Bees and Honey
From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia
Thomas Jefferson does mention bees and honey. Apart from his Notes on the State of Virginia and the drawing (N-86) of the "South Out-house" showing poultry yards with bee houses, he further mention of bees or bee keeping by Jefferson has been found.
Edmund Bacon, Jefferson's overseer (September 1806-October 1822) was a bee keeper. He writes, "I remember his [General Dearborne] coming to my house once with Mr. Jefferson , to look at my bees. I had a very large stand, more than forty hives."
The Memorandum Books reveal many purchases of wax between 1769 and 1783, and one purchase in both 1791 and 1813. In October 1789, Jefferson purchased honey in Isle of Wight, England, before returning home from Europe. He writes, "--honey 2/"
Jefferson writes in Notes on the State of Virginia:
"The honey-bee is not a native of our continent. Marcgraveindeed mentions a species of honey-bee in Brasil. But this has no sting, and is therefore different from the one we have, which resembles perfectly that of Europe. The Indians concur with us in the tradition that it was brought from Europe; but, when, and by whom, we know not. The bees have generally extended themselves into the country, a little in advance of the white settlers. The Indians therefore call them the white man's fly, and consider their approach as indicating the approach of the settlements of the whites. A question here occurs, How far northwardly have these insects been found? That they are unknown in Lapland, I infer from Scheffer's information, that the Laplanders eat the pine bark, prepared in a certain way, instead of those things sweetened with sugar. 'They eat this in place of things made with sugar.' Certainly, if they had honey, it would be a better substitute for sugar than any preparation of the pine bark. Kalm tells us the honey bee cannot live through the winter in Canada."
- ↑ Bear, James A., Jr. ed. Jefferson at Monticello Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1967, 59.
- ↑ MB 16 October 1789. 1:746.
- ↑ Refers to Georg Margraf or Margraff (1610-1644) co-wrote Historia Naturalis Brasiliae, 1648.
- ↑ Refers to John Scheffer (1621-1679), author of History of Lapland (London, 1751).
- ↑ Notes,71-72.
- Monticello: south and north outhouses, recto, circa 1776-1778, by Thomas Jefferson. N86; K55b [electronic edition]. Thomas Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive. Boston, Mass. : Massachusetts Historical Society, 2003. http://www.thomasjeffersonpapers.org/cfm/doc.cfm?id=arch_N86&mode=sm