iOlO 



GIjEA KINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Perhaps this propositon may not interest 

 beekeepers; but it should be remembered 

 that beekeeping and citrus-gi'owing go hand 

 in hand. Orange honey is getting to be one 

 of the commercial honeys that is vex'y highly 

 prized. While the amount is not large, it 

 is sufficient to attract the attention of every 

 beekeeper who would protect his industry 

 — especially the industry of his fellow-bee- 

 keeper in states where the production of 

 orange honey is possible. 



In the mean time we eongi'atulate the 

 people of Florida on having so able a man 

 for Plant Commissioner as Professor New- 

 ell. He is by training and general temper- 

 ament eminently qualified to handle the 

 situation. 



The Economy of Honey as a Food 



Carbohydrates, usually in the form of 

 sugar or starch, are the elements of food 

 important in furnishing energy. Since 

 honey is richer in carbohydrates than in 

 other food elements, it comes in the class of 

 energy-producing foods. Honey contains 

 very little protein, the muscle-forming ele- 

 ment of food, and no fat. The ash and 

 undetermined matter shares in forming 

 bone and aids digestion. 



The unit of comparison of foods is the 

 calorie. This is, approximately, the amount 

 of heat which would raise the temperature 

 of 1 lb. of water 4° F. The energy value 

 of honey is about 1485 calories per pound, 

 which means that if all the heat potentiality 

 in a pound of honey could be utilized it 

 would raise the temperature of 33 lbs. of 

 water from freezing to the boiling point. 



Basing food value upon the amount of 

 energy in calories to be derived from a 

 food, and taking the average prices into 

 consideration, honey is a more economical 

 food than pears, oranges, figs, bananas, 

 strawberries, and grapes, other foods in the 

 the same class of energy-producers. Of foods 

 in other classes, honey is more economical 

 as an energy-producer than celery, tomatoes, 

 canned corn, and all the meats, with the 

 possible exception of pork chops. On the 

 other hand, it is less ecor jmical than bread, 

 cereals, potatoes, baked beans, sugar, and 

 apple. 



These comparisons were made from 

 studies and tables from the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and other sources. The 

 diagram below iUustrales gxapliically the 

 constituents of an average jar of honey. 

 The flavor of honey depends largely upon 

 the i^reseuce and proportion of the elements 

 bracketed as " undetermined matter." 



Invert sugar, ■< 

 75% 



V 

 Dextrin, 1.8 % ► 



Protein, .3 %. ► 



Moisture, 17% ■ 



Levulose, 41% 

 (fruit sugar) 



^ 



Dextrose, 34% 

 (grape sugar) 



Sucrose, 1.9% 

 Ash, .18 % 



— Undetermined matter, 3.68 % 



^ Nitrogen, .04% 



■" Acid, .1% 



Iron, lime, sodium 

 sulphur, magnesia, po 

 I tassium, manganese 

 [phosphoric acid, pel 

 |ien grains, albumen 

 aromatic bodies (ter 

 .penes, etc.) higher al 

 Icohols (manitol, etc.) 

 [and various other bod 

 ies of indefinite or un 

 known character. 



