368 



EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER. 



ON THE NATURE OF HONEY, AND THE METHOD OF COL- 

 LECTING IT BY THE BEES ITS NATIONAL AND 



DOMESTIC ADVANTAGES. 



CHARACTER OF HONEY ACCORDING TO THE ANCIENTS — LONGEVITY AS- 

 CRIBED TO HONEY — CHARACTERISTIC QUALITIES OP HONEY — DIFFERENT 

 KINDS OF HONEY — TWO SPECIES OF HONEY IN NATURE— THE HONEY DEW 

 — OPINIONS OF DUCARNE AND BOISSIER DE SAUVAGES RESPECTING 

 HONEY DEW — OPINION OF MR. KNIGHT — DISCUSSION OF THE QUESTION 

 OF THE FAIL OF THE HONEY DEW — HONEY ELABORATED IN THE STOMACH 

 OF THE BEE — ITS WONDERFUL POWER — MANIPULATION OF HONEY— AD- 

 JUSTMENT AND PREPARATION OF THE UTENSILS — THE PRESS NOT USED 

 IN THIS COUNTRY — PURER HONEY OBTAINED BY MANUAL LABOUR THAN 

 BY THE PRESS — CONSTRUCTION OF A SIEVE — GLAZED EARTHEN VESSELS 

 THE BEST ADAPTED FOR HONEY — METHOD OF CUTTING THE COMBS — PAR- 

 TICULAR EXAMINATION OF THE COMBS RECOMMENDED — THE COMBS TO 

 BE CUT HORIZONTALLY — HEAT NECESSARY TO ACCELERATE THE FLOW- 

 ING OF THE HONEY- — THE COMBS TO BE PLACED IN THE SUN OR BEFORE 

 THE FIRE — THE LATTER TO BE PREFERRED- — METHOD OF OBTAINING THE 

 SECOND OR INFERIOR KIND OF HONEY — THE UTENSILS EMPLOYED IN 

 THE MANIPULATION OF HONEY TO BE PUT IN THE VICINITY OF THE 

 APIAH — PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO BE PAID TO THE SECOND HONEY — 

 METHOD ADOPTED BY THE FRENCH TO IMPART A PECULIAR FLAVOR TO 

 HONEY — DIhFERENT COLOURS OF" HONEY — THE QUALITY OF HONEY DIF- 

 FERS ACCORDING TO THE COUNTRY IN WHICH IT IS COLLECTED— FALSE 

 PREJUDICES RI.SPECTING HONEY GATHERED FROM HEATH — RICHNESS 

 OF THAT SHRUB IN HONEY — THE CRITERIA OF GOOD HONEY — METHOD OF 

 RESTORING HONEY DETERIORATED BY FERMENTATION — ADULTERATION 

 OF HONEY — ERRONEOUS SYSTEM OF THE COTTAGERS— DIFFERENT ME- 

 THODS OF ADULTERATING HONEY — METHODS OF DETECTING IT. 



Honey was regarded by the ancients as the chief produc- 

 tion of nature, and as a present from the gods. The sacred 

 and profane writers have exalted its virtues : the poets have 

 chaunted them in their verses. With hone}', the ancients 

 made their libations round the tombs of those who were 

 dear to them ; with honey, the Greeks preserved their 

 corpses, considering it as an incorruptible substance. For 

 the purpose of appeasing the gods, it was poured on the 

 altars and on the heads of the victims. In their triumphal 



