48 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



sides, the taste is considerably improved. Doubtless 

 there has been much water eliminated during the process. 



The honey of one plant, it is believed, is different in 

 some small degree from the honey of other plants — dif- 

 ferent in substance, colour, and taste. For instance, the 

 honey collected from the flowers of gooseberry and syca- 

 more trees is of a sea-green colour, the flavour of which 

 cannot be surpassed for excellence. The honey collected 

 from the flowers of Dutch or white clover is clearer — more 

 like spring-water — than any honey gathered from other 

 flowers known in England. It pleases the eye better than 

 honey of a higher colour. The flavour of clover-honey 

 is good and pungent, but not so rich and pleasing to the 

 palate as that of sycamore and gooseberry. 



Honey gathered from heather-blossoms is considerably 

 darker in colour than any other pure honey gathered in 

 Great Britain and Ireland. It has a much stronger 

 flavour too — peculiarly grouse-land. We have tasted 

 honey from Australia very much like our heather-honey. 

 This heather-honey, though to appearance of greater sub- 

 stance and consistence, is considerably lighter in weight, 

 taking bulk for bulk. The clear sort goes to the bottom 

 of the jar, and the heather is on the top. In England 

 the clear honey is greatly preferred. It was the same in 

 Scotland thirty years ago. 



In the mind of the thoughtful reader the question will 

 arise, whether bees do or do not impoverish our fields by 

 sucking the sweets out of their flowers. Twenty acres of 

 white clover will yield to bees 100 lb. of honey every- 

 day favourable for gathering honey. If the bees get 100 

 lb. per day, wiU the cows sufier at all ? WiU their milk 

 and butter be equal in quantity and quality to those 

 whose pastures are never much visited by bees ? I re- 

 member mentioning the case of a parsimonious old farmer 



