334 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



prosecuted. We must demand that everj^ man elected to the legis- 

 lature, reg-ardless of politics, must be pledged to pass laws which 

 will stop the adulteration of honey and all kinds of food, and ta 

 severe!}' punish the rascals who persist in the nefarious practice. 



In 1878, when I first became interested in bee-keeping, there was 

 much said and published in the Am. Bee Journal upon this subject. 

 The board of health of Michigan had occasion to examine some 

 syrup that poisoned a family at Hudson in that state; also, other 

 samples. Prof. R. C. Kedzie of the board, in making the report of 

 the examination of that syrup and other sainples, said: 



"The Anglo-Saxon are pre-eminentlj^ a sugar consuming race. 

 There are few luxuries so prized by Americans, for whom the chief 

 articles of table luxuries have sugar as an important element. The 

 large consumption of sugar is not confined to the wealthy, but is 

 almost equall}'^ as common with those of limited means. To defraud 

 the poor man of his sweet is to cheat him out of his chief table com- 

 fort which his poverty can afford. In making my selections for ex- 

 amination, I obtained specimens only from those who were regarded 

 first-class tradesman. If sj-^rups bought at such places are adulter- 

 ated, we may well suppose that the inferior class of dealers will have 

 no better articles. Some have said that undoubtedly poor people who 

 trade at all groceries are swindled in these sj^rups, but that the re- 

 spectable citizens who patronize first-class grocers need not appre- 

 hend any such imposition. I determined to' follow up 'the respecta- 

 ble citizen' and see what syrups he obtained of 'first-class grocers.'^ 

 Part of the specimens were obtained near home, but the most from 

 abroad. I have examined seventeen specimens in all, with the 

 general result that two were from cane sugar, and fifteen from, 

 'starch sugar, or glucose.' 



"Specific Results of E-tamiiiHtion of Table Sjrrups. 



No. 1— Pure sugar syrup. 



No. 2— Starch sugar syrup; contains some sulphate of iron (cop- 

 peras), and contains in each gallon 107.:^5 grains of lime. 



No. 3 — The grocer called it 'poor stuff.' I have seldom seen an 

 article that better sustained its recommendation. Made of starch 

 sugar; contains plenty of copperas and 297 grains of lime in a gallon. 



No. 4r— Nearly pure cane sugar syrup. 



No. 5— Starch sugar sj'-rup; contains copperas and 100 grains of 

 lime in a gallon. 



Nos. 6, 7, 8— All made of starch sugar; contain sulphate of iron 

 and plenty of lime. 



No. 9— This is the specimen from Hudson which caused the sick- 

 ness in the Doty family. A starch sugar syrup; contains in the gal- 

 lon 71.83 grains of free sulphuric acid, 28 grains of sulphate of iron 

 and 3(>3 grains of litne. 



No. 10— Contains starch sugar, copperas and lime, amount not 

 estimated. 



No. 11— A starch sugar sj-rup; contains in the gallon, l-il.9 grains 

 of free sulphuric acid, 25 grains sulphate of iron and 724.83 grains of 

 lime. 



