32 



fully aware of and admit this ; nevertheless, occasionally unripe honey 

 has found its way to the markets, eventually to be condemned through fer- 

 mentation. In the absence, however, of a simple and reliable method for 

 deciding when honey is ripe, beekeepers are not wholly blamable for being 

 raistaken on this point. 



AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN HONEY. 



Nectar or honey when first gathered contains a variable quantity of 

 water, usually ranging from 18 to 23 per cent., according to the weather. 

 Mr. Otto Hehner, F.I.C., F.C.S., public analyst, and analyst to the 

 British Beekeepers' Association, in a lecture before that body some years 

 ago stated, " Essentially, honey consists of water and of sugar. Of the 

 water I need say but little except that I have foimd it to vary in quantity 

 from 12 to 23 per cent., the normal proportion being from 18 to 21 per 

 cent. When the percentage falls below 18 the honey is generally very 

 hard and solid ; when it is higher than 21 it is frequently quite or almost 

 clear." 



In Thorpe's " Dictionary of Applied Chemistry," page 286, the 



maximum, minimum, and average amount of moisture in twenty-five 



samples of honey examined are given as follows : Maximum, 23-26 per 



cent. ; minimum, 12-43 per cent. ; and the average of the twenty-five, 



. 19-3 per cent. 



Eecently some important investigations have been made by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture regarding the " Chemical Analysis and 

 Composition of American Honey." Some 100 samples were procured, and 

 placed in the hands of Dr. C. A. Young, a skilful sugar chemist, and regarding 

 the moisture in the honey he says in his report., — 



The average amount was 17-90 [per cent.], with a range of from 12-42 

 to 26-88. This shows that American honey is 3 per cent, drier than German 

 honey, and German honey is drier than British. This is due to our drier 



climate Nevada honey is drier than that of Missouri, the 



former had only 14-61 per cent, of water, and the latter State 19-57 per cent. 

 It is a truism to say the locality having the highest rainfall has the highest 

 percentage of water in the honey produced. 



This latter assurance is just what one might expect, and worthy of con- 

 sideration when choosing a location for bee-farming. 



Honey containing an excess of moisture is unripe and bound sooner 

 or later to ferment, but when such moisture is reduced below a certain 

 percentage the honey is said to be ripe, and it will in that condition keep 

 good for any length of time. There is in the Agricultural Museum at Wel- 

 lington a sample over seventeen years old, in splendid condition. At what 

 point the " excess " of moisture commences we have no definite know- 

 ledge. The difierent works available contain no guidance on the question. 



