(£jOxvtspon(iaxu. 



For the Ainerican Bee Journal. 



Grlucose/or Grape Sugar, for Bees. 



In answer to my affirmations that solid 

 glucose is as dear as sugar, and less whole- 

 some to feed bees, Mr. Root, in the October 

 number of Oleaniiufs, published a long 

 letter, not from a learned chemist, disinter- 

 ested in the question, but from an interested 

 party— the superintendent of the Dav> nport 

 glucose factory. 



My letters against the use of glucose were 

 not of sufficient importance to entitle them 

 to notice, but the praises of this article are 

 entitled to a place in Olenn'mgs. Such is 

 the way that editor practices in'ipartiality ! 



In that letter (on page 316 of Gleanings), 

 Mr. Louis Best, superintendent of the Da- 

 venport glucose factory, writes : ' gjgg 



IF" Glucose is a heavy Kiiramy syrup of about 40 per 

 cent, glucose, or grape sugar, 46 or 48 per cent, dex- 

 trine (liquid glue), and 12 to 40 per cent, of water." 



Of course Mr. Best omits to say that glu- 

 cose contains lime, sulphuric acid, sucrate 

 of lime, etc. He continues : 



" Grape sugar Is a concrete mass, without crystal- 

 lization, of 6(5 to 70 per cent, grape and glucose sugar, 



6 to f! per cent, dextrine, and the balance water 



Our grape sugar, for feeding bees, is guaranteed to 

 be free from sulphuric acid, and never contains more 

 than 1-50 part of 1 per cent, of sulphate of lime." 



At the Bee-Keepers' Convention at Bur- 

 lington, in May, a bee-keeper exhibited a 

 lump of solid glucose, which he had received 

 from the Davenport factory, through Mr. 

 Root. A chemist, who was there, look a 

 small part of this glucose, and in the after- 

 noon produced a small vial containing about 

 an ounce of a liquid ; at the bottom of the 

 vial was a whitish deposit about 14, ot' an 

 inch thick. He told us that this white de- 

 posit was terra alba (white earth) or chalk, 

 contained in the solid glucose that he had 

 taken in the morning. 



Here are two affirmations. One from Mr. 

 Best, who says that his solid glucose con- 

 tains at most 1 part of sulphate of lime in 

 5,000 parts. The other from a disinterested 

 chemist who, after analysis, shows an im- 

 mense amount of chalk. 



I wonder why bees are so slow in taking 

 a .substance containing 66 to 70 per cent, of 

 sugar, while, when they visit the flowers, 

 they bring into the hive a nectar which often 

 contains less than 10 to 20 percent, of sugar; 

 and especially when we see them eagerly 

 suck milk, wine, beer, cider, etc., if these 

 beverages are mi.xed with 2.5 per cent, of 

 sugar, or even less. 



Mr. Best acknoAvledges that his solid glu- 

 cose has only a sweetening power of 33 per 

 cent., when compared with pure sugar. 

 Then what becomes of the other 3.5 per cent, 

 of sugar that this solid glucose is said to 

 possess ? Honey contains 86 to 88 per cent, 

 of grape sugar. Its sweetening power is 

 equal to 86 or 88 per cent. 



Bees live on sugar, and pure sugar is the 

 best food to give them. In solid glucose 

 there is 83 per cent, at most of sugar, which 

 is apparent. In what combination is the 

 other 35 per cent., which are concealed, sup- 

 posing that they exist ? Is not this supposed 



combination disliked by bees, since they 

 take glucose reluctantly"? 



Wine made with the addition of honey 

 becomes clear, and ceases fermenting in the 

 fall. Wine made with the addition of solid 

 glucose never ceases to ferment, on account 

 of the sulphuric acid that it contains ; it is 

 never well clarified ; its color is impaired. 

 Wine made with honey shows its alcohol 

 with the aerometer, while wine made with 



§lucose is heavier than water, and cannot 

 e weighed, as to its alcohol, but with a still, 

 on account of its mineral matters. 



How can Mr. Best explain these differ- 

 ences, as he says that the sugar contained 

 in both honey and glucose is the same grape 

 sugar, mixed only with 5 or 6 per cent, of 

 dextrine and water ? How is it that liquid 

 glucose, which contains but 40 per cent, of 

 sugar, is worth commercially .5 cents per 

 pound, while solid glucose, containing 70 

 per cent, of sugar, is sold for .3>^ cents ? 

 Then the best product is the cheapest. In 

 France it is the reverse : 2,000 lbs. of starch 

 give 2,800 lbs. of liquid glucose. The same 

 quantity of starch gives only 1,867 lbs. of 

 .solid gluco.se. When liquid glucose is worth 

 5 cents in France, solid glucose is worth 7J^ 

 cents. See Chimle industrielle de Pnyen. 

 The present price of glucose in France is : 

 Crystal, 60 to 62 ; liquid, 40 to 42.— iaCwl- 

 teur, Sept. 29, 1878. 



Mr. Best is right when he says that the 

 manufacture of solid glucose is not forbid- 

 den in France. It is the mainifacture of 

 granulated glucose, which is charged with 

 such a heavy duty that it cannot be manu- 

 factured with profit. 



I read, several months ago. that there were 

 riots in Franktort-on-the-Main, and in sev- 

 eral other cities of Germany, on account of 

 the rise in the price of beer, this increase of 

 price being caused by the brewers being 

 prohibited from using glucose in its manu- 

 facture. 



In addition to the letter of Mr. Best, Mr. 

 Root quotes from Mr. Langstroth's book, 

 page 273. According to the editor of Olenn- 

 ings, Mr. Langstroth says, in reference to 

 grape sugar : 



" It can be obtained at a much lower price than 

 cane sugar, and is better adapted to the constitution 

 of the bee, as it constitutes the saccharine matter of 

 honey, and hence is frequently termed honey suear. 



"It may be fed either diluted with boiling water, or 

 in its raw state, moist, as it comes from the factory. 

 In the latter condition, bees consume it slowly, and 

 as there is not the waste that occurs when candy la 

 fed, 1 think It is better winter food." 



After reading the above quotation, I 

 opened Mr. Langstroth's book and read : 



" Mr. Wagner has furnished me with the following 

 interesting facts, translated by him from the Bienen- 

 Zeihinq : 



" The Rev. Mr. Kleine says : ' Grape sugar, for cor- 

 recting sour wines, is now extensively made from 

 potato starch, in various parts on the Rhine, and has 

 been highly recommended for bee food. It can be 

 obtained at a much lower price—' " etc. Then follows 

 that quoted by Mr. Root. 



Mr. Root, to help his bad cause, has falsi- 

 fied the quotation, by giving it as the 

 opinion of Mr. Langstroth, while it was 

 only a quotation from a German bee paper ! 



This falsification will not increase our 

 confidence in the veracity of the editor of 

 Oleaninqs. 



I have received from the father of bee- 

 culture in this country, a letter from which 

 I copy the following lines : 



