the lady soon spoke up in an ex- 

 clamatory manner, "Why, that is not 

 honey ! That is white sugar and water 

 melted up, and something sour put into 

 it. That don't hit me like honey, and it 

 bites my tongue. J^esides, bee-honey is 

 not so white like this. I never saw any." 



I declared it was identical to that in 

 the combs, meantime removing three or 

 four sections from a crate. I explained 

 that alfalfa yielded the whitest and best 

 honey of any plant, and that buckwheat, 

 sumac, etc., were a dark color. Combs 

 could not be imitated, consequently the 

 honey was just as put up by the bees. 



Then she poked her finger into a sec- 

 tion and said, " Yes, this tastes like 

 honey, but it is the color of water, just 

 like the other " (as though the color was 

 an objection). Then she asked to taste 

 of the extracted again, and volunteered 

 to say that she miQht take four sections 

 of that in the combs. 



I made no haste to get out the four 

 sections, being considerably "rattled" 

 over the probability that there was not 

 a pound of extracted in the lot that was 

 sweet instead of sour, and as I tasted 

 from can to can, as a fluent spokesman I 

 began to lag, and she "chipped in," 



"They used to have good honey over in 

 Germany, and it was never so white nor 

 sour like this. If there was a dead bee 

 or the foot or wing of a bee in it, I would 

 be more certain that it was bee-honey." 



Finally, I admitted, " Well. I guess 

 you are right; this extracted honey is a 

 little sour, but I can't account for it 

 unless it is because we did not let it re- 

 main in the hives long enough;" and 

 went on to explain the method of ex- 

 tracting, the ripening process by the 

 bees, etc., which would only be a 

 botched piece of patchwork at best. 



As I drove up the road out of sight, I 

 began to think, "That was, indeed, a 

 most checkered transaction ;" and while 

 I was somewhat elated because I inade a 

 sale where it was neither "liked" nor 

 " wanted," I was also mortified to think 

 that part, if not all, of my extracted 

 honey was well along on the road to 

 fermentation, and I stopped to examine 

 every can. If it was all alike, the sooner 

 I turn toward home the better. 



Only abou*t two-thirds of it was found 

 to be of this sloppy, frothy kind, which 

 was distinguishable by color as well as 

 taste from its whiteness produced by the 

 small bubbles of air floating in it. 



Cheyenne was found to be like other 

 towns I have visited. Being isolated 

 from the bee-districts, many neglected 

 their local markets to rush there with a 

 load as soon as it can be gotten off the 

 hives, and if there is any objectionable 

 honey on hand, such is sure to go. As a 

 consequence, the market is not only 

 overstocked, but is slaughtered ; so I 

 found adulteration all the talk, and 

 many who would not even examine 

 honey. Where they could be induced to 

 examine, a sale was made, and the 

 neighbors hearing that there was a load 

 of real honey in town, the demand in- 

 creased, so that each day I went over 

 the same route selling a greater quantity 

 than before. With extracted at 10 

 cents per pound, and comb at 15 cents, 

 four pounds of extracted to one of comb 

 were sold. 



On returning to the apiary, it was 

 found that the ripe honey in the load 

 was of that which was neglected until it 

 was all sealed, and as the cans were 

 stored in the honey-house, this came on 

 the top of the pile, and my load took 

 down through it and included four or 

 five cans which were only one-third 

 sealed when extracted. If "old hands 

 at the bellows" are going to cut such 

 " fool capers," what may we expect from 

 those newly entering the business, un- 

 less we furnish a more absolute rule to 

 follow. 



