36 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Test for Purity in Honey. 



Mr. W. K. Williams, Buffalo, N. 

 Y., asks us to give in the Bee .Jour- 

 nal a test for pure honey. We have 

 several times given tests, but it is 

 well to repeat them. The following is 

 the test in common use in chemical 

 laboratories for detecting glucose in 

 honey, as given by Prof. W. C. Pres- 

 ton, of the State University, Iowa 

 City, Iowa, who remarks as follows : 



Having noticed in your excellent 

 Bee Journal an inquiry for some 

 simple method of detecting glucose, 

 allow me to give your readers the test 

 in common use in chemical labora- 

 tories. 



The test is suftlciently simple, and 

 at the same time very delicate— and 

 may, I think, be stated so plainly that 

 the non-professional reader will tind 

 no difficulty in its practical applica- 

 tion. It is based on the fact that if to 

 a boiling alkaline solution of blue 

 vitriol, a solution containing glucose 

 be added, a red precipitate of cuprous 

 oxide be immediately thrown down ; 

 while cane sugar will give the red pre- 

 cipitate only after protracted boiling. 

 It will be necessary to prepare the 

 following solutions, which may lie 

 bottled up and kept for use as re- 

 quired : . , ,. 



1. One-half ounce blue vitriol dis- 

 solved in one pint of rain water. 



2. Three ounces caustic potassa dis- 

 solved in one pint of rain water. 



Also procure a test tube about 6 

 inches long, such as may be found at 

 almost any drug store. Pour into tins 

 tube about a tablespoonful of the blue 

 vitriol solution, and add about an 

 eqiial amount of the solution of potassa 

 —a light blue precipitate will be 

 formed— now add a small quantity of 

 the sweet substance to be tested (it is 

 better to be in solution), and heat to 

 boiling. If even a trace of glucose is 

 present, it will be revealed by the red- 

 dish tmt immediately imparted to the 

 liquor, best seen bv looking down 

 through the tube lengthwise. If there 

 is much glucose, a red precipitate will 

 sink to the bottom of the tube. 



It may be well to add that this test 

 does not enable us to detect the adul- 

 teration of honev by manufactured 

 glucose, inasmuch as all honey con- 

 tains a large percentage of the same 

 saccharriue substance— but pure, as 

 formed in Nature's laboratory— the 

 nectaries of flowers. 



^" We have received "Landreth's 

 Companion for the Garden and Farm," 

 which is the Seed Catalogue of D. 

 Landreth & Sons, Philadelphia, for 

 the one-hundiedth year. It is splen- 

 didly illustrated and handsomely 

 printed. Price 10 cents. 



^' " One Thousand and One Rid- 

 dles," by Kellie Greenway, is on our 

 desk. It is published by J. S. Ogilvie 

 & Co., 31 Rose Street, New York. 

 Price 15 cents. 



Some Conundrums. 



A correspondent sends us these con- 

 undrums for bee-keepers. They "will 

 pass in a crowd, if the crowd is large 

 enough," as is sometimes said of ordi- 

 nary jokes : 



Why is a colony of bees like the 

 Bible V Because there is so much in 

 it that we should practice before we 

 preach. 



Why are bee-keepers' reports like a 

 load of potatoes, hauled over a rough 

 road y Because only the large ones 

 work to the top. 



W^hy is a bee-keeper like a congress- 

 man V Because lie gets his pay by his 

 colonies' labor. 



How Far will Bees Go for Honey 1 



The London Journal of Horticulture 

 answers the question thus : 



This is a question that has been ad- 

 dressed to us by a gardner, who states 

 that bees find their way into his peach 

 house every year, and he knows of no 

 liives nearer than one and a half mile. 

 On this subject Mr. Pettigrew has a 

 short chapter in his " Handy Book of 

 Bees," which we cite : " This ques- 

 tion we camiot answer with accuracy. 

 Our experience in this matter goes 

 dead against the wonderful stories 

 that are told in some books. We read 

 of bees flying -1, 7 and 12 miles for 

 food ! Our bees will perish and die 

 for want of food within three miles of 

 good pasture. Our bees here never 

 find the hundreds of acres of Heather 

 wliich cover Carrington Moss within 

 three miles of them. In flue sunshiny 

 ■p'eatlier bees go farther from home 

 than they do in dark cloudy weather. 

 But even in the best and brightest of 

 weather in June and July, very few, 

 if any, find their way home to their 

 old stand if removed three miles off. 

 Moreover, the return of some bees 

 does not prove that they travel three 

 miles in search of food. It proves 

 that some of them go a little more 

 than one mile and alialf from home, 

 and finding themselves on Itnown pas- 

 tures within one mile and a halt of 

 the old place, they return tliither, 

 fogetting, as it were, where they last 

 came from. I am, therefore, of opin- 

 ion that very few bees go more than 

 two miles for food. It is very desir- 

 able to have bees near tlie pasture on 

 which they work. Short journeys are 

 not only a saving of labor to bees, Init 

 also a protection of their lives. When 

 compelled to fly far for honey they are 

 often caught by showers and de- 

 stroyed. In warm genial weather, 

 with a superaliundance of honey in 

 flowers, bees will have it. They go 

 beyond the bounds of safety for it. 

 Gentle showers do not stop out-door 

 laborers. Black clouds often send 

 them hurriedly home ; but they are 

 frequently caught, and die on the 

 altar of their industry. Hives con- 

 taining 8 pounds and 10 pounds of 

 bees have lost two-thirds of their 

 ranks by sudden showers in warm 

 honey weather. Bees driven to the 



earth by showers do not die at once. 

 If the following day be warm and 

 fair the rays of the sun sometimes 

 reanimate these storm-beaten crea- 

 tures, and enable them to return to 

 their hives." 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAL. { 



Monday, 10 ft. m.. Jan. 14, 1884 ( 



The following are the latest quota- 

 tions for honey and beeswax received 

 up to this hour : 



CINCINNATI. 



HONEY-Thereisno excitement In the honey 

 market. The demand for extracted honey is im- 



fruvinp, hut supplies beinglarKe. prices lieepdown. 

 t brinna Ttoioc. i)n arrival. Arrivals of coinblmney 

 and demand fur it, are in fair proportion. A choice 

 article in H lb. sections brings liuc. per lb. from 

 store, and Hi@l.Sc. on arrival. 

 BBESWAX-Scarce; brings 28®32c. on arrival. 



CHAS. F. MUTH. 

 NEW rOUK. 



HONEY— White clover and basawood in 1 and •> 

 lb. sections, l7(&'22c. Dark and second quality, 

 146il.'ic. ; extracted white clover in kegs and bar- 

 rels, 9is'^ioc.; dark, 8(r^Eic. 



BEESWAX— Prime yellow,-27®29 c. 



H.K. & F.B THURBER & Co. 



CHICAGO. 



HONKY-Goes otT slowly, and prices arelowerttn 

 sections that are imperfectly tilled. The demiind 

 seems to be chietly for lots that are fancy in ap- 

 pearance, and in every way perfect sales are njiuie 

 of 1 lb. sections at i.">feaic.: l!-i(5i; lb. sections, Hiai 

 18c.; dark and mixed In color, very slow, at about 

 12(g*l3c. Extracted honey steady, but limited de- 

 mand: prices ranee from 7(giluc. per lb. 



BEESW\X-8carce, at i;8(»;»c., according to 

 color and cleanliness. 



R. A. BURNETT, Ifil South Water Si. 



KANSAS CITY, MO. 



HONEY— The extreme cold weather of the pnst 

 week h.is put a check on the movements of honey, 

 both in and out, and some slight concessions made 

 in prices. Extra choice, 1 and 1! lb. sections, !7t0 

 l."<c; dark and irregular, 15@uic. Sales for the week 

 about :>.oi«i lbs; receipts :j,(itHj. Extracted slow; 

 sales about 2,:')0<i lbs., atsfeSHc; receipts light. 



JEKO.ME TWICHELL, 514 Walnut Street. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



HONEY— Fancy comb is scarce, and prices for 

 the same are Hrm, but offerings of other descrip- 

 tions receive little or noattention. White to extra 

 white cumb, 13('<--0c: dark to good, 9(§illc; extrac- 

 ted, choice to extra white. Gifl.7>4c; dark and cand- 

 ied, .5(<^— 



BEESWAX— Wholesale, 27HO30C. 



STEARNS & 8.UITH, i2'6 Front Street. 



8T. LOUIS. 



UONEY— In fair demand. Comb, 13®18e.; 

 strained and extracted, 7(<i8c. 

 BKESWA.X— Firmer, at 30(3j:ilc. 



W. T. ANPEKSON i Co.. 104 N. 3d Street. 



CLEVELAND. 



HONEY— Honey continues in excellent demand, 

 as reported last; every lot of choice white comb 

 is taken up as fast as it comes at I8c. in quantity 

 for I lb. sections, and an occasional sale at ly; in 

 a very few instances only, 20c. has been reached. 

 Broken lots and second quality is very alow sale. 

 For extracted there is no demand. 



BEESWAX— Is eagerly Inquired for at 28@3oc., 

 but none to supply the demand. 



A. C. KENUEL, 115 Ontario Street, 



BOSTON. 



HONEY— Our market is rather dull, and supply 

 more than exceeds the demand: would not advise 

 shipments to this market. 2 lb. comb, 16@18c. ; 1 lb. 

 comb, I8(ii20c.; extracted, 8(j/J10c. 



BBBSWAX-326135C. 



BLAKE & RIPLET, 57 Chatham Street. 



1^ A meeting of bee-keepers will 

 be held at the residence of W. Cossens, 

 Monee, Will Co., Ills., on Monday, 

 Jan. 28, 1884. All friends of improved 

 management of the apiary, are invi- 

 ted to attend. 



A. WiCHBKTS, I 



W. Cossens, 



B. He YEN, 



> Committee. 



