REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 119 
they have less sweetening power and cost less than the genuine sirup, 
aithough the latter may be, as in the present case, inferior in appearance. 
Like artificial butter, the so-called oleomargarine, they may be per- 
fectly harmless to the consumer, but common honesty demands that they 
be sold for what they truly are. 
The amount and composition of the ash of molasses being of great value 
in enabling one to determine their true character, they are given below. 
Analysis of ash of two sirups received from Jacob Latshaw, Cedarville, IU. 
a | & 
E | 4 
Constituents. @ aS 
rs R= 
= tee 
A 4 
[Pri a@peie een BONES ooo oe ea a Seca eases ks cece a ethers ebecdsccceusee ne Seseesee cee ts foute. 2. 81 . 80 
Rancenton ash, soluble in Water ...<s. .cacccartectedssacdcsasmrdegen 52058. Sas saetsesaee 2.18 } 59 
PEPE aO ET aH, NHSULUDEO Nl WCC oo. a cacace aot sha cheeses to Seukecsqcseususenawceobe = 63 | 21 
The amount of phosphoric acid was pretty large in the dark sirup, 
while in the light sirnp there was none present. This difference, as also 
the great difference in the total ash, is very marked. The dark sirup 
under the microscope showed abundant crystals of cane sugar, and upon 
standing a small quantity of sugar was deposited, while the light sirup 
became in a short time semi-solid, and under the microscope presented 
no crystals of cane sugar, but an abundance of stellated crystals, charac- 
teristic of glucose. 
There is, therefore, no reason to doubt but that this ight sirup was 
simply a saturated solution of starch sugar, or glucose. 
EXAMINATIONS FOR TANNIO ACID—ANALYSIS OF CANAIGRE ROOT. 
The sample was taken from roots received by this department, in 
1868, from Northwestern Texas. The roots are from 4 to 6 or 8 inches 
long by about 1 inch in diameter, deeply corrugated, of a dark-brown 
color externally, a deep red-brown color internally, and of a peculiar 
odor like madder. In fine powder it is of a light red-brown color. 
The fresh roots received from the same Iccality were smooth in out- 
line, and much resembled sweet-potatoes in form, but were dark-brown 
in color. In transverse section they were of a bright lemon-yeilow 
color, which rapidly changed to red-brown by exposure to the air. They 
lost water very rapidly, becoming shrivelled like the roots previously 
received, 
Both the fresh and the dry roots have a very astringent taste. In 
the fresh root, containing 68.07 per cent. ef moisture, the tannin equalied 
8.51 per cent., or 26.62 per cent. when calculated to water-free sub- 
stance. 
The air-dry roots, containing 11.17 per cent. of moisture, contain 25.45 
per cent. of tannic acid, equivalent to 26.50 per cent. of tannin in strictly 
dry root. From the close agreement in the tannin estimations in the 
fresh and dry roots it would seem as if the tannin was not affected by 
long keeping. 
This tannic acid is of the variety known as vheo-tannic acid, and is 
identical with that existing in rhubarb. .In many respects caiiaigre 
root resembled rhubarb, and the following analysis has been made with 
