The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-10-30

BEE EnO fh-AN'-ANA-'N@J ~
All the great inventions and dis
coyeries which have developed the re
sources of the world to greater ex
tent within the past century, than il
all previous time since the creation
have had their origin, more or less re
mote, in the ages past. The various
applications of steam, electricity, the
mechanical powers, and the wondrous
development of natural science which
have so changed the face of all nature
and the current of thought within the
past few years, are but the accumula.
ton and scientific combinations OF
ideas and inventions, scattered all
along the line of the ages, by the past
generations in their onward march
from ignorance, superstition and big
otry to intelligence, knowledge and
true science. Of all the fields of re.
search in the development Of national
industries. none are more fruitful, in
viting and instructive to the antigua.
rian than the history of the culture Of
the honey bee, for in all his researches,
he will find himself in the company
of the wisest and best minds of all ages.
Poets, naturalists, philosophers, and
doctors of divinity are all largely re-
presented in its history. Honey was
regarded by the ancients as a present
from the Gods, and with it their liba-
tions were made around the tombs of
those dear to them. With honey
they preserved their corpses. With
honey their Gods were appeased by
pouring it on their alters and the
heads of the victims. Honey was
the only sweet known until within
comparatively modern times. The
Holy Scriptures abound in figures of
the highest joy and the most exqui-
site sweetness, drawn from the bee
and its delicious product. Aristotle
pronounced the honey bee magazine
of the virtues. Virgil, the most ele-
giant Of the Latin poets, call it a ray
OF the divinity, chose it as the subject
for the best of his Georges. Shak.
speare, Milton, and in fact, all the
prominent writer's, have bestowed on
the bee, at least a passing notice.
DeMontfort, who, in 1916 wrote
Der of authors who had written on
This subject previous to his time, at
between five and six hundred, the
larger part of which are lost, but
traces of most of them have come
down to us through works published
in the seventeenth century. These
works, one Of which was written by
DeMonttort, seems to unite the ideas
OF the ancients with those of his own
time. And the most romantic and
foolish reveries stand side by side
with sensible views, and in many in
stances the two are so badly mixed,
that to give in full the various views
which have prevailed, at different
times in the past history of bee cul
ture, would bring a result similar te
what Milton says Of the writings O
the Fathers. A huge drag net
brought down the stream of time
filled mostly with sticks and straws
pebbles and shells, sea weed and mud
with a pearl in the oyster here an,
there. We shall confine ourself t.
the merest outline of this history an
endeavor to select as many of tn
pearls as we can in passing.
Of the antiquity of the bee. w
cannot speak positively, but the GEE
logical evidences of Towering plant
demanding insects for their fertiliz
ton, together with the remains of ii
sect feeding reptiles, as we'll as herl
ivorous animals, places the bee,
least presumably, ages anterior to tt
creation of man. The positive proc
of its early domestication are ampl
The ancient Egyptian sculpture an
tablets abound with hieroglyphic
wherein the bee is the symbol of ro
atty, their economy being represen
ed with a monarch at its head.
most instances these representation
are rude, and betray lack of clio.
observation, as the bee is picture
with two wings and four legs hoy
ever on one tablet of the twelfth dy
asty, the bee is figured correctl
having four wings and six LEG
iS]twc&ard, in his " British Bees" Civ,
us indications Of still higher anti
uity from the Sd1,skrit, wherein ii
signifies honey; Machupa, hone
diinker, and nead-hmnkdr0, hone
maker. lie also traces the same
the Chinese dialects. The Garlic
Ghnnnitin and a rvnn rnnnrds Il