1904 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



149 



THE ORANGE BLOSSOM AS A 

 HONEY PRODUCER. 



The idea seems to prevail among the 

 inexperienced that the orange blossom 

 is an important factor in swelling the 

 honey crops of producers located in 

 orange-growing sections. Every year 

 we receive letters which prove this 

 fact. The orange blossom is so beau- 

 tiful and fragrant that it is univer- 

 sally admired, and the bees join hu- 

 manity in this universal admiration. 

 However, there appeared to be such 

 a diversity of opinion in regard to its 

 nectar-yielding merits that we (jecided 

 to consult expert and experienced per- 

 sons in regard to the question, and 

 the result has been that much space 

 this month was devoted to discussing 

 the question. 



But once in his life has the editor of 

 The Bee-Keeper been permitted to siee 

 and taste a sample said to be pure 

 orange blossom honey. Tliis was a 

 number of years ago, in Southern Cal- 

 ifornia; and the said sample was not 

 white honey. It was a light amber, 

 with a flavor actually suggestive of 

 the fragrance of the orange blossom, 

 with which he had for years been 

 familiar. It is doubtful if there lives 

 today a man who is better qualified 

 to speak upon this subject than Mr. 

 W. S. Hart, whose article we publish 

 in this number, ilr. Hart is not only 

 one of our most progressive and suc- 

 cessful apiai'ists, but is eminently In 

 the front rank of America's orange 

 growers, and his article is therefore 

 considered exceptionally meritorious 

 in this connection. 



We hare heard of large crops of 

 orange blossom honey, and have read 

 of the immensity of the flows during 

 the period of orange bloom, but just 

 what the producers do with these 

 great harvests is not know^ to us. 

 Orange blossom honey has certainly 

 never achieved prominence as a com- 

 mercial commodity, and, from our 

 limited experience in ora,nge growing 

 sections, we should regard it as an 

 unimportant source of honey. We 

 should be much pleased to be able to 

 secure a one-pound sample of this 

 honey, for exhibtion at St. Louis, but 

 very much doubt our ability to get so 

 much as one pound. 



The excellence of this product seems 

 to be generally conceded, but Mr. O. O. 

 Poppleton advises us that personally 

 be finds a disagreeable taste lurking 

 in the mouth soon after having eaten 



it. This is the first and only instance 

 in which we have had an imfavorable 

 report in this direction. 



In conclusion we would say to those 

 who contemplate moving to the or- 

 ange gi'oves of Florida or California, 

 in order to avail themselves of the 

 bountiful harvests of honey from this 

 source, Don't do it! If you are in a 

 maple or elm locality, we think you 

 have a fair equfvalent for orange blos- 

 som. ■ 



THE LATE DEACON HARD- 

 SCRABBLE. 



Many of our readers have wi-itten to 

 express their regret for the loss of 

 our late correspondent. Deacon Hard- 

 scrabble. In fact, we have been 

 somewhat surprised to learn of the 

 deep-rooted affection held by many ot 

 our readers for the Deacon. Several 

 complimentai*y press notices have 

 also appeared in other journals. The 

 Rural Bee-Keeper says: 



"Deacon Hardscrabble, a humorous 

 and sarcastic writer for the American 

 Bee-Keeper, is dead. By his death the 

 bee-keepers of the country have sus- 

 tained a great loss. He was one 

 among the soundest writers to any of 

 our bee journals." 



Gleanings in Bee Culture expresses 

 its regard for the departed Deacon in 

 this wise: 



"A prominent featui:e of the Ameri- 

 can Bee-Keeper for a long time has 

 been the articles of Deacon Hard- 

 scrabble. Although Uncle John fre- 

 quently dipped his pen in sulphuric 

 acid, and more frequently fired his 

 gun toward those who might be con- 

 sidered his friends than towards his 

 enemies, he scored a good many fine 

 points. He has gone the way of all 

 the earth, dying Jan. 27. A good photo 

 of him appears in said journal for 

 April." 



We, too, are inclined to regard it as 

 a calamity tha* the Deacoii should 

 have been cut down in the very hay- 

 day, so to speak, of his terrestrial use- 

 fulness, for it did seem that the effort 

 and chief desii^e of his life were to 

 effect a reformation in beedom; and 

 since his demise, as we tear the wrap- 

 pers from our exchanges by the dim 

 light of our lonely sanctum, there is 

 sometimes what may be described as 

 an undescribable turbulence about 

 the dark corners of our nocturnal re- 

 treat, as if Uncle John were vainly 

 struggling to impart some important 

 criticism. 



I 



