The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-13
VOL XLHI.-NO. II.
III NTlNG FOR WILD HONEY.
IINnl.G THT TTT MFRS ~ THE
FOKiNIN or NIU JIHNEI.
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Ah W""E '""t P"'' "i wv '"''F w Wv
FeplAnnNck whlch Hes IN Iasshic ana MOTHS
counties N'w Jersey anu 'mohs the H''u'
brook and Hteen roma mount ans ihc WIN
country u The favoiie resort oi @p"r'7"'."
There are stretches Of nilca ON the @t''p -'"c
hills whcro fields hayc not vet n''n lh'u ""'' '''',
where the smaller me lives nndisi"r''", "l.u
at the foot oi the hills trHchl''' sW MUS ',,'''
refuges almost as secure. lN' Su''"'7 "'''
rush down the hills into 'He i'p"'""''" "'V
filed with trout. u j. WIZ" C."'''S Wv
here" said II old man WI '1u "Ncu '"elc
since hc was boy " Hhd ,n' ne" r"''o'" "
nbout all thar has hH''u Us I"l" "'hE SN"H'S'
for We couldn't do mu'h on our l"Hs' anu J.
didn't ray us To cut wood ana 80 We Just nNeu
along as though we were ON '"e irohuer' nc
iron mines u the d'-tr'ci "ie MS 'n'ei wealth.
ana in 'l' l'iy as.' 'lH'ed WIN tnem are tue
rugged iiU- lh WHlch thc oie is l"uhu' anu inc
none le-- i"--eu men WI" 't h"" '.'" HNeS
under tue -i'"hu' ln' "N'n'ailts' "7'ue i'"h
the mineis' .ie ieW IN hu'n'e'' ana l'rth'H Nv
lng theN u'I'"u lar n"Ie uI"h 'nvlt -uhs' r"u7'
ana dogs tIan ON marhe'S ana aE'c'l'ure
They shoot game Trap iur-ncaf'Hs animals anu
catch hsh, and t. sweetcn tler cohee ana
cakes .'e> nave the money that they take from
the hives " wild bees
The "White mans ~" a. the Indians call the
wild honey bee. lives on Just such debatahle
ground between civilization aud solitude. and
the average white man likes To track the ny"
to its home and to scoop out from hollow tree
the stores of honey that have accumulated for
years The wild bee Is found neither IN those
sections where the white man has not pcne-
trat,d. nor IN the country where he has thriving
Villages and cultivated fields. This last fact is
not due so much to any peculiarly of the bee in
Insisting upon seuuestration "A To the white
mans notion that If he wants to gather a sure
barvest Of honey in tho fan ne had petter keen
his bees I'm a nett hive not far from a bulldog
than In , marked tree far from his house There
are mon In Norrts county like Iohn Odcll who
owning n match Of ground for themselves. keen
their bees on the mountain tops ano i'm the
swamp lands for miles around, and they are
safe M one but a professional bee hunter
could over ind the hives and II il an unwrittcn
law among them thnt the, shrll rcspect each
Others prior rights A biz blazed spot on the
aide Of the tree tbat holds the bees and the tni-
ttals or n,ntk Of the disroyerer are sufficient TO
protect his rights OF propertv, ana he can lose
his bees only by their swariuinr and choosinr
another home. Then, unles. ne Is present To
follow them with his own eve from their cid
home to their new his claim upon them is gone.
and they will belong to him who first finds them
The professional bee hunter begins his work
early In the spring. He stands close hy some
Towering shrub. or by some ratch Of spring
flowers, from which he follows a single bee
sometimes for miles. blazing his way as he goes
until he sees IL enter a hollow tree or a cleft in
the rocks II the hive proves TO be new proper
", the finder establishes his claim with his
hatchet. and takes careful bearings Of the spot
jottng them down with reference to local
streams and rocks and natural landmarks un-
in,eiiigiblc to strangcrs and Hs bewiidering rs
Capt. Kidd's log books haze been to modern
gold ceekers. He calculates his Ion situde. per
haps, from some woodchuck's Loie kno~n n onlY
TO himself, and his latitude from some tall tree
conspicuous by its blghted top. or from pool
that has historical interest TO him by reason
OF big trout which he has caught there; for
the bee hunter is usually fisherman and ~, ris-
man too Later in the season the best starting
ground /. from the few buckwle I fields that
are cultivated on the suuniest spots Of the hill-
sides but no honey ia taken from the hives
until late In he fall after the gathering seas
Is over. Then, II the storing place is accessible,
the bulk OF the sweet treasure Is taken out only
enough being loft 10 maintain the busy workers
through aseni-toruid winter.
The non n-profcssiona hunters who are gem
erally the miners on SUNDAY holiday, or the
employees OF the Midland Railroad, are less
particular about providing for the future wei
fare Of tie bees and they seldom hesitate to
cut down tree a. soon as II is found.
Al tuls season II reqlie- more science than in
the spring ana the disappointments Of the
chase hie many One afternoon last week At
the END oi tneirdays work, little party set out
from NcWi"undlhnd Tor the woods near Oak
RIDGE Ihey were non-proiesSlonal bee hunters.
among them were DAVID sutherland, Alfred
kimbai, and George Dixon. They stopped just
'n the edge oi an OAK coppice, and commenced
thelr operations. IL was idle TO stand over
thlstlehlows or buttercuTs to look for bees, for
tue ar was COOL and 1t needed stronger in
ducemetts than ordinary perfume to attract
the insects hlnbal drew irom his coat pock
et sulhh I'm piate' placed IL on the stump Of
Ions-dead bee tree In the middle Of natural
opening III the woods hthls he placed hand
iul "i sugar ana set II on hre Mingled with the
SuRur were lie" makes OF honeycomo' pro-
Hu'hs no perceI uhIe enect upon human nos
"n'' "u' eNlne, Tue hunters sA'u' an additional
.nuu'e"en. 10 'he pees 'h"' was always success