1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



103 



the appropriation for the World's Fair we pre- 

 sume that Michigan bee-keepers are indebted 

 to Mr. Hilton for a small slice of that amount. 

 The State will he sure to make a creditable dis- 

 play- 



ADUMERATEI) HONEY; A SIMI'LE WAY OF DE- 

 TECTING GI.UCOSK IN HONEY. 



In our last issue we grave a short clipping 

 from the Amerlcnn Bee Jonrnal. when>in Prof. 

 Cook, following Mr. Heddon in convention, 

 made the statement, that if glucose improved 

 the sale of dark honeys, he had said his last 

 word against adulteration; but we underscored 

 the word "if," because there seemed to be a 

 lingering doubt in his mind as to whether glu- 

 cos(^ would improve honey. Prof. Cook at one 

 of the later sessions of the Michigan convention 

 brought out some samples of honey into which 

 had been put various amounts of glucose, and 

 the same was then placed before a testing com- 

 mittee for their opinion. The following is the 

 I'eport, as we find it in the Amerlcnn Bee 

 Journal, page .50: 



Prof. Cook now brought fortli tlie samples of g-lu- 

 cose and honey mixed. A ti^stiiig' committee, con- 

 sisting of Messrs. Bingham, Pearce, and Hunt pro- 

 ceeded to taste tlie samples. They reported as 

 follows: 



No. 1, very little honey flavor. 



No. 2, some h(mey Havor. 



Nos. 3 and 4, nearly all honey. 



Prof. Cook then said that No. 1 wasone part glucose 

 and one of lioney. No. 'i, one part glucose and two 

 of honey. No. 3, one part of glucose and three 

 of honey. No. 4, pure honey. 



This verifies what we said editorially ou page 

 859, 1892, to the effect that we were morally 

 certain that we could detect any addition of 

 glucose to honey by the tnste. 



After we had written this much we concluded 

 to put our.selves to the test. We accordingly 

 instructed our apiarist to practice a little adul- 

 teration on a small scale. lie prepared six sam- 

 ples. Four of the six contained various degrees 

 of glucose. One was strictly pure honey, and 

 another strictly pure glucose. Each sample 

 was numl)ered, and a memorandum preserved, 

 known only to the apiarist himself. Now for 

 the results: While we could not determine the 

 exact percentage of glucose in each sample, we 

 did determine the relative amounts. For in- 

 stance. No. 2 contained the most; No. 1 not 

 so much; No. 3 a less amount still; No. 4 was 

 pure honey, while No. ?> contained the least 

 amount of the four. The jar of pure glucose 

 could be told at sight. A comparison of our 

 memorandum tallied exactly with that of our 

 apiarist. These results were very nearly veri- 

 fied by A. I. R. and our proof-reader. When it 

 is understood that the glucose above mentioned 

 was the very clearest and best article that could 

 be bought, of commerce, it will be seen that a 

 slightly educated taste will be able to recognize 

 almost unerringly samples of honey containing 

 glucose. If these results be again verified by 

 chemical analysis, the detection of adulterated 

 samples would be certain. For the benefit of a 

 few who would like to try the experiment, we 

 may state that it is necessary to get a sample of 

 the first quality of glucose. Taste it enough so 

 that you can again thoroughly recognize its 

 flavor, even when greatly reduced with good 

 honey. Ask some friend to "doctor up " some 

 samples, and then see bow closely you can 

 recognize them. As you taste the samples, hold 

 a slight quantity of the suspected article on the 

 tongue as long as possible. In thirty or forty 

 seconds, if there is any glucose in the honey a 

 sort of metallic, raw-potato, or starchy taste 

 will make itself manifest. Before testing an- 

 other sample, allow -the mouth to become 



thoroughly cleanse4 of the remnant taste of 

 glucose; then try another. If you do not suc- 

 ceed in locating t-ach one pretty nearly right 

 we shall gi'eatly miss our surmise. 



Now. what is the point to all this? Simply 

 this: A glucose flavor is so marked and pro- 

 nounced that an educated taste will easily 

 recognize it, ev(;n in small quantities, in honey. 

 If it can be so easily detected, it is going to 

 make would-be glucose-mixers a little careful; 

 and we hojje it will prove a warning, not only 

 to tho<e who hav(^ been engaged in the busi- 

 ness, but to those \yho contemplate doing so. 



DEATH OF OKANGE .lUDD, 



Just about forty j'ears ago, when I was a 

 schoolboy. I got hold of a copy of the Arnericcin 

 Agriculturist, shortly after Orange Judd took 

 hold of it. I remember that, even to my boyish 

 ideas, I was somewhat prejudiced against it 

 because it seemed extravagant. The offer of 

 seeds, strawberry- plants, etc.. however, with 

 its plain, easy directions foi' cultivation, and its 

 abundance of illustrations in regard to matters 

 pertaining to outdoor farmlife. took a strong 

 hold upon me: and later when it commenced 

 its work of exposing humbugs and swindles. I 

 became an enthusiastic admirer of O. Judd. 

 In fact, I had already saved up some money to 

 buy a wonderful recipe for silver-plating, when 

 the Americaii AgricuUurlst published the 

 whole thing, and explained that it was simply 

 to "wash '■ the articles over with the thinnest 

 possible coat of silver, and that it was not 

 s\\\&Y -plating in any sense of the word; for 

 Orange Judd had, among his other acquire- 

 ments, considerable knowledge of chemistry, 

 and knew what he was talking about. For 

 many years I had nothinrr to do with farming, 

 nor with any sort of outdoor life: but I still 

 held on to the American Agriculturist; and 

 winter and summer I laid my plans on what I 

 would do when I was able to have a home of 

 my own. This journal, so wisely advertised at 

 just that time, did a work that no other publi- 

 cation in the world has ever done so well — that 

 of giving everybody, tradesmen, mechanics, 

 etc., a love for gardening as a recreation. In 

 fact, there were few people 2.5 or 30 years ago 

 who did not know more or less about the Amer- 

 icitn Agriculturist and its editor. Orange Judd. 

 As we go to press, the papers are full of ac- 

 counts of the many benefits he has conferred 

 upon our nation during his 40 or .50 years of an 

 energetic and active business life that is almost 

 without a parallel. It is said that he was one 

 of the prime movers in introducing the Inter- 

 national system of Sunday-school lessons. He 

 also started the matter of State experiment 

 stations, and by his energy pushed forward tne 

 work of establishing agricultural colleges for 

 the different Stales. The A7ri erica n Agricul- 

 turist took the lead, or was almost the pioneer, 

 in refusing to accept advertisements of a ques- 

 tionable nature, and positively declined to take 

 any advertisement of any patent medicine. At 

 one time— perhaps for the first time in our his- 

 tory as a nation — this government decided to 

 give a private journal aid and encouragement 

 in the matter of exposing swindlers, by cutting 

 them off from the privilege of doing business 

 through the mails. An account of his life, in- 

 cluding his trials and disappointments, as well 

 as his triumphs, by his surviving son, in the 

 columns of the Orange Judd Farmer, of a 

 recent date, is really touching. Ho was in very 

 truth a friend to our nation, and a friend to 

 humanity. May God grant that a recital of 

 the stirring events of his useful life may have 

 the effect of stimulating more of our American 

 youth to go and do likewise. He was born in 

 1822, and died Dec. 27, 1892. 



