The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-12-13

oranuiation Of Honey.
In the British Bee Journal appears
The following article. The consider
able variation IN time during which
honey win remain liquid IL a constant
source OF puzzlement 10 bee-kecpera.
and the cause OF regular repetition Of
the inquiry. How long a time elapsts
before honey graduates or becomes
solidy Those who have had much ox-
perienee Of the matter. however. know
that the length OF time cannot possl-
bly, be flzed. A fairly accurate calcula-
ton may no doubt be made. under GER
tain circumstances. BY those who have
handled honey gathered In various dis
triets where special kinds Of bee-forage
are regularly grown, az 10 whether a
particular crop "a likely TO granulate
soon. or keep liquid for a year or 40.
But Il IL little beyond a more or less
safe guess in any case; a guess ven
tured upon In view Of the weather con-
ditiona at the time Of gathering aud
the source from whence the honey Is
obtained. This Is about all that can be
done In timing" granqlation without
the need for dipping more deeply into
the science of<he subject than the or
binary bee-keeDer cares to do. We
may, however. Just touch upon the
scientific view OF the question by OBJ
serving that honey consists Of two
distinct saccharlne portions. via. dex-
trose (grape-sngarl-thl may be term
ed the crystalline portion-and levu-
lose Cfrult-mgar), which Is incapable
Of capitalization. Chemically. how
ever. these two substances, though dis
similar IN the respect mentioned above,
are Identical IN composition. Doth con-
tanning PARTICLES Of carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen IN the proportion Of six 70
twelve 10 six: the chemical formula
being &C Ii2 O6 They are also iden-
teal In most OF their chemical reae-
tons. whilo possessing widely differ
ent physical properties. The crystal
line portion tdcXtrose) turns a ray Of
polarized light 10 the right. and the
non-cryatalllne 0evulose) turns tho
polarized ray to the left. The great
bulk OF normal honey consists Of al
most equal parts OF dextr0se and levu-
lose-or invert sugar. as II IL usually
called-water. and q minute quantity
OF formle acid: but the actual proper
tons sometimes vary. and. according
10 The source from whence the nectar
is gathered. one may predominate over
the other thus either reiardlng or ac-
celebrating granulatlon. Another cause
Of variation In the time during which
honey graduates may be brought about
mechanically. ss Il we're; ns when
ever Il happens that the honey, while
In the comb. begins 10 granulate. and
ls afterward extracted, some portion OF
the crystals may remain behind In tho
comb. thus causing the non-crystalli-
liable sugar Tor leyul0se) 10 predoml-
nate. Such honey--from which tho
dextrose Ia partially separated-will,
no doubt. remain liquid for a long
time. The wldely-yaried action Of time
90 far as affecting granulation. is also
shown by noting its effect on honey
gathered from different sources. To
illustrate the point lei Us take two
types Of honey, each having distinctly
different characteristics IN this line,
viz. that from white clover and from
mustard. Clover honoy-collectcd 10
a good season for that product, viz,
one Of continuous warm. dry weather
during the gathering tlme-wlll. II
well kept In a suitable place. generally
retain he liquid condition for one or
two years loiten morol without any
deterioration In quality. whether In
comb or IN Jars. within the last few
days we pariook Of a section Of clover
honey gathered IN 1894. the condition
and quality OF which was simply per-
feet IN every respectl but the same
variety Of honey gathered under differ
ent weather conditions viii, IN some
seasons. granulate before the end Of
the same year. On the other hand,
honey from the mustard-helds IN Lin
eolnshlrc. gathered In the finest and
drycst OF weather. will become quite
solld In a couple OF weeks after being
extracted. The difference. then, in
time Of graduating largely depends
on the component parts OF the honey
dealt with. and for the rest upon the
weather conditions at the time Of
gathering. And these facts should
make clear the imposslbihty Of fixing
the time for granulatlon by rule OF
thumb. Regarding the temperature for
keeping honey liquid as long o. pos.
slhle. about 65 10 Is degrees Is gener-
ally considered best for the purpose.
To store Il either at a much higher. or
AZ. say 10 degrees lower than the tenn
pcraturo stated Is not nearly 80 effect
ual as q prsnryatlyo. But the keeping
properties Of extracted honey are large
ly dependent on the bce-kecper him.
self. AZ far as knowing what samples
are likely 10 remain In good condition,
and those In which fermentation Is
sure 20 be set up II kept beyond the
season In which they arc gathered.
Thin honey-we mean thin extracted
never koens well. Moreover, the wa
terry portion which rises to the top Of
honey In bulk. should never be mixed
along with that intended for keeping.
A small portion Of such thin. watery
stun. instead Of being itself rlpened BY
blending with ripe honey Of good con-
aistoncy. will rather tend to spoil tho
lot by setting up fermentation.
Prairie Fircs.