616 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
much praised by late German writers, as occupying the very first rank 
among potatoes, in consequence of various excellent peculiarities, A 
single tuber is said to have produced a weight of twenty pounds. 
CHEMICAL NOTES. 
Improvement in refining sugar —A much-needed improvement has 
lately been made by Dr. Seyforth, of the Brunswick sugar refinery, in 
regard to the purification of sirups.and molasses, in the manufacture 
especially of sugar from the beet. As is well known, the juices and 
liquors employed in the first extraction of beet sugar from the raw 
material, as well as the sirups resulting from the sugar-refining process, 
generally contain a certain quantity of alkaline substances. By treat- 
ing the saccharine juices with milk of lime, several of the bases of the 
alkaline salts present in the juices are separated from the acids they 
were at first combined with, and by thus being set free, and remaining 
mixed with the sugar, impede crystallization. One part of alkaline 
matter can absorb as much as four parts of sugar, and some kinds of 
molasses contain as much as 8 per cent. of alkali. 
Various means have been used to remedy this defect ; among them, 
more particularly sulphuric and phosphoric acids, the use of which, 
however, is in most instances unadvisable, for various reasons. Sul- 
phurous acid has also been recommended, and used with excellent ad- 
vantage. 
The method of Dr. Seyforth consists in introducing the sulphurous 
acid either in the form of gas, or as a weak active solution, into the 
vacuum-pans. In this way it becomes possible to bring all particles of 
the sugar solution (or sirup) into contact with the sulphurous acid, and 
to eliminate, by the joint action of heat and vacuum, any excess of that 
acid which, however, not only saturates free alkalies and carbonate of 
lime, but also sets free from those combinations the organic acids which 
may be present, as alkaline salts. The sulphurous acid thus takes 
hold of the bases they were combined with, while the greater part of 
the erganic acids are volatilized along with the steam. Thus the sul- 
phurous acid promotes the good and ready crystallization of the sugar, 
while its action as a decolorizer comes also into play. The details of 
the new process embrace the two operations of the manufacture of the 
acid in a simple form and its introduction into the vacuum pans. The 
quantity to be applied in any solution varies from 4 to 8, or from 19 to 
15 per cent. of the bulk of liquid sirup to be evaporated. The pro- 
cess is said to involve very little cost, to require no inconveniently 
large space, to be applicable to any existing manufactory, and to be 
very easily understood by manufacturers. 
Analysis of the ash of the potato.—-A careful analysis has lately been 
made by Dr. Schoras of the ash resuiting from the burning of potatoes, 
this amounting to from 3 to 4 per cent. of the dried potato. Ac- 
cording to this chemist, the proportion of potash amounts to over 50 
per cent., 45 per cent. being the smallest quantity observed. Of 
soda there is generally from 2 to 3 per cent.; in most cases only 
i per cent. being appreciable. Next to the potash, magnesia enters 
as the principal constituent among the bases; nevertheless amounting 
to only the tenth part of the proportion of potash. Lime is a subordinate 
element, in most cases scarcely equaling half the amount of maguesia. 
The percentage of potash was found to increase or diminish as the yield 
of the crop was large or small; but of the other bases little difference 
