Honey consists of the saccharine substance collected by the bee (_Apis mellifica_) from the nectaries of flowers, and deposited by them in the cells of the comb. “Virgin honey” is the product of hives that have not previously swarmed, which is allowed to drain from the comb; the inferior varieties being obtained by the application of heat and pressure. As a result of the peculiar conditions of its formation, honey constitutes a rather complex mixture of several bodies; indeed, its exact composition is a matter of some doubt. The chief ingredients are levulose and dextrose, accompanied by a small amount of cane sugar, and inconsiderable proportions of pollen, wax, and mineral matter. According to Dubrunfaut and Soubeiran,[60] genuine honey contains an excess of levulose mixed with dextrose and some cane sugar. In the course of time the latter is gradually converted into invert sugar, and a crystalline deposit of dextrose forms, the levulose remaining fluid. The following analyses made by J. C. Brown[61] and E. Sieben,[62] show the general composition of pure honey:-- ------------------------+----------------+---------------- | J. C. Brown. | E. Sieben. ------------------------+----------------+---------------- Dextrose | 31·77 to 42·02 | 22·23 to 44·71 Levulose | 33·56 „ 40·43 | 32·15 „ 46·89 Total glucoses | 68·40 „ 79·72 | 67·92 „ 79·57 Sucrose | .. | none „ 8·22 Wax, pollen and insol | trace to 2·10 | .. Ash | 0·07 „ 0·26 | .. Water at 100° | 15·50 „ 19·80 | 16·28 to 24·95 Undetermined | 4·95 „ 11·00 | 1·29 „ 8·82 ------------------------+----------------+---------------- Barth has examined several varieties of genuine honey with the following results:-- -----------------------------------+----------+-----------+----------- | Per cent.| Per cent. | Per cent. -----------------------------------+----------+-----------+----------- Water | 13·60 | 15·60 | 11·06 Dry substance | 86·40 | 84·40 | 88·94 Ash | 0·28 | 0·24 | 0·90 Polarisation of 10 per }Direct | -4·6° | -5° | +11° cent. solution (in 200 }After | | | millimetre tube) } inversion| .. | -7·5° | +4° {Original substance | 69·60 | 72·0 | 60·0 Sugar {After inversion | 69·50 | 77·0 | 74·6 Organic matter, not sugar | 16·52 | 7·16 | 13·44 -----------------------------------+----------+-----------+----------- W. Bishop[63] obtained the following figures from the examination of honey of known purity:--