264 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



glucose, some mannite and very little or no 

 cane sugar. Lowitz was the iirst, in 1792, 

 who found out that the sweet crystalizable 

 matter found in honey was not cane sugar. 

 Proust,in analyzing some candied honey, has 

 shown the identity of this crystali/ahh^ 

 sugar with grape siigar, which he had dis- 

 covered in the fruits— glucose. Guilbert 

 has placed in evidence the presence of a 

 large proportion of uncrystalizable sugar to 

 which he gave tlie name of "sugar of 

 honey." Later, Guibourt has found some 

 mannite in lioney; and more recently Sou- 

 beiran has ha<l recourse to optical analysis 

 to separate the different sugars which are 

 found in honey. M. M. Dubrunfaut, Roders 

 and Calloux have completed by their analy- 

 sis the preceding researclies. Mr. Calloux 

 gives the following as the composition nf 

 field honey: j^lucose, 45.10; uncrystalizable 

 sugar (or niellose), 43.95; water, 7.70; waxy 

 matter, 1.15; nitrogenous and acid matters, 

 2.10— total 100. As honey made on the 

 mountains is a little different, I also give an 

 analysis made of honey taken at 3,G00 feet: 

 glucose and cane sugar included, 55; un- 

 crystalizable sugar or mellose, -30.4; water, 

 8.5; mannite, 1.9; waxy matter, 0.6; nitro- 

 genous and acid matters, 2.6— total 100. 



As we see, by the analysis given above, 

 honey is a mixture in variable proportions, 

 of a certain number of definite organic com- 

 pounds. In its most complete state it con- 

 tains glucose, uncrystalizable sugar— mel- 

 lose, some water, mannite, cane sugar, an 

 acid, a greasy coloring matter, and some ni- 

 trogenous matter which comes from pollen. 

 I think it would be well to give some of the 

 principal properties of some of the bodies 

 which enter into the composition of honey, 

 and win try to explain as much as possible 

 how the transformations take place. First 

 we have glucose which is a crystalizable 

 sugar; it ordinarily presents itself under 

 the form of small, white,compact,agglomer- 

 ated crystals. It is found in grapes and in 

 different fruits. The most economical 

 method of obtaining it is by acting on 

 starch or lignin with diluted sulphuric acid. 

 It is three times less soluble in water than 

 cane sugar, and its solution at equal concen- 

 tration is three times less sweet. 



Mellose or uncrystalized sugar is a liquid 

 sugar which does not crystalize. According 

 to Braconnot the uncrystalizable sugar of 

 nectar is, by its properties, distinct from 

 the uncrystalizable sugar of honey. There- 

 fore it must have undergone an isomeric 

 transformation to produce either mellose or 

 glucose which are found in honey. 



Mannite is a body which is naturally 

 found in manna. As it has been ascertain- 

 ed that mannite is a product of the viscous 

 fermentation of complex saccharine mix- 

 tures, we see that it is not necessary the 

 bees havt' gatliered the natural niannite, 

 hut that it might have formed itself sul)se- 

 quently in honey. Mr. Innnennann has 

 obtained mannite" by combining hydrogen 

 with glucose. I will numtion, nevertheless, 

 that mannite is most generally met with in 

 mountain honey. The presence of a free 

 acid has been ascertained in honey. It is 

 by the inlluence of this acid, supposed to be 

 identical with the acid substance found in 

 the bees, that the transfornuition of cane 

 sugar of nectar into mellose and glucose 

 might hav(! been caused. 



It is an establisbed fact that if a diluted 

 acid is made to act ui)on cane sugar, subse- 

 quently grape sugar is formed. It is natural 



to suppose that an analogous transforma- 

 tion, under the influence of the acid prin- 

 ciple known to exist in the bees, has 

 changed the cane sugar of the nectar into 

 uncrystalizable sugar. It is natural to come 

 to the conclusion that the bees gather the 

 nectar from llowers and tbat this nectar in 

 passing in their body, under the influence 

 of ageiits not well recognized, undergoes a 

 change and comes out in the state of honey. 



We are well aware that the bees takes the 

 nectar from the flowers with its bill and 

 that it is conducted by this organ into the 

 mouth where the tongue pushes it into the 

 a3Sophagus, which in its turn makes it pass 

 into the stomach. When its stomach is full 

 of nectar the bee returns to the hive and 

 disgorges it into the cell. It is supposable 

 that it is during this time that the acid of 

 the bee mixes with the nectar and some of 

 the transformation takes place. We have 

 effectively seen above that the composition 

 of honeyis essentially ditt'erent from that 

 of nectar.' The nectar contains more than 

 half of its sweet matter in a state of cane 

 sugar, while this sugar, when present in 

 honey, is found but in a very small propor- 

 tion. 



In short, glucose don't exist in the nectar 

 and it is found in large proportion in honey. 

 I have fed some bees with a thin syrup 

 made of 25 parts of crushed sugar and 75 

 parts of water, and after it was evaporated 

 and capped by the bees, extracted it, and 

 though it was perfectly neutral when fed, it 

 had "then a slight acid reaction, and con- 

 tained a large proportion of uncrystalizable 

 sugar and could obtain but a very small 

 proportion of crystalized cane sugar. I fed 

 them also with a syrup made of eciual imrts 

 of sugar and water colored with cochineal, 

 and after it was capped, extracted it and it 

 it was very much lighter in color. 



After tlie experiments and the chemical 

 analysis given above, I have no doubt that 

 it will be easily seen that the bees effect a 

 real chemical change to produce honey from 

 the nectar; and this process is one which 

 appertains to animal chemistry,a species of 

 assimilation, elabration and excretion of 

 which we have so many other instances in 

 the cell functions of glanils in the animal 

 economy. 



This is, indeed, the old views, for Lord 

 Bacon says of the bee: '■' Haec indigesti e 

 floribus inella colltgit, deinde in viscerum 

 celhtUfi conooctdlrridt'iirat, iisdem tamdev 

 insii(h(t, donee ad intajram perfcctioneui 

 perdu.voit." Paul L. V"iallon. 



Bayou Goula, La. 



The Best Hive for all Purposes. 



A PAPER llEAD BEFORE THE MISSOURI 

 VALLEY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



"What is the best hive for all purjioses?" 

 In what I shall offer I hoj)e 1 <nay be 

 able to tbrow some light on the otber ques- 

 tion— "the best mode of obtaining box 

 honey." I will try and give you a descrip- 

 tion of the hive that I use, and 1 begin with 

 the frame, which is the most important part 

 of any hive. This frame is here known as 

 the Bingham frame, and is the invention of 

 Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Abronia, Allegan 

 Co., Michigan, and in justice to Mr.. Bing- 

 ham, I must inform your convention that 

 he holds letters patent on this frame. But 

 its advantages are so great that any bee- 



