462 
HONEY, ANALYSIS OF 
best honeys of this country are usually 
spoken of as white, and, tho this is not 
quite correct, still it is near enough for all 
practical purposes without coining a new 
word. 
Clover honey may be taken as the typical 
white honey by which others may be con¬ 
veniently judged. For the purpose of com¬ 
parison some may be a little lighter, and 
others a little darker shade; but these nice 
points of distinction are visible only to an 
expert. See Honey and Its Colors. 
It has been the custom of a number of 
honey producers to market their products 
under such names as “white clover honey,” 
“sage honey,” and “pure orange honey.” 
Upon this practice, Bulletin No. 110 of the 
Bureau of Chemistry makes the following 
statement: “Bottled honeys are frequently 
labeled by some floral designation, and 
these honeys, even when within the stand¬ 
ard, often show a suspicious variation from 
the analyses of such honeys of known floral 
origin, especially as regards sucrose con¬ 
tent. The miscroscopic examination of these 
honeys frequently shows an almost com¬ 
plete absence of pollen from the flower in 
question. Beekeepers and bottlers of honey 
are sometimes extremely careless in the 
labeling of their products and apply the 
name of almost any flower, thinking that 
they keep within the requirements of the 
law so long as their product is pure honey. 
This is a mistake, as the product should be 
labeled exactly according to its origin.” 
See Labels for Honey. 
HONEY, ANALYSIS OF.— Outside of 
the determination of moisture or water 
content, the methods of analysis of honeys 
can hardly be carried on by the beekeeper 
or bottler; first, on account of the rather 
complicated procedures, and, second, on 
account of the expensive apparatus needed. 
The moisture determination described be¬ 
low for the beekeeper or bottler is not so 
accurate as that one described for the chem¬ 
ist, but it will yield comparative results. 
It is the one in general use by makers of 
maple, sorghum, and also cane syrup. 
The analytical procedure described for 
the chemist are all well-known methods and 
should yield accurate results. It is on the 
interpretation of analytical results that the 
chemist may fail, if he has not bad some 
little experience with honey. This latter 
phase of the question would easily'fill many 
pages, and then it would be doubtful 
whether the whole field had been covered in 
such a way as to explain all cases and con¬ 
ditions. So one can give here only the out¬ 
line of the general and special methods 
used in honey examination, followed with 
some remarks about detecting adultera¬ 
tion. 
For sake of convenience and ease of pre¬ 
sentation, the method of procedure adopt¬ 
ed is to divide the matter into statements of 
the methods for the individual determina¬ 
tions; then follow with maximum and min¬ 
imum figures obtained on pure honeys for 
each determination. Maximum or mini¬ 
mum figures not given may be obtained 
from the table of analysis given under 
Honey. 
The first step in any analytical examina¬ 
tion is the drawing of a representative 
sample. This is of greatest importance and 
prevents difficulties with honey on account 
of partial crystallization or candying of 
numerous honeys. 
sampling. 
Comb. —In comb honey it is necessary to 
select either a representative comb or bet¬ 
ter to take portions of a number of combs. 
Then by means of a knife cut across the 
top of the comb and allow the honey to 
drain from the cells. Should the honey have 
granulated in the comb, it will be necessary 
to heat the comb in a water bath at a tem¬ 
perature not above 160° Fahrenheit until 
the wax liquefies, stirring, then allow the 
whole to cool. The wax will solidify in a 
layer on top. This can be removed and the 
sample is ready for analysis. Should the 
liquid so obtained be full of dirt, treat it 
as given below under “Extracted Honey.” 
Extracted Honey. —If the sample is 
free from granulation, and also clear and 
clean and in a perfectly liquid condition, 
no preparation is necessary. When the 
sample has granulated or shows partial 
granulation, it should be heated on a water 
bath (never over a direct flame) to a tem¬ 
perature never over 160° Fahrenheit until 
the crystals are in solution. If the sample 
is dirty, it can be passed in this state thru 
a fine linen cloth to filter. The heated 
honey is allowed to cool to collect and solid- 
