378 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
to the syrup, while boiling, a small quantity of some 
acid, changing or ‘‘inverting” it into non-crystal- 
lisable sugar, identical in character 'with the sugar 
of honey. 
This change is very readily effected : when cane 
sugar is taken into the mouth, the saliva immediately 
induces the transformation ; boiling slowly does the 
same. The sugar-refiner would have to raise his 
syrup to 230° Fahr. did he not carry on the process 
of evaporation in what is called a vacuum pan, in 
which 150° is quite sufficient. He thus saves loss 
by largely preventing the change of his crystallisable 
into uncrystallisable sugar. We see this very matter 
in the case of a fruit tart ; if sugar be added by the 
cook before baking, the heat and the acid of the 
fruit transform the saccharose into grape sugar, or, 
more exactly, into a mixture of dextrose and levulose. 
The flavour is more agreeable and natural, but more 
sugar will be required, since two measures of sac- 
charose have as much effect on the palate as five of 
grape sugar. Cane sugar is changed into the latter, 
in our case, as the first step towards assimilation, 
which is perfectly identical with what ordinarily 
occurs with the bee. The secretion, or nectar, of 
most blossoms consists of cane sugar, and is con- 
verted, by addition of the salivary juices (see pp. 80, 
100, and 263, Vol. I.), into dextrose and levulose in 
the act of sucking. The alteration is a chemical one, 
and involves the addition of a molecule of water ; 
so that, strange as it may appear, 342 parts of 
saccharose become 360 of the dextrose and levulose 
before mentioned. 
