The Hope pioneer., 1893-08-04
The BUSY BEE.
How They Gather Honey" Food Fit for
the Gods"-Great Exhibit.

do" 1Hey NaCner -"FOOd Fit Tor
the Gods"-Great Exhibit.
Prof. Rodney Welch, of New York city,
is writing some interesting descriptions
of the various exhibits in the Agricul-
tural building at the Columbian expo
sition for New York paper. In re-
cent tour of that enormous building
the professor investigated the exhibits
of honey and beeswax, which are to be
found at the east end of the Agricul-
tural building. He discovered that in
the Grecian agricultural exhibit Stam-
altos Papagannabis, of Athens, shows
nearly fifty varieties of honey, some Of
which We're collected by bees from
flowers that grew upon Mount Olympus.
There is nothing in the appearance Of
this honey that would seem to warrant
the praise bestowed upon it by Homer
and other Grecian poets. 1t must be re-
membered, however, says Prof. Welch,
that Homer was blind and therefore
could not notice that its color was ex-
ceedingly dark. No modern poet with
good sight would pronounce it flood
fit for the GODS" though it must be
acknowledged that the flavor of some
of this Grecian honey was delicious.
Each of the states, except New York,
making exhibits-Colorado, California,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Min
nesota, Michigan and Indiana-confine
their displays to single case. Nebras-
ka makes an interesting showing Of
the chief honey-producing plants of the
state. Four cases are filled with honey
and beeswax from New York. The bee
keepers of the state also have large
case in which five colonies of bees may
be seen at work. Through apertures
in the walls of the building the in
dustrious insects go "far out upon the
prairies,' collect the harvest of the
flowers and return with their sweet
stores. In the display of New York is
large quantity of apparatus employed
in handling bees and extracting honey
from the comb. Many styles of bee
hives are also shown, including some of
the straw ''skeps" which were in use
two centuries ago. An attempt is made
by those in charge of the New York
| display to show visitors the honey pro-
duced by different flowers.
| Next to New York Ontario, Canada,
makes the largest display of honey, and
is in many respects the most satisfacto-
ry to dealers. 1t is chiefly in large
| packages, weighing from fifty to sew
enty-fve pounds. Most of these pack
ages contain the honey extracted from
single kind of flower. The large
blocks of candied honey attract con-
siderable attention, as the Canadians
are endeavoring to find market for
theirs in this condition. The comb
honey in this display is by far the finest
on exhibition, as all the cells are per-
fectly sealed.
At one end of the gallery devoted to
displays of honey and beeswax is q
large collection of hives, honey ex-
| tractors, bee smokers, face protectors,
honey knives, comb foundations and
many other appliances used in handling
| bees and honey. There is also a large
! collection of literature pertaining to
bees and honey.
Beekeepers desire to sell extracted
honey and consumers desire it in the
comb. Comb honey is difficult to trans
port, and on that account is expensive.
| AS an article of commerce honey no
longer deserves much attention. Ithas
sentimental rather than an intrinsic
value. All the poets from David to
Whittier have sung its praises. But re-
Gently other sweets have been pro-
duced that take its place, and it now
comes in competition with many con-
diments unknown to the people of for
lner times. Cheap and rapid transpor-
tation make it practical to have fresh
fruits nearly all the year, while canned
fruits of every kind are SO cheap that
| the poorest can consume them freely.
Candles made from an adulterated
beeswax are required for Catholic
churches, and an exhibit of them is
made by several countries. Some of
the altar candles are eight feet in
length and are most beautifully orna-
mented with representations of Christ,
the holy virgin and the apostles. Cam
dies superior to these in design and
finish cannot be seen in any of the great
cathedrals of Europe.