Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-09-14
THE VALUE OF HONEY.
We Owe Much to Industrious Little Compoun-
ders Of the Nsctarean Sweets.

/
dsrs Of the Nsctarean Sweets.
The tlower-formed sweet-stuf gath
cred so carefully by the insect that is
the type of industry, has been ousted
from its proud position of sole flavor
ing agent by the advent OF its cheaper
rival-sugar.
In the ages of old, honey was the
basis OF confections. All school-boys
know OF the famous honey of Hymet-
tus, and Greece is famous still for the
delicate flavor Of its bee product. The
flavor of Hymettus's honey is due to
the abundance OF thymy bee pastures.
The honey OF Narbonne is another
famous variety, with delicacy of
fiavor due to rosemary. Heather
again gives distinctness unmistaka-
BILE to honey flavor, and clover imparts
yet another. Clover is a flower plant
dependent upon the bee for propaga-
tlon, as was proved when the clover
crops OF Australia failed for lack OF
bees, and hourished when the bee was
also imported to thrust its long trunk
into the hectares at the base of clover
petals, and to fill its honey bag with
the delicious sweet-stuff.
Scotch honey comes from the white
Cover, bat the heather honey from
the moorlands is esteemed as much,
though it is darker in color.
Madagascar sends us green honey,
which is the product of black bees
there. The honey is very good, but
the green tint distinguishes it from all
others, and is unmistakable.
From Cayenne comes a red honey,
gathered by bees exactly like our own.
The color is due to the tropical
flowers that yield the nectar.
Great Britain produces much honey,
but uses more than she can make.
Each year the honey bill amounts to
a goodly sum, as 1000 tons are
bought; America, France, Portugal
and Greece are the chief suppliers.
The common yellow honey of the
cheapest kind is obtained from the
pressing of many combs and the com.
bining of many flower flavors. 1t is
not honey, therefore, of any one dis
tinct flavor. Virgin honey is pure
and white, and has not the yellow hue
due to the mixture or comb-wax. 1t
is the first seasons product of young
bees, and the combs are drained care
fully, not pressed, to yield it.
Spring honey is always the best.
Honey is demulcent, that is, sooth-
ing agent; it is detergent, or cleans
ing agent; it is also an aperient.
Nothing better than bread and honey
can be given to children, and few
things are more delicately palatable.
The very cheap kinds are sometimes
adulterated with golden syrup or re-
fined molasses. Glycerine is another
viscid stuff used to mix with it, and
gelatiue has been discovered mingled
with it.
In sore throat and hoarseness the
soothing effect OF honey and vinegar
is we'll known. Such mixture, when
made up by the druggist in the pro-
portion of two pounds of honey to
pint of vinegar, is called an oxymel,
which literally means sour honey,
from orys, sour. and NELL, honey.
Doctors call honey an electuary,
that is. vehicle for drugs, and all
sorts of medicines are given in this
pleasant form which makes a honey
confection of dose of physic. The
viscid nature of the honey especially
fits it for this purpose.
Honey is composed OF no less than
three different sorts of sugar, two OF
which are cane sugar and grape sugar,
the third what is known as inverted
sugar. But the greater part is grape
sugar, which is far more difficult to
crystalline than is cane sugar, which
will crystallize readily. This difficulty
in crystallizing gives the reason why
honey forms into grainy masses. The
cane sugar wants to crystalline and
the grape sugar will not.