60 



SEVENTH ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE 



et. It is, however, generally labeled 

 in conformity with National require- 

 ments, stating the per cents of the 

 mixtures, whether it be cane sugar or 

 glucose. But that form of adulteration 

 lias probably grown in the last few 

 years; that is, the labeled mixtures, not 

 the adulteration. It is probably due to 

 the higher price of honey and foods in 

 general. We find quite a good deal of 

 mixed honey on the grocery shelves. 

 They can not be any very great detri- 

 ment to the buyer who will buy pure 

 honey in preference to mixtures if he 

 knows what he is buying. 



I suppose j^ou all noticed the reports 

 of the convention in Prance where they 

 spoke of a mixture of invert sugar with 

 honey, and said that that article would 

 enjoy a wide sale, and claimed that it 

 is already being produced in the old 

 country. That is, of course, an ideal 

 form of adulteration. It is a form of 

 adulteration that is going to be hard 

 indeed for the chemist to detect. Honey 

 is largely invert sugar, and if the 

 adulteration is made of invert sugar, 

 and flavored with honey, it will be very 

 hard to detect. This applies to ex- 

 tracted honey. I know of no way to 

 adulterate comib honey. I don't know 

 that people have attempted to adul- 

 terate comb honey, but I would not 

 like to say so off-hand. Whether it is 

 profitable or not, I don't know. 



This invert sugar, however, could 

 be used only in extracted honey, and 

 no one need fear to purchase of comb 

 honey lest it will be adulterated in 

 that way. I don't know of any adulter- 

 ation of honey with invert sugar at 

 present. AS long ago as 1887, Dr. 

 Wiley, of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, got out a bul- 

 letin on honey, and mentioned sev- 

 eral samples of honey which he said 

 he thought were adulterated with in- 

 vert sugar, and put them in a sus- 

 picious class. Mr. A. I. Root was well 

 acquainted with one of the samples, 

 and was certain that it was not adul- 

 terated with invert sugar. The invert 

 sugar can be made in two ways. First, 

 by inverting the sugar with acid; and 

 also by inverting the sugar by mixing 

 with a ferment, or invertose. A very 

 small amount of invertose will work 

 very rapidly. Perhaps it will be used 

 to adulterate extracted honey. 



Crop Report for 1907. 



"What is your crop report for 1907?' 

 Dr. Bohrer: I had no crop. 



Pres. York: How many didn't get 

 any crop this year? (6.) 



Dr. Bohrer: While we used the ex- 

 tractor and got some honey, we will 

 have to feed it back. 



Exhibits of Bee-Fixtures. 



"Can not some more definite ar- 

 rangement be made for an exhibition 

 of utensils, etc., at the next meeting?" 



Dr. Bohrer: I believe every State 

 should have a museum where bee- 

 keepers' supplies and methods can be 

 on exhibition all the time. Kansas 

 has a fine place. We should have a 

 room in the Capitol for exhibition. Let 

 it be a school — a place of general in- 

 formation. A great many more would 

 engage in bee-keeping if they knew 

 how to begin, what to use, and where 

 to get it. 



Pres. York: Very few people would 

 ever see an exhibition at Springfield. 

 A State Fair is a good place. Chica- 

 go might be a good place. But go to 

 Root's and Mr. Arnd's here in Chicago. 



Gasoline for Foul Brood. 



"Is gasoline a good remedy for foul 

 brood?" 



Mr. Wheeler: In regard to this gas- 

 oline question. It is quite a point, 

 worth our experimenting with, at least. 

 A man was telling me his experience. 

 He thought by dipping the combs in 

 gasoline, then taking them out and 

 letting the gasoline evaporate, it would 

 kill all the germs. 



Mr. Moore: This thing has been 

 discussed. It is not new. This is the 

 proposition: Take a cupful of honey, 

 and down in it somewhere is this germ 

 of foul brood. How long would you 

 have to apply the gasoline to destroy 

 the germ? You never can destroy the 

 last germ, until you have dissolved 

 every drop of honey. It is absolutely 

 visionarj' to attempt to cure foul brood 

 by formaldehyde or gasoline methods. 

 • Mr. Wheeler: He meant only empty 

 combs. 



Bee Demonstrations at Fairs. 



"Would it be beneficial to the indus- 

 try to make demonstrations of manage- 

 ment of bees at State Fairs?" 



Dr. Bohrer: Not to practical bee- 

 keepers. Simply to other people for 

 the sake of research. 



Mr. Wilcox: Our State Fairs and Ex- 

 hibitions are willing to appropriate 

 money to promote any industry. The 



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