AVERAGE RESULTS OF ANALYSES OF SORGHUM, ETC. 221 



stage, was but 1.74 per ceut, the percentage of juice expressed being 

 the same as when from 16 to 20 per cent of sucrose was present, it ne- 

 cessarily follows that the amount of Avater present in the jilaut must 

 have been much greater early in the plant's life than at the close ; but 

 th.ere is no reason to suppose that this decrease in water is in the nature 

 of evaporation, or a drying up of the plant. 



Why it is I do not know. It is au interesting point for further in- 

 vestigation. It would seem, if I might reason upon it, as though when 

 the plant was endeavoring to provide for this elaboration of the seed in 

 the plant, it was natural for it to elaborate these constituents which were 

 necessary for the building up of the seed ; but its organs by which 

 these were elaborated were stimulated to an excess, and they had 

 acquired, if you will say so, a sort of momentum, so that, after the 

 demand was supplied, Avhich the seed made, there still went on an 

 elaboration of these constituents in the plant. Whether that is the 

 explanation or not, as a matter of fact, the sugar increases in the plant 

 after the seed is thoroughly ripe, and Avill actually shell out. And 

 the same has been found true of corn. 



Analyses of Fresh and Dry Juices. 



In the following table is given the analyses of thirteen juices in their 

 condition as freshly expressed, and after they had been rapidly dried 

 in a warm chamber. 



It was intended to make a more thorough examination of these dried 

 juices to determine the character of the several constituents present 

 besides the sugars, viz., the organic substances which are to be 

 removed, if at all, by defecation, and the miueral constituents of 

 the ash. 



Excluding the analysesof the juices from suckers and leaves of Nos. 

 7 and 8, as being hardly comparable with the others, the average anal- 

 ysis of the fresh juices is as follows : 



Per cent of juice expressed 56.62 



Specific gravity 1.0702 



Per cent glucose in juice 1.17 



Percent sucrose in juice 12. 3G 



Per cent solids not sugar in juice 3.08 



Per cent of polarization 12.10 



Per cent of water in juice 85. -52 



Per cent of dry matter in juice 14.47 



It will be observed that there was lost by drying 85.52 per cent, 

 and the solids remaining were 14.47 per cent; but, as will be seen by 

 the analyses of the fresh juices, there was an average of 16.61 percent 

 of total solids : this shows that, in the operation of drying, there was 

 a loss of 2.14 per cent, equal to 12.88 per cent of the total solids. 



The average proximate analyses of the dried juices gave : 



