St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-05-19
GEORGIA HONEY BEES.
How They Have Assured the Prosperity OF
Their Lucky Owner.


After dinner at Mr.. Mitchell's "
were sitting on his front piazza, smol
ing, and discovered some bees goin
IN and out of knot in one of the lare
oak trees in front of his dwelling
This tree is known to be over hur
dred years old. l learned that severe
years ago swarm of bees assemble
In that tree as their new home, an
they have worked and lived there eve
since. After they had been there TO
three years the colony became YER
large and strong, and no attempt ha,
ever been made to rob them of thei
honey. At last Mr. Mitchell came t,
the conclusion that the tree must b,
full OF honey, from seeing large mum
bers of flies and bees around the roo
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 sat.
lsfed himself that the tree was full,
and then decided to tap it like fell
low is tapped for dropsy. So he got
him faucet and an augur and bored
a hole III the tree near the root and
then screwed in the faucet and to his
surprise and get delight solid stream
OF pure and elegant honey as clear as
crystal gushed forth, and the supply
seemed almost inexlaustible. 1t con
tlnued 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 a verv
very strong and healthy colony.
The same year that Mr.. Mitchell
tapped the old oak tree there was
new thick growth sprung up
around the old oak of an unusual
appearance, having a smooth bark and
thick, waxy leaves. One day he pulled
off one of the leaves and put it into his
mouth and found it to be very sweet,
and upon examining the place from
which he had plucked the leaf he dis
covered that the plant was bleeding or
emitting from the wound a clear, thick
looking juice, which, upon tasting and
examination. proved to be honey. He
then commenced to nurse the new vol
lnteer growth with the tenderest care
md attention, looking after them
'ally; and as the summer advanced the
plants continued to grow, and in the
all he selected and transplanted three
hundred OF them in very rich soil, thir-
eet apart, and they grew very rapidly,
making beautiful display with their
tralght, smooth trunks and their thick
nd glossy wax-like leaves And the
rove was seen and admired by all for
lilies and miles around. Mr.. Mitchelrs
lea was that as large money was made
'om the sugar maple, by boiling the
nee, he ought to make more from a
zee that would run pure honey, and
was right When the trees were
'ur years old in the fall of the wear
ley were large enough to insert
'ucets. So he had three hun
red faucets made to order and .
reWed them into the young
ees, and the following spring the re-
lit was remarkable. Each tree yielded
average of ten gallons of the richest :
'iden honey; the following year each ..
&c yielded an average of twenty GAL
rs, and now the average is about a >
rrel to each tree during the year, Il
q the grove continues to grow and
urlsh and shows no signs of failing v
supply bountiful yield in the wears !.
come. The quality of the honey is 7. u
fine and the flavor is so delicate that .
always commands the highest prices,
the demand is greater than the G.
oply. tt
i some Of those enterprisino artesian 81
II men who are always prospecting a
l boring holes in our county for oil u
I'D succeed in sinking well from 10
lch solid stream of old mellow "
Lch brandy would flow continuously. &c
n, indeed, old Spalding County W
aid be new Mecca, and Pilgrim lie
IS would be made from all over this re
ad country to the land which flows th
h peach and honey
tut be that us it may, the uncer- ha
'ty OF the fruit crop. the corn crop. Gu
wheat crop, nor the uncertainty of sa
price of cotton. has any terrors for wi
Mitchell, for so long as these eli;
len streams of sweetness continuo ca
low from these natural fountains. on
is assured. Griffin (Ga.) an
rs. Flu