66 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Method for Granulating Glucose. 



Throngli a recent extract from tlie 

 Philadelphia Dispatch, published in 

 ttie Chautauqua (N. Y.) Fanner, and 

 forwarded to us by Mr. William Boil- 

 ing, we learn a company is now be- 

 ing organized in Philadelpliia for the 

 manufacture of Glucose from cassava 

 or manioc plant, which grows luxuri- 

 antly In our most Southern States, in 

 Mexico, Cuba, and, in fact, in all trop- 

 ical and semi-tropical countries. The 

 roots or tubes of the plant are used. 

 From the best authorities we learn 

 " the juices of the root are poisonous, 

 but by treatment with pressure, heat 

 and water, the poisonous qualities are 

 removed, and the root yields a starchy 

 substance called cassava, whicli is 

 much employed as food. Tapioca is 

 purified cassava." It is also used in 

 making a fermented and liiglily intoxi- 

 cating liquor. Since Glucose pro- 

 duction has reached the enormous 

 amount of 200,000 tons annually, in 

 this country alone, the manufacturers 

 have left no means untried to discover 

 a substitue for corn, which has so ad- 

 vanced in price, owing to droutli and 

 other causes, as to make glucose a 

 trifle less profitable. The prospectus 

 of the company now being formed to 

 make glucose gives some comparisons 

 as to the cost of raising corn and cas- 

 sava. "The average production of 

 corn in the States of Pennsylvania, 

 New York, Ohio, Micliigan and Illi- 

 nois is 35 bushels to the acre. Tlie 

 amount of glucose produced from one 

 bushel is 30 pounds or 1,050 pounds to 

 the acre. Well autlienticated evi- 

 dence is at hand to the effect that 20 

 tons of cassava to the acre is no un- 

 usual crop in Florida. This, at 56 

 pounds to the bushel, would give a 

 yield of over 700 bushels per acre, or 

 at the rate of 30 poimds of glucose per 

 bushel, would produce over 21,000 

 pounds of glucose per acre. A com- 

 parison of the yield of glucose from 

 corn and cassava shows that 1 ,000 acres 

 of corn yields about 500 tons of glu- 

 cose ; 1,000 acres of cassava yields 

 about 10,000 tons of glucose." 



Heretofore we have felt tolerably 

 safe in the selection of our table 

 sugars, as the coffee A and graulated 

 grades were regarded as quite pure, 

 owing to the supposed impracticability 

 of granulating the glucose products; 

 but all this security lias been removed 

 by the reference made by Dr. Kellogg, 

 in the Michigan State Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention, to the feasibility of gran- 

 ulating glucose as perfectly as cane 



sugar can be done, and which is con- 

 firmed (if confirmation was required) 

 by the following startling publication 

 in the Chicago Tribune, giving the 

 meager details of a discovery to re- 

 move from us our only dependence in 

 sugars and their purity : 



Dr. William Robinson, of this city, 

 has discovered a process for convert- 

 ing glucose, or grape sugar, into the 

 pulverized, granulated, or loaf forms 

 — a proces.s which, judged from the 

 work it does, is apt to play an im- 

 portant part in the refining of this 

 class of sugars. The Doctor's secret 

 combines both chemical and mechan- 

 ical action for the removal of the 

 gum, acids, and all otlier iminirities 

 from the lump of crude sugar and the 

 transfoi'mation of the purified article 

 into either the granulated, pulverized, 

 or loaf form. Dr. Robinson showed 

 several samples of the crude and tlie 

 purified sugar to a Trib\nic. reporter 

 yesterday, and the results accom- 

 plished by his process were something 

 wonderful. The crude sugar itself 

 comes in hard lumps of various sizes, 

 slightly yellow as to color, and de- 

 cidedly "waxy" as to touch. After 

 undergoing the purifying process, it 

 is perfectly white, dissolves readily in 

 water, and is about half as sweet as 

 cane sugar, the rank taste of the crude 

 product having been entirely removed. 

 The purified sugar can be readily 

 mixed with the cane, but, whether 

 alone or mixed, makes a very palata- 

 ble article. 



The Doctor claims that he can con- 

 vert crude grape sugar into the re- 

 fined article, either granulated or pul- 

 verized, at a cost not to exceed a quar- 

 ter of a cent per pound. When tluis 

 converted and purified, he claims that 

 it will not cost four cents a pound at 

 wholesale, wliicli is considerably less 

 than the wholesale price of other 

 sugars. He has demonstrated that it 

 is as feasible to convert 100 barrels a 

 day as it is to convert half a pound at 

 a time, though his experiments as yet 

 have not proceeded upon a large scale. 

 It is understood that two or three 

 heavy glucose manufacturers, im- 

 pressed with tlie importance of a pro- 

 cess which promises to do so much 

 for the future of grape sugar, have 

 offered to furnish tlie necessary capi- 

 tal to refine the crude product on a 

 large scale, while others are reported 

 to be anxious to buy tlie secret out- 

 right. 



Thus it will be seen, an almost il- 

 limitable field is opened up for the 

 production of inferior sweets indis- 

 tinguishable from the wholesome and 

 genuine article, except as our sense of 

 taste may prefer the better and reject 

 the poorer. Without the intervention 

 of legislative action on the part of 

 Congress, a sample of genuine cane 

 sugar will become as rare in our 

 grocery stores and on our breakfast 

 tables as Guinea gold now is in the 

 jewelers'. As regards the detection 

 of the inferior or artificial article by 



chemical means, It is wholly impracti- 

 cable, as every infallible means so far 

 published reqi ires an e\'pert,and much 

 experience and comparison to arrive 

 at a correct and definite conclusion. 



However, disguise their manufac- 

 tured products as they may, and call 

 them wliat they please, they are all 

 much inferior to the genuine article- 

 they are intended to counterfeit. Dr. 

 Robinson, it will be seen, admits his 

 granulated glucose is only half as- 

 sweet as the cane product, and per- 

 haps that estimate will be considerably 

 discounted when all the facts are- 

 known. 



In view of the various devices re- 

 sorted to by unprincipled persons to 

 counterfeit sugars, syrups', etc., it is a 

 consolation to know that, instead of 

 the outlook being dark and gloomy 

 for bee-keepers, the reverse is true. 

 Honey is steadily and surely becoming 

 a greater favorite witii the public, and 

 where properly put up, and ordinary 

 diligence is used in marketing it, 

 ready sales can be made at remuner- 

 ative prices, and speedy returns re- 

 ceived ; and finally, when pure cane 

 sweets shall have been exiled from our 

 markets, the enterprising bee-keeper 

 will have a market at his door for 

 what he can spare from the neighbor- 

 hood demand, because there will still 

 be consumers in abundance for natu- 

 ral sweets— and what can be sweeter 

 than honey y 



The Apiary Register. 



We have nov? filled all the orders for 

 the Apiary Register, after vexing de- 

 lays in the Bindery, and hope all will 

 be pleased with them. The following 

 are some of the opinions of those who 

 have received and examined them : 



The Apiary Register is received, 

 and, to my mind, it just fills the bill. 

 I am sure that to all who wish to keep 

 an accurate apiary record, it will be 

 invaluable. On Nov. 24, 1 put in the 

 cellar under lime cushions 50 colonies. 

 They are in fine condition, so far. 



A. J. Hatfield. 



South Bend, Ind., Jan. 23, 1882. 



I received the Apiary Register ; am 

 much pleased with it ; it is just what 

 every bee-keeper needs. 



M. SORRICK. 



Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 24, 1882. 



The Apiary Register is at hand and 

 will supply a long-felt want. It will 

 save a great deal of labor, as you can 

 sit in your office ;ind look over your 

 Register, and plan out your W(nk. 

 You can see what colonies are likely 

 to need attention, and will not have 

 to trust to memory. 



L. C. Whiting. 



East Saginaw, Mich., Jan. 21, 1882. 



