Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-05-25
GEORGIA HONEY BEES.
Yielding n BarrelfuI "A Day Each ana
Making Their Owners Rich.

| ing. and discovered some bees going
IN and out of knot in one of the large
oak trees in front of his dive ling. This
tree Is known To he over a hundred
years old, | learned that several years
ago swarm of bees assembled in that
| tree as their new home, and they have
worked and lived there ever since.
years the colony became very large and
strong. and no attempt had ever been
made to rob them of their honey. At
last Mr.. Mitchell came 10 the conclu-
sion that the tree must be full OF honey
| from seeing large numbers of flies and
bees around the root OF the tree; so he
set TO work TO devise some means TO
| get the honey without cutting the tree
down. After applying all the tests
known TO bee men. he satisfied himself
that the tree was fnll. and then decided
TO tap ii like \ fellow is tapped for
dropsy. So he got him faucet and an
augur and borrcd hole in the tree
near the root and then screwed in the
faucet and TO his surprise and great de-
! light a solid stream OF pure and elegant
honey clear as crystal gushed forth. and
the supply seemed ineXhaustlble. 1t
continued to pour out until he had filled
six barrels; and he has drawn each
year since that time from three TO four
barrels of pure strained honey from
that old oak tree and up to this there
seems TO be no signs of failure of the
supply, as the bees are still very
strong and healthy colony.
The same year that Mr. Mitchell
tapped the old oak tree there was a
new thick growth sprung up all around
| the old oak tree OF an unusual appear
ance, having n smooth bark and thick.
waxy leaves. One day he pulled oil
one of the leaves and put it in his
mouth and found it TO be sweet, and
upon examining the place from which
he had plucked the leaf he discovered
that the plant was bleeding or emitting
from the wound clear, thick looking
juice which. upon tasting and examin-
alton. proved 10 be honey. He then
commenced to nurse the new volunteer
! growth with the tenderest care and at
! tention, looking after them daily; and
as the summer advance the plants
continued to grow. and in the fall he
selected and transplanted 800 of them
L
! they grew very rapidly making a
/ beautiful display with their straight,
smooth trunks and thick and glossy
wax-like leaves. And the grove was
seen and admired by all for miles and
miles around. Mr.. Mitchell : idea was
! that as large money was made from the
sugar maple by boiling the juice. he
ought to make more from u tree that
would run pure honey. and he was
right When the trees were four years
/ old in the fall of the year they were
/ large enough to insert faucets. SO he
l had three hundred faucets made TO
order aud screwed them into the young
trees, and the following spring the re-
| suit was remarkable. Each tree yielded
an average of ten gallons of the richest
| golden honey: the following ' ear each
/ tree yielded an average of twenty gal
/ Ions and now the average is about a
| barrel to each tree during the year. and
| the grove continues To grow and flour
/ ish and shows no signs of failing TO
supply bountfnl yield in the years to
/ come. The quaity of the honey is so
/ fine and the flavor is SO del cate that it
always commands the highest prices.
/ and the demand is greater than the
supply.
If some of those enterprising artesau
well men who are always prospecting
! and boring holes in our country for oil
could succeed in sinking well from
/ which solid stream of old mellow
| peach brandy would flow continuously.
then. indeed. old Spalding County
would be new Mecca, and pilgrim
ages would be made from all over this
/ broad country to the land which flows
with ''peach and honey
But be that as it may, the uncertain
/ ty of the fruit crop the corn crop. the
wheat crop, nor the uncertainty of the
price of cotton, has any terrors for
Mr.. Mitchell. for so long as these gold
en- streams of sweetness continue to
! flow from these natural fountains. his
prosperity is assured Griffin Goa.
NetOS.