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Prof. Herzfeld, of Germany, recently brought out some interesting points regarding the manufacture of artificial honey in Europe. It is noticed that when we bring about the inversion of refined sugar in an almost complete manner and under welldetermined conditions, this sugar solidifies in the same way as natural honey after standing for a long time, and it ran be easily redissolved by heating. Owing to the increased production of artificial honey, the bee cultivators have been agitating the question so as to protect themselves, and it is proposed to secure legisla tion to this effect, one point being to oblige the manu facturers to add some kind of product wnich will indio cate the artificial product. On the other hand, it is found that the addition of inverted sugar to natural honey tends to improve its quality and especially to render it more easiIY digested. Seeing that sugar is about the only alimentary matter which is produced in an abso lutely pure state, its addi tion to honey cannot be strictly considerEd as an adulteration. Bees often take products from flowers which have a bad taste; and the chemist Ke11er found that honey coming from the chestnut tree sometimes has a disagree able flavor. From wheat flowers we find a honey which has a taste resem bling bitter almonds, and honey from asparagus flowers is most unpalata ble. Honey taken from the colza plant is of an oily nature, an.d that taken from onions has the taste of the latter. In such cases, the honey is much improved by the addition of inverted sugar. Prof. Herzfeld gives a practical method for preparing this form of sugar. We take 1 kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of high-quality refined sugar in a clean enamel ware vessel, and add 300 cubic centimeters (10 fluid ounces) of water and 1.1 grammes (17 grains) tar taric acid. This is heated at 110 deg. C. over an open fire, stirring all the while, and is kept at this heat until the liquid takes on a fine golden yellow color, such operation lasting for about threequarters of an hour. By this very sim pIe process we can easily produce artificial honey. Numerous extracts are now on the market for giVing the aroma of honey, but none of them will replace the natural honey. However, if we take the artificial product made as above and add to it a natural honey having a strong aroma, Ruch as that which is produced from heath, we can obtain an excellent semi-honey.
