355 
Eastern Tibet in 1895, and in 1899 seeds were sent to Kew by 
Lieut. Jones from Western China. ‘The plant is not perfectly 
hardy at Kew, but flourishes in the warmer parts of England, and 
the subject of the illustration was received from Lieut Col. D. D. 
Cunning heh Tormount, Torquay, in whose garden the berries 
species was imported from Peru by Messrs. Sander & Sons, 
St. Albans, and the specimen figured was the first to flower in 
Europe, material a sent from the nursery of Messrs. Sander & 
Sons at Bruges. HH. Sanderi is most nearly allied to H. Lowiana, 
Reichb. f., from Colombia 
Sugar Cane Wax.—We are indebted to Professor G. Barg 
Professor of Chemistry o the East London College, for Hie 
none oven of Mr. A. Wijnberg’s recent book in Dutch on 
ye of the Sugar-cane, and the Possibility of its Technical - 
Produce? * which has been presented to Kew by Professor G. 
van Iterson, of Del 
The book under review is a dissertation from the newly founded 
botanical: laboratory (Prof. G, van Iterson) of the Technical High 
chool a elft, and deals in an exhaustive manner with the 
possi of commercially utilizing the ve of the sugar 
there is an account of the chemistry and 
biological significance of vegetable waxes in pe 
The botanical part of the investigation SumnDleels confirmed the 
results of De Bary’s investigations ; the origin and structure of the 
wax coating is illustrated by drawings of micr oscopical preparations. 
mica wax of the sugar-cane was examined as long ago 
as 1840 by Avequin (Ann. Chim. Phys., [ii.], vol. 75, p. 28), and an 
analysis of it was made by the celebrated chemist Dumas. The 
material for this examination was obtained by carefully scraping 
the outside of the cane, a process which is of course not applicable 
on a large scale. The author of the present treatise has pag gs 
used another method, starting from the so-called “ filter dirt,” 
waste product of the Java sugar industry. When the cane is 
crushed, and subsequently extracted with hot water, nearly all the 
epiderma wax passes into the crude juice, where it remains 
suspended, until the juice is purified by the addition of lime and 
subsequent boiling, when the wax is carried down in the peepee 
ormed, Thus on filtration the wax is found in the so-called 
“filter dirt ” = remains in ewe filter press, and which may 
contain 10 per cent. or more of wax. 
By exienlieg. fresh filter dirt with ligroine (light petroleum) a 
complicated mixture is obtained, consisting mostly of fats (gly wee 
of oleic and linolic acids), and about 30 per cent. of wax. 
filter dirt has fermented for some time, the fats have dec enrol 
and the ligroine extract consists mostly of the wax, which is more 
resistant to bacterial action. The wax may be separated from fats 
* “The Wax of the Sugar-cane, and the Possibility of its Technical oe 
By A. Wijnberg, Amsterdam, 1909, pp. 198, with 2 figures and five pla 
