Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-10-14

tnlS dDOuc tnTOuHN cfeV1cc DetWeeu
the tiles just over one of the chamber
windows. They held possession for sew
eral years. and still held their own
when left the cottage. As they never
swarmed, it is almost certain there
must have been large collection of
honey, but for some reason or other,
chiefly, no doubt, on account of the
difficulty of taking the honey without
| injuring the house and exposing the
| whole family to the attacks of the bees,
l protited in no way by their busy
| labors.
Less than ten years ago when max
| ing call at the old farmhouse, PEN
rhos, Lyonshall, Herefordshire. my at
tention was directed to colony of bees
which had made settlement in the up
per part of one Of the walls of the house.
l suggested the removal of portion of
the inner wall, and predicted a large
find" After some time. this advice
was acted on; but the farmer adopted
plan which L should have strongly
deprecated-the plan of destroying
with birthstone the entire bee cOmmu-
nity The store of honey was so great
that every available keller and pan in
the house was filled to the extent of
nearly two hundred weight.
! Two other instances may be cited, as
reported in the West Surrey Times.
One is that of an extraordinary stake"
OF honey from the walls of the Hautboy
and Fiddle Inn, Ockham, Surrey. The
outer walls of the house are about
three feet in thickness, and at the very
top of the third story colony of bees
had established themselves, holding
undisturbed possession for number of
years. At length the inn-keeper de-
termined to find out their whereabouts.
After diligent search under the roof,
| piece of comb was found. Descend
ing to one of the upper bedrooms.
chisel and hammer went to work, and
a square of about two feet was opened
in the front wall; here large mass of
comb was discovered; and after fumi-
eating the bees, about one hundred
and twenty pounds of honey were Sc
cured. Another and still more ex-
traordinary '.take" of honey was
secured at Winters Hall, Bram-
ley, Surrey, the seat of Mr..
George Barrett. Some bees had long
held possession of space between the
ceiling of the coach-house and the
granary; on effecting an entrance,
about three hundred weight of honey
was secured.
In some countries the hOney-bee still
roams at will and uncontrolled; this is
notably the case in the western parts
of the United States and Canada The
discovery of their natural hives for the
purpose of securing the honey is the
calling of class of persons known as
bee-hunters. A writer of considerable
repute thus speaks on this subject:
1.-The beautiful forests in which we
were encamped abOunded in bee. trees
that is to say, trees in the decayed
trunks of which wild-bees had estab-
lished their hives. 1t is surprising in
what countless swarms the bees have
overspread the far West within but a
moderate number of years. The In
dians consider them the harbinger of
the white man, as the buffalo is of the
red man, and say that in proportion as
the bee advances, the Indian and the
buffalo retire. We are always accustomed
to associate the hum of the beehive
with the farmhouse and the flower
garden, and to consider those indus
triOus little animals rs connected with
the busy haunts of men; and | am told
shat the wild bee is seldom to be met
with at any great distance from the
frontier. They have been the heralds of
civilization. steadily preceding it, as it
advanced from the Atlantic borders;
and some of the ancient (early) set
tiers of the West pretend to give the
very year when the honey-bee first
crossed the Mississippi. The Indians,
with surprise, found the moldering
trees of their forests suddenly teeming
with ambrosial sweets; and nothing,
am told. can exceed the great relish
with which they banquet for the first
time upon the unbought luxury of the
wilderness. AT present the honey-bee
swarms in myriads in the noble groves
and forests that skirt and intersect the
prairies and extend along the alluvial
bottoms of the rivers. 1t seems to me
as if these beautiful regions answer lit
orally to the description of the land of
promise, n land flowing with milk and
honey; for the rich pasturage of the
prairies is calculated to sustain herds
of cattle as countless as the sands upon
the seashore, while the flowers with
which they are enameled render them
a very paradise for the nectar-seeking
bee"
A bee-hunt must be very exciting
adventure, and, as most people would
think, attended with considerable risk:
but the ingenuity of the settlers, and
especially of the bee-hunters, who
make living of the business, is equal
to the occasion. Let us. for the sake
of greater brctity. suppose a case.
which is. however; little other than
narrative of Simple facts. A party sets
out in quest of a bee-tree-a tree in the
cavity of which colony of bees have
established themselves. The party is
headed by veteran bee-hunter, tall.
lank fellow. with his homespnn dress
hanging loosely about him. and hat
which might be taken for beeskep.
A man similarly attired attends him,
with a long rifle on his shoulder. The
rest of the party. six in number, are
armed with axes and rifles. Thus ac-
coutercd, they are ready for any sport,
or even morecserious business. Reach
ing aniopen glade on the skirts of the
forest. the party halts, and the leader
n - L L ~ L.