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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



285 



He said, when asked what the difference 

 between beet and cane sug-ar was, "There 

 is only one answer to this question; cane 

 sug^ar and beet sugar are the same. It is 

 not a question of similarity, but of identity. 

 Chemists, the world over, are agreed as to 

 the identity of cane and beet sug-ar, and all 

 statements of differences and properties — of 

 inferiority or superiority of these sug"ars — 

 are either in ignorance or for deception. 

 We sometimes say, 'As like as two peas;' 

 but no two peas are exactly alike ; such 

 comparison does not hold on this subject, 

 for it is not a question of likeness but iden- 

 tity. 



"The suspicion was aroused by the sug'ar 

 trust that beet sugar is inferior to cane su- 

 gar, and this suspicion has been carefully 

 nourished by the sugar trust; and the state- 

 ment has been so often repeated that many 

 folks have believed it. What are the facts? 

 For the last three years the people of the 

 Northern States have used beet sugar al- 

 most exclusively. Look at the world's su- 

 gar production in 1898. We were at war 

 with Spain, and little sugar was produced 

 in Cuba and Porto Rico, and less still was 

 exported. None was obtained from the 

 Philippine Islands ; the sugar from the 

 Sandwich Islands was required for our peo- 

 ple on the Pacific coast; Louisiana could 

 not make enough sugar to supply herself 

 and the Gulf States. Where could we get 

 enough sugar to supply the millions of tons 

 required for the world's consumption if we 

 depended on sugar from the cane alone? 

 The supply of sugar from sugar cane has 

 been insufficient to fill and replenish the 

 world's sugar-bowl, and for three years 

 past we have been in a large measure cut 

 ofT from that source. If it had not been for 

 the beet sugar of Europe the world would 

 have gone hungry. Beet sugar at this very 

 time furnishes two -thirds of the world's 

 supply. The supply of refined sugar for 

 our own use for three years past has con- 

 sisted very largely of beet sugar from Ger- 

 many and France." J. M. Rankin. 



[I have read this discussion thus far very 

 carefully, and I do not see that there is 

 very much disagreement between our corre- 

 spondents except as to the suitableness of 

 unrefined sugars for bees. Mr. Morrison 

 argues in favor of the rich honey-like sugar 

 before it is chemicalized and bleached to 

 suit the American market, and there is no 

 question but such sugar does have more 

 flavor than the refined sugars of either beet 

 or cane. Personally, on my own puddings 

 and pastry I prefer them to the refined ar- 

 ticle. While there can be no question that 

 many honey-like sugars have more flavor, I 

 believe there is a question as to whether 

 such sugars are as healthful for bees. 



Many years ago A. I. Root conducted a 

 long series of experiments, feeding the 

 brown sugars, coffee A sugars, and granu- 

 lated sugars, all from the sugar cane, be- 

 cause at that time there were no beet sugars 

 on the market. He came to the conclusion 



Ih it the white or refined sugars were not 

 only cheaper but more wholesome for the 

 bees, for northern climates like ours. The 

 dark sugars had a tendency to bring on 

 dysentery. Other bee-keepers have since 

 verified A. I. Root's experiments ; and 

 throughout the United States, at least, 

 granulated sugar only is used when made 

 into syrup for feeding bees for winter. 



Mr. Morrison also writes as though honey 

 were more wholesome than sugar syrup. 

 He says, moreover, that syrup fed to bees is 

 partly converted into glucose. Chemically 

 speaking I suppose that is true, although 

 we have said of late that either nectar from 

 flowers or sugar syrup is "inverted" in 

 the organs of the bees, or, as Prof. Cook 

 puts it, "digested." If I am correct, nec- 

 tar is a cane sugar — that is, a chemical 

 cane sugar ; so also is granulated sugar 

 which we feed to the bees. Either one goes 

 through a chemical change in the organism 

 of the bee ; but the nectar of flowers, being 

 almost as thin as water, is, as a rule, more 

 thoroughly digested, or inverted, and may, 

 therefore, be more easily assimilated. It 

 has been the practice of late to feed all 

 sugar syrup thin — much thinner than rec- 

 ommended 3'ears ago, for the purpose of se- 

 curing much more thorough inversion of the 

 syrup before it goes into the combs. 



Some years ago, I think it was Mr. Jas. 

 Heddon (and his testimony was supple- 

 mented by a numbers) who argued in favor 

 of sugar syrup rather than honey as a win- 

 ter food; and, as a rule, I believe bee-keep- 

 ers, at the same price, have preferred gran- 

 ulated-sugar syrup because it was free from 

 deleterious flavors and substances that have 

 a tendency to clog the intestines of the bees. 



I be ieve it is true that, in England, and 

 perhaps throughout Europe generally, cane 

 sugars have the preference over beet sugars 

 as a bee food; but this preference, I have 

 been told, is based on the theory or fact 

 that an unrefined cafw sugar is more whole- 

 some than an unrefined deef. Whether or 

 not there is any thing in this, I do nut 

 know. I believe it is also true that some 

 canning-factories have at least a prefer- 

 ence for sugar from the cane. Whether 

 that preference is based on an erroneous no- 

 tion or not, I can not say. 



I do not believe it is wise or best to con- 

 tinue this discussion any further; for when 

 doctors disagree, who shall decide? — Ed.] 



/. D. C, A^. C.—I do not think there will 

 be any difficulty about your moving your 

 bees any time, providing the weather is 

 warm enough to permit them to fly at the 

 time you move them. You should make 

 some arrangement to see that the combs are 

 securely fastened in the hive, and the bees 

 have plenty of ventilation. Wire cloth 

 should be put over the entrance, and wire 

 cloth or thin muslin over the tops of the 

 hives. In moving bees it is necessary to 

 give a large amount of ventilation. Wire 

 cloth at the entrance only would not answer. 



