434 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



OTHER SOURCES OF HONEY. 



The apis mellifica is not the only insect that secretes honey. There is an ant 

 in Mexico which produces a honey of great purity. This insect is known to en- 

 tomologists by the name Myrmecocystus Mezicanus. This honey is of an acid reac- 

 tion, and this has the chemical properties of formic acid, doubtless derived from 

 the ants themselves. Like most sugar substances it is used for the fabrication of 

 an alcoholic beverage which the Mexicans make from it in considerable quantities. 



The honey furnished by a species of wasp, Polybia apicipennis, found in Cen- 

 tral America, is said to contain large quantities of cane sugar, which is often found 

 in beautiful crystals. 



ETHIOPIAN HONEY. 



There is found in Ethiopia, in subterranean cavities, a honey made without wax 

 by an insect resembling a large mosquito. The name of this honey in the native 

 language is tazena. The natives use it as a cure for diphtheria. M. Bertholet, the 

 renowned French chemist, has analyzed this honey, with the following results : 



Water 25.5 per cent. 



Dextrose and levulose 32. " 



Mannite ' 3. " 



Dextrine 27.9 " 



Ash 2.5 " 



Undetermined 9.1 " 



"^ 100.0 



In general, the compositon of this honey resembles that of the manna of Sinai 

 and Kurdiston. It is, however, distinguished from these substances by the entire 

 absence of cane sugar. 



QUANTITY OF SUGAR IN A FLOWER. 



Flowers of different plants vary greatly in the quantity of sugar which they 

 contain. 



The lowest observed quantity of sugar in a single flower has been in that of the 

 Clayionia Almoides, viz.: .413 milligramme. The highest has been found in some 

 kind of peas, viz.: 9.93 mg. The bee, therefore, must extract the sugar from 200,- 

 000 to 500,000 flowers in order to obtain a kilogramme of honey. 



In most flowers a little cane sngar is found ; indeed in some kinds of fuchsia 

 this variety is in excess. Since, at most only small quantities of cane sugar are 

 found in honey, it follows that this substance is changed into invert sugar in pass- 

 ing through the organism of the bee. 



ADULTERATION OF HONEY. 



The traveler in Switzerland is struck with two remarkable facts, viz.: the 

 abundance of honey and the absence of bees. This would not be so curious were 

 it not for the fact that all this honey is said to be indigenous. Subjected to chem- 



