588 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
are for ever dissipated, for not again can it be con- 
sidered, except in a general sense, as aerii mellis 
caelestia dona^ Virg.) Heaven’s gift ; while modern 
science smiles at (“ quaedam siderum saliva, Pliny) 
the saliva of the stars. It is well that it should 
take its true place, as a delicious and most whole- 
some food, occupying, in the right of its own intrinsic 
merits, a position in our diet table from which it 
cannot be driven without loss. 
Honey derives considerable character from the 
sources whence it comes ; but it must be remembered 
that the special aroma and flavour of high-class honeys 
depend upon, relatively, very small differences, always 
supposing that the compared samples are properly 
ripened, have a high specific gravity, and are abso- 
lutely free of all uncleanly contaminations. Its food 
value depends upon its sugars, which are in the very 
best form for assimilation, since they are already* in 
the condition in which they are normally absorbed into 
the blood. They should, on this account, be taken 
in combination with some solid food, to retard their 
absorption, or the liver may have more presented to 
it than it can immediately deal with. Honey, masti- 
cated with bread, e.g., is liberated in the stomach 
gradually, as the masses get broken up by solution 
of the gluten. It may thus well replace butter, while 
it is superior to sugar in many descriptions of cake 
and confectionery. The Rev. J. V. Moyle has devoted 
much time to multiplying the uses to which honey 
may be put, and the ingenuity displayed in this direc- 
tion is surprising. 
* “Honey as Food.” Frank R. Cheshire. 
