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Honey Analyses. 

 The following is a list of New Zealand honeys analysed for water 

 content, and the districts from which the samples were procured. New 

 Zealand honeys are dry in this respect. 



Testing Honey for Ripeness. 

 Before tinning off the honey make certain it is ripe. There should 

 not be much difficulty about this where combs were well sealed over. 

 The only certain way of ascertaining if the honey is ripe is to test it 

 with a hydrometer. If on testing with a Twaddel's No. 4 hydrometer 

 the instrument does not sink below 84 it indicates a well-ripened honey. 

 This is equal to a specific gravity of 1-42, the test being made at a 

 temperature of 60° F. As the temperature of honey in the summer 

 rarely sinks so low, the test may be taken at 70° or 80° by adding 

 I point to the hydrometer-reading for each 10° of heat over 60°. 

 Thus, if the hydrometer sinks to 82 at a temperature of 80°, it would 

 register 83 if taken at 70°, and 84 if taken at 60°. To arrive at the 

 specific gravity multiply the hydrometer-reading by 5 ; thus 84 X 5 

 = 420 ; add i for the gra-vity of water and it will equal 1-420. This 

 method is only reliable up to a temperature of 90°. Honey registering 

 below 1-42 is not considered sufficiently ripe for export. 



Testing Thick Honey. 



Sometimes the honey is so dense that the hydrometer will not sink. 

 When such is the case take equal parts by volume (not weight) of honey 

 and water, mix thoroughly, test with a No. 2 Twaddel's hydrometer, 

 and then multiply the result by 2. This will give the same result as if 

 taken with a No. 4 instrument by the direct method. Thus, if the 

 No. 2 instrument sinks into the honey and water to 42, this multiplied 

 by 2 = 84. Perhaps the quickest and simplest method to test thick 

 honey is to have a deep glass or beaker on which is a mark to contain 

 about 4 oz. of water. Fill up to the mark with water, then pour it into 

 another vessel; now fill up to the mark -with liquid honey, add the 



