1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



37 



One will not expect that the product derived 

 from pressing the honey combs in which pollen, 

 &c , is contained, would be the same as that de- 

 rived from the use of the extractor. Here we 

 have the pure grape sugar thinned by water, and 

 perfumed by the volatile oil of the blossom, which 

 lays claim to the name honey. This honey is 

 produced by nature in the flower, and gathered 

 by the bees and deposited in their cells. In these 

 cells the water is evaporated, and, thereupon, the 

 bees seal shut the chemically pure, thickened 

 honey. This honey is not digested, as was falsely 

 supposed, by the intermixture of formic acid, 

 which has no connection whatever with the 

 honey-sac, but the honey is found as was before 

 stated, ready formed in the flower. 



This requires, however, a fuller explanation. 



Perhaps it has been noticed by many, that to- 

 wards autumn unlike portions of starch are 

 formed in the plant. Just as soon as the air of 

 spring penetrates into the plants, the starch 

 begins gradually to dissolve into a solution of 

 sugar, and to ascend as well into the newly de- 

 veloped branches as into the developing flowers. 



Probably there is at work in the plant a not 

 well known substance, called Diastase, which 

 being dissolved by the warm spring weather, 

 changes the starch into glucose and sugar. It 

 is well known in the manufacture of sugar from 

 starch, that sulphuric acid and heat will produce 

 the change from starch to sugar. This starch 

 sugar, thus produced, is now a rather common 

 article of commerce, and is much used in adul- 

 terating cane and beet sugar. 



Unripe apples and pears will become blue if 

 they are boiled and brushed with tincture of 

 iodine — a sure sign that they contain starch. 

 Pipe apples will not show this reaction, the 

 starch having disappeared, being changed into 

 sugar. It is here to be noted, that a chemical 

 change takes place whereby the starch is changed 

 to Dextrine and sugar. What was accomplished 

 by heat and sulphuric acid, ishere brought about 

 by the warmth of the plant, and possibly also 

 by the intervention of the substance— diastase. 

 Here, as in the flower, pure grape sugar or pure 

 honey is produced. 



The discovery was long since made, that grains 

 of barley, when germinating, contain sugar, of 

 which fact man has availed himself in making 

 beer. The sugar in the germinated barley being- 

 dissolved by tepid water, is manufactured into 

 beer. During the period of germination, the 

 gluten contained in the grain dissolves ; this 

 forms the substance named diastase, through 

 which, in the same manner, is the starch trans- 

 formed into gum and sugar, just as it was accom- 

 plished with sulphuric acid. 



Steep \ oz. of roughly ground barley malt, 

 which one may readily make himself or obtain 

 from any brewery, in 2 oz. of lukewarm water ; 

 let the mixture stand for some hours in the 

 vicinity of a stove, or in the sun, and then strain 

 it through a piece of linen. The fluid thus ob- 

 tained will contain the dissolved sugar and the 

 before mentioned diastase. A quarter of this, 

 thus obtained malt decotion, is now to be stirred 

 into hot starch paste, prepared from a \ oz. of 

 potato starch, and 2 oz. of water, and heated to 



not over 65° Celtius, until the paste has become 

 a thin fluid and transparent. It should now boil 

 for some time at an increased temperature, strain 

 it through a cloth, and permit it to dry in a warm 

 place. The substance thus obtained is Dextrine, 

 Starchquen, or Gommeline. 



You proceed with the remaining portion of 

 the nialt decotion in the same manner as with 

 the former, only heating it for some hours at a 

 temperature of from 70° to 75° Celcius. Dextrine 

 will first appear, which will change to starch 

 sugar. Through evaporation, starch syrup will 

 be obtained, which, by remaining undisturbed, 

 will become crystallized. 



In the fermenting process, Diastase effects the 

 change. The taste of the malt is sweet and 

 gummy, as soon as the starch of the barley 

 begins to change to Dextrine and sugar, which 

 change is hindered by the drying of the malt. 



If one wishes simply to obtain for feeding his 

 bees, the concentrated extract of malt, which, 

 by the way, contains also in solution gluten, he 

 need go no further ; but ours is a different ques- 

 tion. There is a much easier and cheaper way 

 of arriving at this result. The malt decoction 

 contains in solution grape sugar, which may 

 reftdily be purchased and dissolved in water, 

 when there will result the same sacchrine mass 

 as is obtained from malt, lacking only the small 

 portion of gluten contained in the barley. Is it 

 desirous to introduce some nitrogen, you need 

 but add water filled with the pollen of flowers 

 or honey that has been pressed from the combs. 

 Expressed honey holds in it nitrogenous pollen, 

 and hence the bees can by this means supply 

 themselves with food and also their brood. As to 

 what may be the cost of malt and its transfor- 

 mation into bee-food, it may be remarked that 

 about 3 cwt. of malt costing 15 fl., would not 

 yield more saccharine matter, than 1 cwt. of 

 grape sugar costing 8 fl. 



As before remarked, pure honey will be per- 

 fumed by the essential oils that are produced 

 by the flowers, which grape sugar produced from 

 malt fermentation or other process will want, so 

 that true honey can only be produced under the 

 following conditions : 



1. The grape sugar must be prepared from 

 mucilaginous as well as crystallizable sugar. 



2. This artificial honey must be mixed with 

 some essential oil, so that it yield the aroma of 

 flow r ers. 



As before remarked, that grape sugar or honey 

 has not the same sweetness as cane or beet 

 sugar, so that if the apiary close by a sugar 

 manufactory yields over 6 cwt. pure, little col- 

 ored, and slightly flavored, but very sweet tasted 

 honey, then can it safely said to be no grape 

 sugar or honey, but simply a mixture of grape 

 sugar and cane or beet sugar. Were these sugars 

 chemically analyzed, not the slightest dif- 

 ference would be found. Cane sugar, as before 

 remarked, is known to be composed chemically 

 of (C12, Hio, O12, + HO), and grape sugar of 

 (C12, Hi 2, D12, + 2HO). The sweetness of the 

 materials guarantees cane sugar has remained 

 in the cells. When experts taste this sugary 

 substance, they will not disdain to connect it 

 with crystallized and liquid sugar, and thusren- 



