Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1879-09-24
Bees and Honey.


Last week Nr. G.. &. Martin, of Benton,
Bossirr parish, brought to Homer for sale
one hundred and ninety gallons of pure,
fresh honey Nearly every family in town
bought Of him, and some bought enough
! to last I'll the cold days of next winter.
Mr. Martin isl man of middle age, good
address, aud mn intelligent, we'll posted
citizen Of Bos~icr. This il his second year
/ IN the bee business. lie states that he
commrrccd the business with 20 colonies
aud the old box hive. that h. Immediately
I transferred tn" bees into new hives in
which h. usrd ri,hs ur cases something
[ like tho-r used ia the Golden Bee Hive"
hut that hr has never used the "Goldrn
/ Hives" that he now has about 10 colonies
and could have increased the number To
| two hundred hut did not wish To- do ~.
and consequently prevented them from
swarming u. much - they would have
done. Mr. Martin states that he intro
ducrd the Italian bee into his stock la,t
/
bee, that he has succeeded in Italianiliug
nearly all of his colonies up To- date. His
observation of the imported bee j. that IL
does well and makes fully twice ~ much
honey with the same chance n The black
bee: that he las taken about ten gallons
of honey this season from each colony on
an average. Mr.. Martin is well Informed
on the subject of bee raising aud how tn
save honey to the best advantages He ],
familiar with the lev journals and all of
the author, who write on the subject 81
this great industry.
Mr.. Martin lives near and adjacent IT,
the swamp land of Red River. While hc
says that lie does no, claim To hr making
money NJ very rapid rate, yet he seems
10 I've satisfied that his business pays a
greater per cent. ou the money and labor
expended than the business Of growing
cotton does. We were well pleased with
Mr.. Martin, and found nnr short talk with
linn very interesting; mrrr especially ~
he seemed to coincide with orr views un
the slhlcct OF raising bees. that j., that
the success OF this bee aud honey lu>iucs,
did hot depend 50 much on the s,icutihc
theories Of journalists a. il did ou the
practical Application of good common
sense and close attention to this busy and
wonderful insect.
This, We think, l. n home industry that
should Ice encouraged in our midst. Honey
is pure, wholesome food and one that
nearly every person enjoys. |, takes but
"A small capital to start stock of bees,
and then Int little yc, punc,ual lal OF.
and H." busy bee will always he found AT
/ his post. II seems to us If many of on
citizens who grow ouly about one or one
and half bales of cotton would turn their
. iug business that their Ic>"urcrs for max
, my a living would increase two-iuld,
While they will have established a home
industry that viii be- Of considerable aid
ami benefit In the country AT large. IL
must Ice remembered that while We speak
of the success of Mr.. Martin aud commend
his course Ia Others, that We nrr not talk
ing of some agent whose only object was
10 sell patent hive. smoker. feeder or
some other unimportant attachment, hut
that We speak of man whose success
shows for itself aud il made plain hy the
pure honey that il now on nearly every
dining table in town. We wish Mr.. Mar
tin aud every other man who engages in
this laudahlr calling continued success.
In another column Is a communication
from the Hon. w. +. Morelaud. Mr.. More
land thinks that he has received rather
harsh treatment at the hands of the editor
of the Guardian. Now, the editor is in
the State of Texas, and must Ne consulted
before any explanation can he published
IN these columns concerning any of his
! former accusations or criticisms He will
certainly vindicste himself on his return.