350 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



best honey. I know this to be a fact as 1 

 have used it for '20 years. Here Mason jars 

 can be had of all dealers in that kind of 

 goods. Robber bees cannot get at the syrup 

 even if the jar is placed on top of a hive 

 vfhere the bees in the hive can get at it. 

 Try them and see if they are not the best 

 feeders in use. H. Alley. 



From tlie Journal of Medicine of Algeria. 



On Falsification of Honey. 



BY D. P. JAILLARD, CHIEF PHARMACEUTIST OF 

 THE MILITARY HOSPITAL OF ALGIERS. 



Although the commercial value «f honey 

 has greatly diminished since the cane and 

 beet sugars are cheap, its value is yet high 

 enough to excite the cupidity of falsittca- 

 tors. Thus it is often found mixed with 

 glucose or with gum, the presence of which 

 is easily recognized by the help of simple 

 reactions, related in detail by special 

 treatises. 



Aside from these adulterations, there is one 

 which has not yet been exposed, which, 

 frequent in Algeria, is rather difficult to un- 

 ravel; and on which I have thought it im- 

 portant to attract the attention of the con- 

 sumers. This adulteration is especialy prac- 

 ticed by the natives, whose cupidity renders 

 them experts in the art of deceiving; it 

 consists in adding to the honey a certain 

 quantity of cassonade (brown sugar). 



To recognize this fraudulent addition, the 

 quantity of cane sugar added to the sus- 

 pected honey must be determined, and as 

 the pure honey never contains more than 

 one-tenth of this sugar, tlie result of the 

 analysis must be brought to this as maxi- 

 mum. Should the experiment indicate a 

 larger proportion of it, it is reasonable to 

 affirm that the excess at least, is produced 

 by unlawful manipulators. 



The operation is made with a proof liquor, 

 which can be acted on by glucoses, but 

 which remains insensible to the action of 

 cane sugar. The preparation of it is very 

 simple: Take tartaric acid 100 grammes; 

 caustic potash, 200 gr.; crystalized sulphate 

 of copper, 30 gr.; water enough tor one 

 litre. i)issolve on one side the potash and 

 tartaric acid, on the other the sulpliate of 

 copper, mix the two together so as to form 

 1,000 cubic centimeters, 20 cubic centimeters 

 of tills liquid will combine with 0.095 of 

 glucose, 012, H.14, 014. It is, however, bet- 

 ter to ascertain its force by testing it witli a 

 mixture of sugars of known value. 



Tlie examination of honey is divided into 

 two operations. In the first, weigh one 

 grain of the substance to be examined, 

 dissolve it in 100 cetimeters of distilled 

 water, and see how much of this solution is 

 necessary to couibine 20 cubic centimeters 

 of the proof liquor. Supposing that it takes 

 12.5 cubic centimeters, this proves that the 

 solution contains 0.76 per cent, of glucose. 

 In the second operation, take again one 

 grain of lioney and introduce it in a pouch 

 with one decilitre of water and 20 drops of 

 chlorydric acid, boil it for a few minutes, to 

 bring the volume of it dowu to 100 centi- 

 meters, then deteruiine how much of it is 

 necessary to discolor 20 centimeters of the 

 proof liquor. 



Admitting that 9.5 cubic centimeters of it 

 have been employed, this shows that the 

 latter contains 1 per cent, of glucose per 100. 



The difference obtained in the two ex- 

 periments shows the quantity of cane sugar, 

 since this difference Is due to the change of 

 this sugar, of which 0.0082 C12, Hll, Oil, 

 furnish 0.01 of glucose C12, H14, 014. 



By deducting 0.78 from 1.00 we find 0.24 

 which represent the weight of glucose, fur- 

 nislied by the cane sugar existing in a grain 

 of honey, corresponding to 0.197 of sugar. 



From the above, since a grain of honey 

 never contains more than 0.1 of cane sugar, 

 such honey as above represented, should be 

 considered as containing 9.7 per cent, of 

 sugar. C. Dadant, translator. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Report and Management. 



I started last spring with 20 swarms; in- 

 creased to .55, mostly by natural swarming. 

 I have doubled up the light swarms, leaving 

 me witii 45 stands. I have taken over a ton 

 of honey from them, 1500 B)s in boxes and 

 500 lbs of extracted. There has been so 

 much prejudice against extracted honey 

 that it has been dull sale. I have partially 

 overcome this prejudice. I sold a few % lb 

 tumblers in Dowagiac at 15 cents each, not 

 as a staiulard price but to induce the people 

 to buy a pure article. 1 cannot supply the 

 demand for my extracted honey at 15 per lb 

 net or 20 cents cash for my % H> tuniblers. 

 My bees are working in their boxes yet. I 

 cover my boxes with old pieces of quilts or 

 any old garment. This keeps the cool 

 nights from driving them out of the boxes. 



1 winter my bees on their summer stands 

 by packing with cut straw and sawdust, 

 half each, as follows: I take a board 6 

 inches wider and longer than my hiVe, 

 (which is the Langstroth) bore an inch hole 

 in each corner, one inch from the side and 

 end. I liave my side-board same length of 

 bottom and 3 or 4 inches higher than my 

 hive with cover on. I nail inch cleats on 

 side-board one inch from the ends project- 

 ing one inch below, to tit holes in bottom 

 board. The back end board is the same 

 width of the sides and 2}4 inches shorter 

 than width of bottom board. I nail cleat in 

 the center, inside, and bore a hole in bottom 

 to tit. I set up sides and end and drive in 



2 nails to hold together. I set the hive in 

 even with front end, and tack a 4 inch strip 

 up and down in front on each side, project- 

 ing into the hive. I set in front board, on 

 the top of porch and even with the top; 

 then pack with chaff or cut straw and saw- 

 dust. The cover is same width of the 

 bottom, and one inch longer, and I nail a 3 

 inch strip around it. I leave this box around 

 my hive till nearly swarming time; then 

 take my boxes apart and pack them away, 

 using the packing to mulch my fruit trees, 

 also my strawberries and raspberries. In 

 this way my bees can fly out at any time. 

 I have no axe to grind with my new strain 

 of bees, but have some young swarms that 

 have tilled their hives and filled twenty 6J4 

 lb boxes this season. I have no bees to sell, 

 except a few swarms to my neighbors. 



Linn Apiary, Mich. it. A. Calvin. 



Marathon, N. Y., Sept. 26, 1877.— "With 

 us the weather is dry and the honey crop is 

 cut short. The spring was dry and cool. 

 Mid summer was a good honey season but 

 short, and closed very suddenly. There is 

 but very little buckwheat honey. Bees have 

 been idle for some time. O. Couktney. 



