488 



CHEMICAL NOTES. — BOTANICAL, 



II. Fijian Wild Sugar Cane. 



The bauks ot the fresh water rivers of Fiji are covered with a dense tangled 

 growth of a long slender cane. It is called Vico (Pronounced Vitho in Fijian) 

 by the Fijians but, so far as I know, no use is made of it. There are two 

 varieties, red and yellow. Mr. E. Cheel who examined it in Fiji informs me 

 that botauically he considere it to be a variety of l:<accharityn officin-anim, the 

 common sugar cauc. 



In November, 1885, wheu the cane was ripe, I made analyses of four 

 samples. For purposes of comparison I give an analysis, made at the same 

 date, of native cane cultivated by the Fijians and known as Anani, also one 

 of a representative sample of introduced cane of the variety named ''Hono- 

 lulu," at that time largely grown in Fiji for the supply of the sugar mills. The 

 native cane, Anani, is apparently indigenous; at any rate it is the variety 

 grown by the natives for a very long time past, before the advent of Europeans. 

 At the time of my residence in Fiji, about 1885-1881), it was preferred by the 

 Fijians for food purposes to any of the introduced varieties, although these 

 were sweeter. This was probably because they had always used it and were 

 accustomed to it. The method of use was to grate the cane to pulp on a piece 

 of rough coral and squeeze out the juice, which was then used for sweetening 

 purposes. 



The analyses are as follows :- 



Fijian Wild Cane 

 Red. 



Sugar Canes. 



Soluble 



water 



Insoluble 



iCane Sugar 3.33 1.68 



Fruit Sugar 1.00 1.68 



Other organic matter 1.37 1.56 



Ash 1.35 1.08 



( Fit>re 22.48 18.46 



I Ash 24 .22 



Water 70.89 75.80 



100.66 100.4S 10(0.53 100.60 100.81 99.48 



0.38 0.61 



0.45 0.51 



1.51 



Average weight per stalk. Kilog. . . 



The Fruit sugar in tliese canes consists of about eiiual pi'oportioiis of dex- 

 trose and levulose. 



The method of analysis followed was that of diffusion. In preparing the 

 samjile of cane for analysis the stalks were quartered lengthwise and one 

 complete section from each stalk was chopped into short lengfhs which were 

 pulped by passing through a meat mincing machine, the pulp so obtained being 

 well mixed and the requisite quantities quickly weighed off. A known weight 

 of pulped cane was put into a tared flask with sullicicnt water, the fla.sk, fitted 

 with a cork and a plain long tube as a return condenser, was placed in a vessel 

 of boiling water and shaken at frequent intervals for one hour. The flask and 

 contents were then cooled and weighed and the amount of added water thus 

 ascertained. The li(|uid was then strained off tiirough a fine cotton doth and 

 analysed. The percentage of fibre and water in the original pulp iiaving been 

 determined and the Sp. Gr. of the diffusion liquid ;i.sccrtained, the total weight 

 of lifiuid derived from added water and that in the pulp taken is thus readily 

 found. The liquid being analysed, it is a simple matter to calculate the total 

 constituents present and to compute therefrom the percentages in the original 

 pulp. 200 grammes pulp and about 400 of water are convenient quantities 

 to use. 



