THE CHEMISTRY OF THE HIVE. 
585 
dextrose, the balance lies with the former, and a slight 
rotation to the left occurs. 
The reader will have observed that dextrose is 
described as easily crystallisable, and yet it is used 
as an adulterant, not only to reduce the cost of 
production, but to prevent crystallisation, or candying 
of the honey (page 487). This enigma is explained 
if it be remembered that the corn syrup contains about 
one-fifth or one-sixth of gum (dextrine), which cannot 
be converted into sugar by the processes employed, 
and this gum is the actual preventive of candying. 
If pure dextrose were added, the honey would candy 
still more quickly as a consequence. The admixture 
of dextrine becomes evident if the material be fer- 
mented, when the gum remains, although the sugars 
disappear. The process of fermentation is brought 
about by the addition of yeast, and requires the 
presence of small quantities of nitrogenous material. 
Similarly, our forefathers were in the habit of con- 
verting their doubtful residues, after squeezing or 
straining, into mead* or metheglin — liquors of which 
I have no experience. The sugars are changed, under 
the action of the ferment, into carbonic acid, which 
escapes, and alcohol, which remains behind. 
Cane sugar in solution is only rarely used to 
augment the volume of honey, its much larger cost 
not making it so suitable to the purposes of the 
adulterator as corn syrup. Cane sugar is, however, 
also easily detected by the polariscope, as it, too, turns 
* Honey, diluted with about four times its volume of water, and 
exposed to the heat of the sun, in an open vessel, from which insects 
are excluded, will, in about six weeks, become strong vinegar. This 
\dnegar has a very fine flavour. 
