Connecticut western news., 1884-07-30
APPLE-BLOSSOM HONEY.
What n Producer Says About It's SuperiOrI.
 ty rover Other Kinds.

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 ''Bee men always think that honey made from sumac is the best there is" remarked large producer of honey the other day; "but I've just discovered something that beats sumac honey all hollow" he continued. "Here, taste of this, and tell me what you think of it. [" And he produced jar of strained hon. ey, which, in its clearness and purity, seemed fit for the gods to sip. It was tasted, and found to possess a peculiar ly delicious flavor-a flavor which all said they had never noticed in honey before.
 'That's apple honey" ex- plained the bee man, as he watched with delight the effect of his saccharine products on the palates of his listeners. "When the apple blossoms came out there wasn't much of anything for the bees to work on, so they put in their best licks in the apple trees, and they soon stored away a good many boxes of this here honey. I was examinin' the hives one day, and tasted some of the honey, when noticed how much pleas anter it was than any other honey had ever seen, so I concluded to find out what it meant. Recollectjn' that the bees had had nothin' much but apple blossoms to work on, and noticin' the apple-b blossom flavor to the honey, l soon came to the conclusion twere these flowers that made the honey taste so good. When the apples had done blooming I removed the honey and kept it separate. A good many people have eaten it, and they are all so de- lighted with it that I believe l could sell tons of it for cent or two more on & pound that even sumac or white clover honey will bring" remarked the bee farmer as he disposed of his last box of honey to an eager customer.
 The whitest honey is made from the blossoms of white clover. Its flavor is fine, too, and it always commands the highest price. Sumac honey Is not so white, but it is thought by most people to possess a richer flavor, and 1t IS in great demand. Remarkably fine honey Is made from the basswood tree. But those who know a good deaf about honey producing say they never tasted anything that equaled the apple-blossom honey above referred to. The comb is white, but not such a beautiful silvery white as that made from white clover or buckwheat. Otherwise in appearance it resembles buckwheat honey. InWayne County, Penn, there are several large apiaries which produce thousands of pounds of honey every year. Prob ably the largest producer in Orange County, N. Y., is MT. Wisner Utter, of Amity. In Sussex County the largest bee raiser is Mir. T. l.. Babcock. While managing his large farm he finds time to devote to the bee industry, and he sells great deal of fine honey. He it was who made the discovery about the apple-blossom honey. It may interest the amateur bee-keeper to learn that the Cyprus bee is considered the best. The Italian is the largest, and is an excellent worker, probably the best of all. But the Cyprus bee, although nearly or quite as small as the native, is such an active little fellow and so pugnacious that he not only does a great deal of work, but what is more important in honey producing for profit. he will not permit neighboring bees to rob him. The bees are great sinners in this mat ter, and steal from neighboring colonies whenever they get chance, and weak colony of native bees will sometimes submit to having nearly all it's store pill fered away before the necessity of or ganized resistance becomes apparent But when that supreme moment of de- fensive warfare begins, woe to tine un' lucky aggressors Each thief is caught by two or three bees, carried outside the hive, and there killed and his body rolled over the side of the hive upon the ground.