The Opelousas courier., 1904-09-03
HoNlY FROM v
Ancient Idea That Bee Food Was of
Celestial Origin.

Ancient q That Zee Fooo was OF
Celestial Origin.
In these days Of scientific bee cul-
ture, when bees are trained to pack
their honey in pound boxes ready for
market and are as much under en-
troll of the beemaster as sheep are of
their shepherd, 1t is difficult to realize
what quaint decisions prevailed only
a few centuries back in everything
relating to the hive and its inhabl-
tants, says the Chicago News. The
sources and composition of honey
were subjects for many ingenious
sp~eculations. One old writer aftirms
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 himseh
In doubt as to whether it be the
sweate of the heavens or a certain
spittle of the starres or a juyce that
the ayre purgeth from himselte.N
k'This belief in the celestial origin OF
runs through all the old treat
NSS Ou agriculture A1OLA Ian kAA1
0 irgil downward. 1t was supposed
I be q kind of mama from heaven,
aed it's quality depended greatly on
tie favorable or ~unfavorable JuXta-
position Of the stars at the time of
it, resent.
lAlthough the existence in each
hife of one bee much larger than all
tt others was generally recognized
IL .olden times, this was believed to be
merely a 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 c~ountenance ex-
pressing majesty, and a white spot in
his forehead g%listening like a dla-
dem" In each hive also there were
subordinate governors, and leaders,
and captains, and colonies, marked by
crests, tufts, or tasses on their heads,
some yellow, some murrey." Among
various other duties it was the kings
part to 60 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 ap-
pears to have been held in eXtraordi-
nary favor as a universal specific for
human ills. AS a hair %restorer, 1t
was largely recommended, rubbed in
plentifully night and morning, and il
dead bees were dried, pounded and
worked up into a thick paste with the
honey its 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 n may
credit q certain fifteenth century
writer. For weak eyes the same au-
thority says to take a 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 vas the invariahle
reward.
In old days the situation Of a bee
hive was a matter of prime import
ance. 1t was to be placed always on
the south side of a, stream of water
and never in a place where there
were echoes, as an e, no was very in
furious to bees. A lit, gravel was to
be put down in the nsighborhood of
the hives, as in windS 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 bis charges,
and in attire he was to Stvoid any
thing of a red color, as thf was det-
rimental to the bees.