SUGAR, MOLASSES, CONFECTIONS, AND HONEY. 747 



During the year 1865 I received the idea from a friend that the common darkhoney 

 theu on the market could be much improved by the addition of a large per cent (some- 

 times 75 per cent) of good white sugar. I took the idea up, and after making some 

 experiments I worked up quite a large trade among families by selling from house to 

 house ; in fact I bought all the cheap honey I could find in the neighborhood (Cin- 

 cinnati, Ohio), and finally I had to send East and South for supplies of honey. 

 Where 1 pound was used before I commenced, I afterwards sold 100 pounds, as it was 

 much more palatable. 



After a few years I introduced my goods into several of the larger western cities, 

 and still later on I opened business in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, N. Y. During all 

 this time I handled large quantities of comb honey, giving customers their choice. 



This peddling business was done in wagons, two men to each wagon ; each man 

 selling 50 to 100 pounds per day, 90 per cent of which was the mixed article generally. 



I have met hundreds of persons who could eat the sugared article, but to whom 

 pure honey was almost a rank poison. I suppose it is like strong black coffee, com- 

 pared with a milder decoction, with plenty of cream and sugar. 



About the year 1870 I tried some French and German glucose, using it as a part 

 substitute for sugar, and when good glucose was made in this country I became pa- 

 triotic and used only goods of home manufacture. 



There were two objects in view in the mixing business; one was cheapness, the 

 other was the production of a more popular grade of goods; for it was a fact that if 

 I made the mixture too strong of honey objection was made. 



I have known of many recipes for making imitation honey; one was, slippery elm 

 bark with some sugar, ilavored with one or more of the flavoring extracts; but I 

 never knew of any quantity being sold. 



While honey was an expensive luxury there was a profit in mixing, but now that 

 comb honey at wholesale is worth but 10 to 15 cents and liquid honey 4 to 6 cents per 

 pound, there can be but little profit in mixing. 



I think that the most of the mixing is done in the larger business centers. 



I know of no successful experiment in feeding bees a mixture to be filled into 

 combs ; pure liquid honey is sometimes fed to complete unfinished combs after the 

 flow of honey has ceased in the flowers. 

 Respectfully, 



C. O. PERRINE. 



Prof. H. W. WILEY, 



Washington, D. C. 



NOTES RELATING TO HONEYS OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN AND TO ARTI- 

 FICIAL HONEYS. 



ON THE PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL HONEY.* 



About 1870 the author made the observation that the action of the mineral acids 

 on starch was somewhat different from that of the stronger organic acids. By the 

 action of oxalic acid on wheat, maize, buckwheat, and other cereal starches, he 

 obtained sugary products, which, after two or three weeks standing, were exactly 

 like an old honey in appearance and taste. In order to avoid giving any assistance 

 to adulteration, he refrained from publishing the results of his observations, com- 

 municating them only to a few friends. For some years, however, honey, especially 

 American, has been exposed to the risk of adulteration with the sugar from corn 

 starch. About a year previously, the author obtained information that in North 

 America a maize starch sirup was made and much used as a substitute for honey. 

 A periodical that he had lately read gave a review of the situation of the condition 



* H. Hager, Pharm. Centralhalle, 26, 303 ; Chem. Centralblatt, 1885, 655. 



