AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, May 10, 1900.

A dispatch from Winsted, Conn., to the Hartford Courant says that the extent to which hunting for wild honey is carried on in that section is not generally known:

“One of the Winsted hunters says that there are probably 15 to 20 men there who engage in the business, more or less, and take up altogether nearly a ton of honey in the season. He estimated that in Litchfield County there were nearly 100 bee-hunters, and that their gatherings amounted annually to 8 or 10 tons. As the honey is worth about 20 cents a pound, these figures make the value of honey gathered in the woods in Litchfield County nearly $4,000. Canaan Mountain is said to be one of the best localities. Over 20 trees were found there last fall, yielding from 50 to 100 pounds each. The flavor of the wild honey of this region is said to be much more delicate than that of the domestic product.”

We were not aware before that Connecticut “bee-keepers” had so many apiaries that were not only out-apiaries, but also up-apiaries as well. Perhaps our giving the above notice a wider reading will cause an overstocking of bee-keepers in that locality. That would be a variation from the occasional complaint of an overstocking of bees. What a fine field for the old-time as well as the new-time bee-hunter that must be. And it seems their efforts are not unrewarded. However, in this locality, we prefer to continue to keep bees on the earth, instead of in trees. Of course, localities often differ!

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