The honey of various regions is flavored by the flowers predominant in
the districts where it is gathered--heather, rosemary, lavender,
orange-flowers, white clover, bass-wood, lime-tree. In Scotland it is
not unusual to transport the hives in the flowering season to the
neighborhood of heathery tracts. The honey most famous in the ancient
world was that of Mt. Hybla in Sicily, and Mt. Hymettus in Attica.
Supplies are imported into Britain from various quarters; but it is to
the United States and Canada that we must turn for bee-farming on the
largest scale, and California, especially southern California, is the
paradise of beekeepers. Some bee-keepers have from two thousand to three
thousand hives; and as much as seven hundred pounds of honey has been
obtained from one hive. The most improved hives, honey-extractors,
artificial combs, and comb-foundations are in general use.
=Silk-worm= (_Bombyx mori_) lives on the Mulberry, and is bred for the
fibers of the cocoon. It originally came from southern Asia, but is now
extensively cultivated in China, Japan and southern Europe for the
purpose of obtaining its silk. The cultivation of the silkworm is
dependent almost entirely on the supply of these leaves.