Market Farming

[dave.kathy AT att.net]

Hi, David!

Well, you know light bends when it goes into and out of water.  If the water 
has sugar in it, or other solutes, the light will bend even more.  So, I 
guess the refractometer just measures how much the light beam bent and 
translates that into equivalent sugar content.  It doesn't break the light 
into a spectrum, though.

I don't have a refractometer yet, though I do have one on order from Brushy 
Mountain Bee Farm, www.beeequipment.com.  They have a special on them right 
now, about $75.  Their refractometers are specific to measure water content 
of honey--if your honey is too watery (that is, if you foolishly extracted it 
before the bees had fully evaporated it dry enough) then it will ferment on 
you.  Which you don't want, usually.

No, I definitely did NOT nean nutrient value has anything to do with ionic 
content; in fact, I was trying to say the opposite.  My point was that 
electrical conductivity depends (among other things, actually) on free ions 
in the pore water, and that an ohm meter measurement will reflect them.  But 
I doubt that sugars and/or most nutrients fall into the category of free 
ions.  One respondent mentioned that ohm meters can be used on wet wood to 
check moisture in it, which I'm sure is true.  The resulting reading, 
however, will not tell the true electrical resistance of the wood.  However, 
it may give a relative index of moisture, at least if properly calibrated.

Okay.  Hope that helps?

Dave Campbell
Tiffin Iowa
> Refractometers deal with the light able to pass through the sample broken
> into the color spectrum?
> 
> Nutrient value is dependent on ionic content?
> 
> enlighten me (us) on the premise of the refractometer, if you would, please.
> 
> thanks.
> 
> David Guthrie
>