A Sugar Barrel

1900

"A sugar barrel, boys!" What a scampering that announcement used to cause among the boys in the vicinity of a country store, a few years ago, when much soft brown sugar was used. The emptied hogsheads, with a luscious coat of sweetness adhering to the rough staves, were cast out in the back yard, much to the boys' delight. John B. Grozier, who spent his youth in Canada, recalls these "sugar-barrel" scenes from his own experience.

One of the boys was always on the watch as informal scout, to give notice to the rest of anything interesting and available in the way of fun. The empty sugar hogshead used to appear with considerable regularity. The scout would see it, and after a liberal taste himself, would rush to the mill-pond, where he would probably find the rest of us bathing.

"A sugar barrel, boys!" was his greeting. It was enough. Putting on half of our clothes as we went, we would dash off after our guide, like a scattered train of camp-followers.

It must have been comical to see a dozen urchins straggling along, picking their way barefooted over the rocks and rough ground; struggling to put on a ragged vest or a coat, while maintaining a sort of Indian jog-trot for fear of losing a share in the feast.

Then, lo, the hogshead; and into it the first comers rushed pell-mell. Those who came after contented themselves with hoping there would be enough for all; or possibly they obtained a morsel or two by clever reaching from the outside. — Youth's Companion.

Monroe Man's Honey Barrel Discovered

New York, 1911

Bees Make 250 Pounds in Receptacle in His Cellar

Monroe, Feb. 2, (Special) — John R. Hayes, who owns a house on the main street of this village with the conservatory of E. H. Welling, the meat marketman, in the rear came across an unexpected find in the cellar of his home yesterday. Mr. Hayes found a barrel of honey there of which he had been totally unaware that he was the owner.

Mr. Hayes kept a discarded cider barrel in the cellar uncorked, the bunghole being on one side, in the middle. Before it held the cider, the barrel had been filled with whiskey. It has been empty since the early part of last summer. Since the cold weather set in Mr. Hayes has been keeping a fire burning in the cellar furnace and, on going down to heap on some more coal yesterday, was surprised to see bees in a semi-comatose state crawling around on the floor. This led him to investigate the contents of the barrel. He was surprised to find that he could scarcely move it, — it was so heavy.

With an axe he broke in a slat on one end. That slat did not move more than an inch, something offering resistance from the inside. On removing the slat he was surprised to find that the one end of the barrel was entirely filled with honey. He took out a number of combs, for use at his table, and two pounds to the office of the local newspaper for the use of the editor and his family. The honey is said to be excellent although slightly darker than the usual and flavoring a little of cider.

To your correspondent yesterday, Mr. Hayes said with evident glee that he was assured of a supply of honey for an indefinite time. He said he would leave the barrel where it was and that the bees would undoubtedly continue to increase the stock of honey there next summer. Meantime Mr. Hayes can replenish his table from the one end of the barrel replacing the slat after taking out each supply. He says he has no idea where the bees came from unless it be from the skips of Robert Ashman, a neighbor, who keeps bees. Mr. Hayes believes that there are altogether about 250 pounds of honey in the barrel. He is to have a local apiarist, Edward Rake, examine the bees as he thinks they are of an unusual or excellent breed — probably Italian.

—Orange County Times-Press, Middletown, NY, Feb. 3, 1911, p. 10.