St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-05-15
Consumption of Extracted
Honey.

G. W. Dayton for the American Bee journal.
That honey is and always will be
considered Il luxury, believe there are
ample reasons for doubt, especially in
the case of extracted honey. In the
first place, extracted honey is as cheap
or cheaper, than corresponding grades
Of cane sugar. As to the grape sugar,
we need not expect much from that un-
less it be from the commercial article
which, it seems, has already acquired
reputation that bids fair to drive it en-
tirely out OF use except as an adulter
ant. Without question, ther: will be
maintained as wretched q substance, as
there will also be gloomy times for all
parties, when all OF our food is COM
posed of adulterants. That people do
not buy. honey. and consume as large
quantities of it as of cane sugar, is
nothing strange, unless it is that it
would be an impossibj!:ty. Were the
people of the United States to cease
using sugar fOr Il week, and use honey
in it's stead, there would not be enough
honey to fill the gap.
The main point for cOnsldera ton is
the limited but growing acquaintance
regarding the uses TO which honey may
be put, and being suspicious of the
honest mans enemy (adultelation), all
wish to know the method by which
honey is obtained. Quite all of those
who buy honey Notwithstanding so
many who never use iO cons der it to
be honey, and Il luxury only. never sur
missing it to be cOnsummate substitute
for all the other sweets, and are sur
prised when informed of the fact that
it is equally as good, and will go just
as far as sugar IN cooking.
The objection might be brought to
bear that honey is liquid, and conse-
with as dry material. Why this
property should be an objection rather
than an advantage, fail to see, unless
it is in carrying a jug OF it on the street;
but in such Il case very much would
depend-whether It's lquidity is an ob-
lection or not, we must go around it
one way or the other, and if it should
chance to be the other, W; will arrange
strainers in the bottoms of our honey
barrels, drain the liquid portion out,
and get it there in the shape of sugar.
This plan was tried the past season,
and it was found that granulated ex-
tracted honey when drained dry, sells
well and gives satisfaction. | would
suggest that when we will need to do
this will be when there is enough honey
produced to make it an object, and
when the time is ripe for it. say
when the time is ripe for it, because l
believe it to be With bee keeping as it
when it has been carried on in its pres
ept advanced state long enough so
that people have become acquainted
with it as an ordinary industry, and
not filled, with exaegerations and Won
ders, then the honey be inquired for,
not as a curiosity and expensive luxury,
but in general way and as an ordinary
article of food. That will be the time
to work up the wholesale trade in our
home markets.
AS has been said before, bee-keepers
can do themselves no greater favor
than to let the adulteration of honey
take care of itself except in the contra
diction of false statements. 1t is dis
pleasing, if nothing more to behold the
consumption, wholesale and retail, of
materials whose whole makeup are
we'll known to be pure and unadultera-
ted frauds and then the upbraiding of
whole industry accusing of being
connected with fraud in very rare or
incapable instances, all because it is
respectable and a newcomer! This is
like straining at a gnat and swallow
ing camel"
The guarantee which | offer, that my
honey is pure, is to label the packages
pnre honey; but when accosted with
the comparatively consolng news that
honey is adulterated | inquire what it
is adulterated with; tell them to inquire
of my neighbors, or invite them to act
in their own favor by coming to the
apiary and profit by what they will see
with their own eyes. One day last
Jure, a farmer living some Is miles
distant, on the road to market CHANGED
to stop at my place for drink of water,
and on speaking of the bees and honey,
| took him to the extracting room ami
showed him how it. is done. Express
ing great surprise at what he had
learned, he went on to market and re-
turned with large crock which he car
ried home filled with honey. During
the fall and winter many crock of
honey went out to the friends and
neighbors of this farmer where honey
had scarcely ever been used before.
Last fall a customer from that neigh
borhOod told me that those who saw
the honey could hardly believe it to be
pure, but as their neighbor was here
and saw it taken from the combs, they
concluded that it must be so. Instances
of this kind show that the words of
one uninterested person is worth more
as recommendation than all the ar
guments that might be produced by in-
terested parties; and that extracting
honey at Fairs is a capital way to ad
vertise the business.
The great obstacle which lies in the
way of our product is, that ordinary
minds are incapable of thoroughly
comprehending such sudden advance
ments as agriculture has brought ont.
We know how difficult it was to bring