EEPORT OP THE CHEMIST. 65 



used to hasten the clarification of the juice. There was httle or no clay 

 present in Honduras lime precipitate. The claying seems -mechanically 

 to have carried down a large proportion of the albumen in the Liberian 

 lime precipitate. 



The very great difference in these waste products is probably due 

 almost wholly to differences in the manipulation of the juices. 



Very probably there exists in lime precipitates a combined organic 

 acid ; this will be investigated in the future. 



Whoever may detect error in the methods employed, or in the results 

 stated, will confer a favor by mentioning the same. 



It is certainly most desirable that these experiments be continued 

 upon a larger scale, and with at least a dozen varieties of sorghum and 

 an equal number of varieties of sweet, yellow, and white corn. 



At least an acre of each variety should be grown, and the develop- 

 ment of each should be watched through the season, and when the 

 proper time for working up the crop has come, let the acre be worked 

 up for sugar. Such an experiment would require little outlay and be 

 productive of invaluable results. It would require at least three or four 

 assistants additional in the chemical laboratory to attend to the continued 

 analyses of the canes, and would necessitate a somewhat larger appa- 

 ratus for working up the crop. 



The correspondence addressed to this division upon this subject of 

 sugar has steadily increased until it requires nearly aU the time of one 

 assistant to attend to iti 



THE PERMANaANATE PROCESS FOE THE ESTIMATION OF SUGARS IN 



JUICES. 



1. Preparation of the juice. 



Usually two stalks were selected for analysis. Their maturity, as 

 sliown by the development of blossoms, seeds, and the color and condi- 

 tion of the glumes, was recorded. Then were noted — 



a. The weight of the unstrippcd stalks. 



I). The weight of the stripped and topped stalks, and, by difference, 

 Mie weight of leaves and tops. 



c. The average length and diameter of the stripped stalks. 



These stripped stalks v^ere then divided so that tops and butts were 

 of equal weight. Then was found — 



d. The average length each of tops and butts. The tops and butts 

 were then separately analyzed. Bach by itself was cut finely with a 

 iirttchet, and then bruised in an iron mortar. The bruised mass was 

 tiien placed in a small bag, and submitted to a heavy i)ressure in an 

 ordinary ii'on i>res3. 



The expressed juice was collected and weighed, and the x)erGentage 

 calculated to the unstrii)ped stalks taken. 



The juice thus obtained usually was greenish from the presence of 

 ehlorophj^il. As the i)lant matured, the color of the juice inclined to 

 amber, and in perfectly ripe stalks (especially of the Early Amber 

 variety) the color was red, from the presence, in the central portion of 

 the stalk, of a red coloring matter sparingly soluble in ether, readily 

 dissolved by 80 i)cr cent, alcohol. 



The specific gravity of the juice was determined usually by a pikuo- 

 meter. It was found that the readings given by an accurate hydrome- 

 ter accorded well with the specific gravity indicated by weight, if the 

 5 AG 



