THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



323 



the nurse, standing near and stead- 

 t'astlv observina:, is made to say to the 

 youthful monarcli, " Suck, dear, suck ; 

 your father says it is sugar." 



In manufacturing glucose from 

 corn, the process is, first, to separate 

 the starch from the other constitu- 

 ents of the grain, by simple mechani- 

 cal means; and then, secondly, to act 

 upon the starch with dilate sulphuric 

 acid {oil of vitriol). When thick 

 gelatinous starch is boiled foracouple 

 of hours with this acid, a curious 

 transformation takes place ; the milky 

 paste first changes to a tluul as limpid 

 as water, and as the change advances 

 this acquires a sweet taste, which is 

 masked by the presence of the acid. 

 If we now saturate the solution with 

 some eartliy carbonate, marble dust 

 for instance (carbonate of lime), the 

 acid is removed, and a sweet solution 

 remains, which, after purification, 

 may be evaporated to a syrupy liquid, or 

 by still further manipulation converted 

 into a white solid, wliicli is qrape sugar. 

 This is the whole process for making 

 " sugar out of corn," and it is simple 

 enough. In this chemical transfor- 

 mation nothing is absorbed from the 

 air, and no other substances but dex- 

 trine and grape sugar are generated, 

 and the weight of the sugar exceeds 

 that of the starch employed. What is 

 still more wondei'ful, the acid used 

 undergoes neither change nor dimi- 

 nution ; it is all withdrawn in its 

 original amount after the boiling is 

 completed. If it could be withdrawn 

 in its clear, iincombined state, one 

 carboy of oil of vitrol would serve to 

 change all the corn grown in the 

 United States into grape sugar. 

 Theoretically, one pound of corn 

 ought to make a pound of solid glu- 

 cose, but in practice it does not quite 

 do tins. The cost of solid glucose to 

 large manufacturers cannot exceed 

 three cents a pound, and it may fall 

 considerably below this. 



Nothing can be more paradoxical to 

 the popular reader than the state- 

 ment that sugar is produced by the 

 use of one of the most powerful 

 mineral acids known to chemists. To 

 explain clearly and fully the chemis- 

 try of the reactions involved in the 

 process would require more space 

 than we have at command ; and also, 

 to understand the nature of the 

 changes, more scientific knowledge 

 would be required than is possessed 

 by ordinary readers. 



Glucose is a cheap! imperfect sub- 

 stitute for the genuine sugar of com- 

 merce. It is not a poison when well 

 made, and, as regards its healthful- 

 ness, it may not be much more dele- 

 terious than ordinary cane sugar. 

 Still, it does produce and aggravate 

 dyspeptic symptoms, and by its prone- 

 n'ess to set up fermentative processes 

 its use ciiusesflatnlency and painful af- 

 fections of the bowels. 



What becomes of the millions of 

 pounds of glucose manufactured in 

 the Western States every month ? 

 It is used mostly as an adulterant in 

 the manufacture of table syrups, and 

 in adulterating the dark, uioist sugars 

 used largely by the poor. Its next 

 largest use is in the manufacture of 

 candies. All soft caiulies, waxes. 



tallies, caramels, cliocolates, etc., are 

 made of glucose. Children are there- 

 fore large consumers of this sub- 

 stance ; the honey bees, also, are fond 

 of it, and will carry it away by the ton, 

 if placed within their reach. The 

 honey made from it is«o better than the 

 pure glucose, as it is stowed away in 

 the comb without ch.ange. 



A mixture of true " sugar-house " 

 syrup with glucose syrup, in propor- 

 tions of five or ten per cent, of the 

 former, to ninety or ninety-five per 

 cent of the latter, constitutes the higli- 

 priced " maple drip " of the grocers. 

 A Western cliemist reports the re- 

 sults of recent analyses in which 

 adulterations amounting to from five 

 to- fifteen per cent, of glucose were 

 found in various popular brands of 

 sugars. 



In this brief consideration of the 

 nature and uses of a comparatively 

 new article of manufacture, the 

 astonishing fact is disclosed that this 

 year more than twelve million bushels 

 of corn have been manipulated to pro 

 duce an article employed almost ex- 

 clusively as an adulterant to one of 

 the most common and important con- 

 stituents of food. It is a reprehensi- 

 ble form of fraud, and should be 

 arrested by laws similar to those 

 which govern the sale of" oleomargar- 

 ine " compounds. Every package of 

 this sugar should be stamped glucose, 

 and sold as such ; and every mixture 

 made with it should be accompanied 

 with a statement, stamped upon the 

 vessels which hold it, giving the ex- 

 act percentage of glucose contained 

 in the adulterated sugar or syrup. A 

 law similar to that which is found on 

 our statute books regulating the sale 

 of fertilizing compounds would be 

 effective, if energetically enforced. 

 The loss to purchasers in the glucose 

 syrups is enormous as the q\iantity re- 

 quired to sweeten substances is at 

 least twice as great as when cane 

 sugar is employed, and the use of this 

 quantity of the agent renders it dele- 

 terious to health. The attractive ap- 

 pearance of the syrups, which are 

 white and clear, gives them a wide 

 sale at high prices, and all consumers 

 of sweets in the connti'y are victims 

 io a ferrm of fraud which deserves the 

 prompt attention of our law-makers. 



Because of its scientific and historic 

 character, the foregoing article will 

 be read with interest, and although 

 Dr. Nichols may disagree with the 

 Bee Journal in some points, still 

 we do not differ as to the effects pro- 

 duced on the human stomach by its 

 constant use. He states most posi- 

 tively tliat " it does produce and ag- 

 gravate dyspeptic sytnptoms,"' and 

 causes "flatulency and painful affec- 

 tions of the bowels ;" that it is " dele- 

 teriou to health," and tliat consum- 

 ers of sweets are " victims to a form 

 of fraud which deserves the prompt 

 attention of our law-makers," and 

 that it " should be arrested by law." 



As to the difference between glu- 



cose and grape sugar, Dr. Nichols 

 says that glucose isa" syrupy liquid;" 

 by " further manipulation " it may be 

 "converted into a white solid, which 

 is grape sugar;" the only distinction 

 being that one is a "syrupy liquid " 

 and the other a "white solid," both be- 

 ing made from the same material in 

 precisely the same manner. It will be 

 readily seen that the assertion made 

 by Mr. A. I. Root in Gleanings for 

 December. 1881, page 619, that " grape 

 sugar and glucose are two distinctly 

 different articles," is but a creation 

 of his fancy, to evade the force of the 

 argument against the use of glucose, 

 when he was defending the use of 

 grape sugar for feeding bees. 



1^ Should any of our patrons be 

 suffering from disease and wish to 

 obtain rest and quietude, as well as 

 experience the remedial effects of 

 mineral waters, they may be glad to 

 know that " Jordan's White Sulphur 

 Springs " is one of the most beneficial 

 and pleasantly located of its class, 

 but the attraction to bee-keepers 

 would be the fact that the proprietor, 

 Mr. E. C. Jordan, is an enthusiastic 

 bee-culturist, and has an extensive 

 apiary there, which supplies in abun- 

 dance the tables of that institution. 

 His new descriptive circular of 24 

 pages is on our desk, and a copy wili 

 be sent free to any one desiring it. 

 Address E. C. Jordan, Stephenson's 

 Depot, Frederick County, Va. 



i^Last week a correspondent ad- 

 dressed a letter to us in this manner 

 "A. B. J. Chicago, 111." After wan- 

 dering around, it finally came to us to 

 know if it was intended for the Bee 

 Journal. It caused several day's 

 delay and made much trouble to the 

 postofHce employes— as there are nine 

 postoffices in the city of Chicago. If 

 any one wants to be brief address 

 thus, "Bee Journal, Chicago, 111.," 

 — but please don't try to puzzle the 

 postoflice clerks, and risk the safety 

 of a letter by using what may be to 

 them cabalistic signs or meaningless 

 initials. 



i^It is with much gratification we 

 call attention to the resolution adopted 

 by the N. W. Illinois and S. W. Wis- 

 consin Convention, which will be 

 found on page 330. If all Conventions 

 would pursue a similar course, it 

 would do much to strengthen the 

 hands of those who are fighting the 

 adulteration swindlers, and remove 

 the prejudice against extracted honey. 



