BY THOS. STEEL. 



489 



In examining the fruits mentioned above, they were passed direct through 

 the meat mincing machine and the diffusion conducted as for cane. 200 grammes 

 pulped fruit and 300 to 350 of water proved suitable proportions. In fruits 

 the direct determination of matter insoluble in water is not always practicable 

 owing to the glutinous nature of the pulp and the imperfect solubility of the 

 jiectin bodies. In these, therefore, the total of these constituents was taken by 

 difference which is sufficient for all essential purposes. 



III. Roots or Dragon Tree, Cordyline Uermiualis. 



In Fiji the long conical roots of the Dragon tree {Cordyline tenninalis) 

 known by the natives as Vasili dinu (Pronounced ndinu in Fijian) and Vasili 

 tagu (Pronounced tangu in Fijian), are, after roasting, used as food. Prior to 

 cooking, the roots are white and contain a large proportion of inulin which 

 (luring the process of roasting becomes transformed into the sugar levulose. 

 After roasting, the roots are soft,' succulent and black, looking as if they had 

 been soaked in molasses. The dark colour is due to caraiuelisation of part of 

 the levulose. 



Raw 



Soluble 

 in 

 Water 



Insoluble 



( Levulose 3.32 f Levulose . . 



-j Inuhn, &c. 30.19 -I Caramel, &t 



(Ash 27 (_Ash 



( Fibre 11.59 i Fibre .. . 



( Ash 59 • Ash 



Water 52.98 Water . . . 



9S.94 



Weight of root. Kilogs 1.64 



2.08 



1.30 



It will be noticed that the raw root was found to contain a small proportion 

 of levulose, it also contained numerous raphides but no starch. 



Dr. George Bennett (Gatherings of a Naturalist, 1840, p. 397) states that 

 the root of the Ti (Dracaena terminalis) contains a large quantity of saccharine 

 matter, from which the natives of Tahiti extract a coarse sugar; they likewise 

 bake and eat the root, from which also a spirituous liquor is distilled. As will 

 be seen from the analyses above the sugar is only present after cooking. 



Speaking of the same root, H. S. Cooper (Coral Lands. Vol. ii., 1880, p. 

 170) says: — "In the Friendly Islands, as well as in all the other neighbouring 

 groups, great quantities of the ti or dragon-tree are found. The root when 

 cooked contains a most extraordinary quantity of saccharine matter; indeed it 

 seems as if it had been boiled in syrup. Rum is distilled from it in the 

 Friendly Islands as weU as from the sugar cane." 



IV. Deposit op Calcium carbonate in Tiiiberof Geis.soi.s Benthami (F. v. M.) 



Some time ago I received from Mr. Maiden a specimen of timber of Red 

 Carrabeen, Geissois (Weinmannia) Beiitlmmi (F. v. M.), coated in places with 

 a rather hard flinty-looking mineral deposit. This is referred to by Mr. Maiden 

 (Forest Flora of N.S. Wales, VI., 1917, p. 208) as being a source of trouble 

 to saw-millers in the Dorrigo (N.S. Wales), where it is known as "flint." It 

 occui-s in the heart of the logs and causes injury to the saws. The suggestion 

 is made that the deposit may be siliceous. Chemical examination showed that 

 it consists of pure calcium carbonat-e. The amount of deposit at my disposal 

 was insufficient to allow of a quantitative analysis, but qualitative tests disclosed 



