The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-09-30
HONEY FROM HEAVEN.
Ancient Idea That Bee Food Was Of
Celestial ORIGIN.

Celestial Origin.
In these days of scientific bee Gull
ture, when bees are trained to pack
their honey in pound boxes ready for
market and are as much under con-
troll of the beemaster as sheep are OF
their shepherd, it is difficult to realize
what quaint decisions prevailed only
a few centuries back in everything
relating to the hive and it's inhabi-
tants, says the Chicago News. The
sources and composition of honey
were subjects for many ingenious
speculations. One cid writer affirms
it to be made of the ayre, most of
all at the rising of the starres, chiefly
the dogge shining out early in the
morning" although he admits himself
in doubt as to whether it be the
sweate of the heavens or a certain
spittle of the starres or juyce that
the ayre purgeth from himselfe."
This belief in the celestial origin Of
honey runs through all the old treat
ises on agriculture from the time of
Virgil downward. 1t was supposed
to be a kind of mama from heaven,
and it's quality depended greatly on
the favorable or unfavorable juxta-
position of the stars at the time of
its resent.
Although the existence in each
hive of one bee much larger than all
the Others was generally recognized
in olden times, this was believed to be
merely ruler or king over the rest.
That the large bee was actually the
mother of the whole colony never
seems to have occurred to any one
until recent times. This king bee is
very fancifully described as having
"a lofty pace and countenance ex-
pressing majesty, and white spot in
his forehead glistening like a dia-
DEM" In each hive also there were
subordinate governors, and leaders,
and captains, and colonies, marked by
crests, tufts, or tassels on their heads,
some yellow, some murrey." Among
various other duties it was the kings
part to go out each evening in search
of any bees that had not returned to
the hive by sunset and to show them
the way home.
From the earliest times honey APP
pears to have been held in eXtraordi-
nary favor as a universal specific for
human ills. AS hair restorer, it
was largely recommended, rubbed in
plentifully night and morning, and il
dead bees were dried, pounded and
worked up into thick paste with the
honey it's hair producing capabilities
were much enhanced. This mess had
to be plastered on the bald places of
the head overnight, with infallible re-
suits in the morning, if one may
credit a certain fifteenth century
writer. For weak eyes the same au-
thority says to take handful of the
heads of bees, burn them and mingle
the ashes with honey gathered in the
dog days. The eyes were then an
nointed literally with the mixture and
clearness of vision was the invariable
reward
In old days the situation of bee
hive was a matter of prime import
ance. 1t was to be placed always on
the south side of stream of water
and never in place where there
were echoes, as an echo was very in
furious to bees. A little gravel was to
be put down in the neighborhood Of
the hives, as in windy weather the
bees needed small stones to carry
about in their flight as counterpoises.
The beekeeper was recommended to
shave and keep his head close-crop-
ped, long hair on head or face being
extremely offensive to his charges,
and in attire he was to avoid any,
thing of a red color, as this was Diet
rimental to the bees.