ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT. 371 



HONEY ANALYSES. 



No. 93 — Zoological Department. 



The subject of honey adulteration is one of great importance to bee 

 keepers. It is generally believed that adulteration is very common. One 

 of the leading chemists of the country has affirmed that proV)ably one- 

 half of the extracted honey in our markets is more or less adulterated. 

 It has generally been thought by bee keepers, and with good reason, that 

 if honey was so extensively adulterated it was the work ahnost exclusively 

 of the dealers. In fact, in nearly all cases where analyses have shown 

 honey to be adulterated, the specimens had the name of some prominent 

 dealers upon them. 



There are two very serious objections to this work of adulteration. In 

 the first place it adds largely to the supply of presumable honey in the 

 market, and so lessens the demand for the genuine article; and in the 

 second place, the product is so inferior in quality that its sale must prove 

 very deleterious to the honey market. In nearly all cases the adulterant 

 used is the common starch or commercial glucose. This tasteless sub- 

 stance not only tends to lessen the peculiar honey flavor, but it leaves a 

 metallic taste in the mouth, which is not only very disagreeable, but must 

 in every case tend to destroy the appetite or desire for the genuine article- 

 It is hardly necessary to say that these statements only concern extracted 

 honey, as comb honey is too delicate and fine an article for even the 

 greatest human genius to counterfeit. It will be readily seen, however, 

 that a taint on the fame of any honey is in some sen»;e injurious to all. 



There can be hardly any question that with good laws so great an evil 

 could easily be prevented, were we surely able to detect it. This is the 

 more true now, as the bee keepers are thoroughly organized and have 

 formed the Bee Keepers' Union. This organization has the means and 

 the inclination to fight and destroy any evil that confronts the welfare of 

 bee keepers, providing that there is sure proof that the evil exists. 



F»)r the last few years there has been great doubt in the minds of 

 many bee keepers whether even our best chemists could surely detect 

 adulteration. The reasons for this were: 



1. The report that honey of known purity had been analyzed and 

 pronounced adulterated. 



2 That honey is secured by the bees from such varied sources that it 

 was possible that even our best scientists were today unable in all cases to 

 distinguish it from the adulterated product. 



8. It is well known that the nectar that the bees gather from the 

 flowers is digested in the honey stomach of the bee as it is being conveyed 

 to the hive, or possibly by being taken into the honey stomach of the 

 young bees after it is delivered by the gatherers. VVe know that the 



