82 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



siTffar, which tmnis the composition of sugar 

 ir €,12, II. 11, O. 11. 



€4.ueosE.— Glucose or grape sugar may 

 le obtained in various ways, but is princi- 

 pally, from grajies by tlie French and is foinid 

 sn eo'nMue^r^e m tlie liquid and solid state. 

 The liquid has a taste very simihir to that 

 8f lioiiey whicli has been candled and the 

 solid or grape sugar has the appearance and 

 ias-te of candied honey, and m very cold 

 !veather is dirticult of detection, except tiie 

 sugar Ix! more dry, and of a taste more like 

 that of fruits, but if the honey be priiicipally 

 i'roin fruits in September and then cau- 

 *lied, the distinction is scarcely noticeable. 

 jLike honey.'Ql" cane sugar it is susceptible 

 of being cry^talized or granulated, lloney 

 contains one part in foiu' of glucose, cane 

 sugar (as obtayjed from the juice) three parts 

 in ten. GiucSse may be obtained from hon- 

 ey by placing crystalized honey on a por- 

 ous tile, dissolving what remains on the 

 surface with cold alcohol and crystalizing. 

 It is obtained from concentrated syrup, and 

 5s in the form of crystaline grains, but crys- 

 ialized from alcoholic solution it has the 

 shape of square tables or cubes. 



It is less sweet than cane sugar or honey. 

 It is also less soluable in water and much 

 move soluable in alcohol, its sp: gr: 1.38(). 



Strong mineral acids hardly act on grape 

 sugar, but destroy cane sugar with facility. 

 On the other hand alkalies destroy grape 

 .sugar and form compounds with cane sugar. 

 See cane sugar in this article for further 

 tesi^ for glucose. 



Tlie composition of glucose is C. 12, H. 13, 

 O. 12. 



Therefore, any intelligent reader will soon 

 see that Mr. Dadant's test is not at all to be 

 depended u])on, even if the honey be can- 

 died. Dk. W. B. Rush. 



ivimpson's Store, Pa. 



KDrth-Eistsra B. K. AssDciatiDn. 



The fifth annual meeting of this Asso- 

 ciation was held at the Butterfield House, 

 mica, N. Y., Feb. 3d and 4lh, 1875, 

 President Quiuby in the chair. 



The minutes of the hist annual conven- 

 lion were read by Secretary Nellis, and 

 approved. 



The chair was then tilled by Vice- 

 President Alexander, of Camden. Mr. 

 Quinby having temporarily retired. 



A report was received and approved 

 from the treasurer, Capt. Hetherington. 

 Some time was then devoted to the enroll- 

 ment of members. 



A brief opening address was delivered 

 by President (Quinby. The speuker al- 

 luded to the i)rospects for the i>resent 

 aieeting. He suggested in particular the 

 education of the people to do away with 

 the popular and foolish fear of being 

 »tung by the insects. The president 

 spake of the newly-found method of 

 adulterating honey, and suggested that 

 each honey producer place a distinctive 

 aiark upon his i)roduct which would bear 

 Rssurauce of its genuineness. 



The election of officers was next in the 

 order of business, and an informal ballot 

 was taken for president. A unanimous 

 vote was given to Mr. Quinby. 



He declined' to again hold the office, 

 however, and upon motion, the election 

 of officers was deferred and the corres- 

 pondence of the Association was read. 



The first essay presented to the conven- 

 tion was written by Prof. A. J. Cook, of 

 Lansing Agricultural College, Michigan. 

 It was read by Secy. Nellis, as follows : 



INSECT RESPIRATION AND BEE-CULTURE. 



It is a curious fact, often wondered at, that 

 no two human faces, nay more, no two blades 

 of grass are exactly alike. Nor is it less won- 

 derful that each class of the various branches 

 of the animal kingdom, has its own peculiar 

 methods of developing structure which im- 

 plies peculiar organs, with special arrange- 

 ment and adaption. Hence in the articulate 

 branch, we find that the insect class, includ- 

 ing the mj'riapods (thousand-leirged worms); 

 arachnids (spiders), and the higher six-legged 

 insects possess a peculiar breathing appara- 

 tus. They, unlike those higher animals, 

 whose physiology is more familiar to us. do 

 not have a common mouth for the reception 

 of both food and air, nor yet specialized lungs, 

 where air and blood come in near contact, 

 that the latter may be purified. But in this 

 class there are always more than one, often 

 several breathing niouths, which are always 

 situated along the sides of the body. These 

 breathing mouths are plainly visable in the 

 so-called tomato worm, the larva of the toma- 

 to moth, which openings looking like period* 

 along the sides of the insect, must be familiar 

 to you .all, though you may never have 

 know their function. 



The breathing mouths may be seen by 

 close examination along the sides of the 

 larvae of bees, and even in the mature bee, 

 the larger spiracles under the wings upon the 

 side of tlie thorax, may be discovered b.y a 

 little care in scraping ott'the hairs. As in the 

 human nose there are hairs, to intercept the 

 dust particles, so too these insect spiracles are 

 not without even a more complicated ar- 

 rangement, consisting of a sort of double 

 value to etTect the same end. These spiracles 

 or breathing mouths connect with two long 

 tubes, running either side of the body, whicli 

 in rapid flying insects, as our bees, often ex- 

 pand into very large vesicles, whose supposed 

 function is to permit a decrease in the spe- 

 cific gravity of the insect which is efl'ecled by 

 Jilling the.se vesicles with air. 



These lateral tubes branch intoanindefi- 

 nate numl)er of lesser tubes which ramify to 

 every part of the. insect. Those tubes or 

 trachea', as they are technically called, are 

 composed of a spiral thread, and as micros- 

 copic preparations are very beautiful, looking 

 as if a gold thread had been wound closely 

 around ditJerent sized wires, after which the 

 wires were withdravvn. The number of these 

 tubes is marvelous, and I am sure that I show 

 my classes in entomology, no mi roscopic 

 specimen which interests them more than a 

 prejiaration of these tracheie which I took 

 from a bee. The specimen not larger than a 

 .')Ct. silver piece, with a power of two hundred 

 diameters, shows innumerable tubes, seem- 

 ing to form a most intricate net-work. These 

 minute air tubes exteiul to every part from 

 the tip of the ar.tennie to the verv poripnery 

 of the legs and wings. Thus these air tubes, 

 which are analagous with the lungs of our 

 higher animals instead of bein; localized, or 

 confined to a special part, extend everywhere, 

 hence the blood in insects needs not to con- 

 vey the oxygen of the air t<) the various 

 tissues as in hi^jlier animal.t, for the oxygen is 



