1 May, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 369 
thinks I suggested a standard. I am of opinion that we have not sufficient 
data as yet to establish a standard. I said that I believed in England they 
held that genuine honeys contain somewhere in the neighbourhood of 
from 18 to 20 per cent. of water, but that there were genuine honeys on 
record which ran as high as 25 per cent. What I say is, that if there 
are sufficient data to show that genuine honey does not reach beyond 
a certain limit, then legislation may fix that limit by law. It is a 
question of chemistry entirely. Itseems to me that the data that has been 
put forward in that bulletin constitute our only collection of Canadian data 
on this subject; it is an extremely valuable investigation, but it has not been 
taken up with the point in view that we are discussing, and it probably there- 
fore will be highly desirable to haye such a committee appointed as Mr. 
Holtermann has suggested, to secure samples of genuine honeys from various 
sources over large geographical areas, at points distinct from one another, and 
samples of honey elaborated by different races of bees, and from different 
kinds of flowers, basswood, clover, &c. The analysis of these samples would 
show if any conclusions can be arrived at, if any deduction can be made, as to 
this question of the percentage of water in genuine honey. Would there be «~ 
any injustice if a limit were fixed ? You must know that milk fluctuates much, 
and there are on record plenty of cases of genuine milk which would be 
accounted adulterated by law. If miik is sold in a city with 2} per cent. butter 
fat and 8 per cent solids not fat, the law says that it is adulterated; the man 
swears that the milk is just as it came from the cow ; the law says, we cannot 
help that, the law has fixed a standard and the milk falls below it. I mention 
such a case as an illustration. If you take the milk of the whole herd it would 
come up to 3 per cent. of fat, the limit, at least, but isolated cases might very 
occasionally fall below it. In regard to that word ‘genuine’ in Mr. 
Macfarlane’s report, I am not here to interpret it; I hesitate to do it. But I 
doubt if he used that word ‘ genuine’ with respect to the percentage of water 
in that honey. What I think he meant by that word was that it had not added 
to it glucose, syrup, cane sugar, or other saccharine matter. I think the idea 
he wished to convey was that no extraneous sugars or sugar compounds had 
been added to that honey.” 
After some discussion, one member said there was a great difference in 
the specific gravity of different honeys. In regard to 18 and 20 per cent., 
genuine honeys run from 18 up to sometimes 80 per cent., and if a standard 
could be fixed of, say, 25 per cent., there would be no particular harm in doing 
it. As far as the percentage of water was concerned, the public knew that 
there must be water in honey. 
There appeared to be an opinion that honeys gathered in a wet season 
differed materially from those gathered in a dry time. In a very hot, dry 
season, the honey was fit to go on the market within two days of its being 
gathered, whilst in a wet season it must be kept from four to six weeks, and 
then. would not be a good marketable article. * y 
On the question of feeding bees with honey or cane sugar a lively dis- 
cussion was raised, and at its initiation Mr. Shutt said :— 
“JT would like to ask information as to whether there is any difference 
noticed in the strength of bees that are fed on the one hand with honey, and on 
the other hand with sugar syrup made from ordinary cane sugar. There-is a 
very interesting question involved there ; bees, like all animals, require a certain 
amount of nitrogen to replace the waste of their tissues; that is absolutely 
necessary. Honey does not contain any nitrogen, but honey does contain a 
certain quantity of pollen, and I take it that the small but necessary quantity 
of nitrogen that the bees require to keep up the waste of their tissues they get 
from the pollen. Of course, the sugar of the honey is burned by the bees with 
the aid of the oxygen of the air they breath. The burning of it is similar to 
the burning of a piece of wood in the stove, and produces heat and energy 
within the bee. At the same time, there must be a small quantity of 
nitrogenous substance to keep up the waste of the tissues, and I wish to ask 
as to the source from which bees obtain this nitrogenous material.” 
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