The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-07-31
FORTUNES 1rAD8 NJ nou1 !,

FORTUNES MADE N HONEY.
4 Ysahss We Get Qssn v1sosesa y
xasee A1sE1eaa 1estax.
N. Y. SUM- While California is the
greatest bee-ranching or honey-makine
region in the world, owing 10 The ex.
cellenoe OF it's climate and tho endless
variety Of its honey-yieldmg flowers, the
quality Of it, honey does not excel even
if it equals, that of the honey made in
New York State" said large whole
sale dealer.
"One of the most extensive bee Gull
turists in this or any other country"
he continued, lis captain Hetherington,
whose spiaries along the Cherry Valley
Greek, in Schoharie County, annually
turn out over 100, 600 pounds Of the
choicest honey. It takes nine men and
two steam saw mills five weeks to
prepare the lumber for tho boxes in
which the honey is made by his bees.
Nearly $50 600 panes of glass, about six
inches square, are used in these boxes.
Captain Hetherington has ut work this
season nearly $500 swarms of bees.
These are not all on his own premises,
but are scattered among the orchards
and fields of farmers along the creek, to
whom he pays rent for the privilege
OF his bees working in the clover, buck
wheat, or whatever blossoms are in sea-
son on the farms. The care Of these
bees does not fall on the owner of the
land. Captain Hetherington keeps men
and teams constantly employed looking
out for them. He has received as much
as $4,000 for one seasons crop.
another large York State bee-keep-
or is G. B. 1sham, of Peoria. Up to
1879 there was no market in England
for American honey. The English deal.
ers would not handle it, and the period
icals devoted to the interests of bee
keepers in that country cried it down in
every possible way. The reason for this
was that they knew the superiority of
American honey, both in flavor and ap-
pearance, over the British article, and
were aware that if 1t was once intro
duced in London it would be a great
blow to the trade in the home supply.
There was smart Yankee named Hoge
working for grocery in this city, and
he assured his employers that if they
would give him the commission, he
would manage to place American honey
on the English market. A large lot of
Isham's honey, which the firm was then
handling, was packed just as it came
from the hives, and Hoge was sent to
London with it. He found he needed
all his Yankee ingenuity and acuteness,
for he met with universal opposition
among the dealers. He labored with
them for weeks, to no purpose. In con-
versation one day with the proprietor
of the hotel at which he stopped, the
latter told Hoge that if he could manage
to have his honey introduced on the
table of Queen Victora it would solve
the problem at once, for if she was
pleased with it she would communicate
to Hoge through the Lord Steward.
This communication once made public
would make American honey the fashion
in England.
"a former Lord Steward was friend
of the hotel keeper, and was at that time
engaged largely in the manufacture and
sale of pickles. This man the landlord
introduced to Hoge. They diped to-
gether. Hoge gave the pickle man an
immense order for his goods, to be sent
to the American grocer. More wine
followed, and before the ex-Lord Stew
ard went away he promised to use his
influence to have the American honey
introduced on the royal table. He sue
ceeded in inducing the then Lord Stew
ard, Sir John Cowell, to accept box
of the honey for the Queen, and to
serve it on her table. The Queen was
so delighted with the honey that she
directed the Lord Steward to present
her thanks to the donor, to order sup
ply of ten cases at once, and to keep
American honey constantly on the roy
al table.
"Hoge lost no time in making this
communication public. The conse-
quence was that the opinion of Ameri-
can honey changed at once, and Hoge
came back to New York secretly laugh
ing at the Britishers, but rejoicing over
an order for half q million pounds of
American honey for tho English mark
cts, which he carried in his pocket. The
demand for it has increased ever since.
and the trade that was started in New
York state honey is now largely shared
in by the California product"