STARCHES. 147 



Amongst these we have — Tous les mots, 1*250 (2); arrowroot, 

 •00148 ('8); Natal (rings very plain) potato, '0025 (i'5) ; turmeric, 

 •00148. 



II. — Oval or round hilum and rings visible with difficulty. 

 Wheat, '00185 (^) '} barley, '00073 ("4) 'y i"ye, liquorice, 'oooiS ('i) ; 

 jalap, '00185 (^)j polarizes brightly ; chestnut, "0009 ('5). 



III. — Hilum well developed, rings not well seen. Bean, 

 •00135 (75); Calabar bean, '003 (i"6) : pea, '00135; maize, 

 •00074 ('4) ; polygonal. 



IV. — More or less truncated. Sago, '002 (i"2); tapioca, 

 '00074 ('4); arum, '00056 ("3); colchicum, '00074 ('4); podo- 

 phyllin, '0004 ('25). 



V. — Very small and generally polygonal. Oat, rice, pepper, 

 ipecacuanha. 



The figures in brackets refer to the size of the granule as 

 compared with that of wheat-starch. I have attempted to identify 

 and separate the granules of mixed starches by other means. 

 Taking their specific gravities seemed to present a probable solu- 

 tion of this problem. This, however, failed practically owing to 

 the very slight difference between the specific gravities of various 

 starches. 



Another method tried was to sift the granules from each other 

 by means of fine sieves, composed of a layer of cellular tissue 

 attached to the end of a glass tube about one inch long and one- 

 fourth of an inch or less in diameter. If layers of cellular tissue, 

 such as the inner cuticle of leaves, could be found, in which the 

 size of the cells varied as the starch granules, it would be quite 

 possible to separate small from large granules exactly as different 

 sized stones may thus be separated from each other by means of 

 stronger sieves. 



A BALLOON, intended to make headway against air-currents of 

 twenty-eight miles an hour, is being made in France. It will be 

 similar in form to the La France of 1884 — 85, but larger — two 

 hundred and thirty feet in length and forty-three feet in its greatest 

 diameter. It will weigh sixty-six pounds per horse-power, and 

 will be propelled by a screw in front, with a rudder behind. 



