BEE PRODUCTS. 



79 



ANALYSES OF VARIOUS KINDS OF HONEY. 



By DR. E. C. FRANKLIN and J. C. SWAYZE, Department Organic Chemistry, 



University of Kansas. 



The above samples are all pure, as is shown by the different exam- 

 inations. Pure honey consists of reducing sugars (d-glucose and 

 d-frnctose ) and non-reducing sugar ( sucrose.) Pure honey turns the 

 plane of polarized light to the left, generally less than twenty divi- 

 sions. An excess of this might indicate adulteration with invert 

 sugar. This adulteration can be detected with certainty only when 

 large quantities have been added. The sample of knotweed honey may 

 have a slight excess of invert sugar. 



Dextro rotation may signify either an adulteration of glucose or a 

 normal amount of sucrose. By inverting the sucrose, the presence of 

 glucose is proven, if it is still dextro rotatory. As none of the samples 

 analyzed were dextro rotatory, there was no adulteration with glucose. 



The sucrose found is in accordance with that of pure honey. It is 

 determined by polarization before and after inverting. It is also de- 

 termined by the Fehling method. The amount of reducing sugar is 

 determined, the sucrose is then inverted, another titration is made, and 

 the sucrose found by difference. We find that this method gives 

 slightly lower results than the polariscope method. 



The water and ash are normal. From the results, it would seem 

 that a little dust had settled in the basswood honey and had increased 

 the percentage of ash. 



COMB BUILDING. The architecture of the hive furnishes interesting 

 study for the artisan as well as the apiarist. Contrary to supposition, 

 however, comb is not constructed with geometric calculation. Cells are 

 made of various sizes and shapes from the wax secreted. The store 

 or honey cells are some what irregular and frequently deeper than 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IV. Shades in various kinds of honey: 1, bass- 

 wood; #, knotweed; <?, white clover; 4, alfalfa; 5, sweet clover; 6, alfalfa and 

 melon bloom. 



