AVERAGE RESULTS OF ANALYSES OF SORGHL^I, ETC. 219 



that the actual amount of water present in the plant, and in the ex- 

 pressed juice, is less at the later stages in the plant's life. 



But it is obvious that, if the increased per cent of sugar, as shown 

 in the juice at these later stages, was due simply to loss of water 

 through a drying up of the plant, then it would necessarily followthat, 

 by such evaporation, the i-elative percentages of the several constitu- 

 ents present in the juice would be maintained; but such is for from 

 being the case, as will be seen by the following table ; for, while the 

 sugar and the solids not sugar increase, it will be seen that their in- 

 crease is by no means proportional, the sucrose increasing from the first 

 to the seventeentli stage 688 per cent, while the solids increase only 

 135 per cent; besides, glucose, instead of . increasing, as would be 

 natural and inevitable, if we regard the matter as simply one of loss 

 of water by evaporation, decreases 65 per cent. 



But it is obvious that, if the water present in the juice at the differ- 

 ent stages be multiplied by the per cent of the several constituents, 

 as, e. (J., sucrose, the series of products would necessarily be a constant 

 quantity ; but, on the other hand, Ave find that the sucrose increases 

 606 percent, the solids 111 per cent, while the glucose decreases 68 

 per cent. Such a result is wholly at variance with the view, that 

 the increase of sugar is only apparent and due to the evaporation of 

 Avater. 



It will be observed that the actual increase in sugar in the plant is 

 in reality greater than is shown in the above results, since it is obvious 

 that a larger proportion of that present in the plant is expressed at the 

 tiuie when tlie amount of Avater is at its maximum, viz., during the 

 earlier stages, and that a larger proportion is left in the bagasse during 

 the later stages. 



