16 CHAPTER II 



percentage of fibre. The highest figure is reached in the Uba cane, which 

 normally contains from 16 to 17 per cent, of fibre. 



The Nitrogenous Constituents of the Cane. Nitrogen is found in the cane 

 as albuminoids, including herein albumen, nuclein, albumoses and peptones, 

 amido acids, amides, nitrogenous bases, and nitrates and ammonia salts. 

 Following on investigations of German origin on the beet, the five last- 

 mentioned constituents have received the rather inappropriate qualification 

 of " objectionable," indicating thereby that they are not removed in the 

 processes of purification, and hence increase the quantity of molasses. 

 Referred to dry matter, Maxwell found the total nitrogen in leaves, tops, 

 and' dead cane to be 0-521 per cent, as an average over a large number of 

 varieties, the extreme values being 0^427 per cent, and 0-599 P er cen t. 

 Taking the stalks alone, he found an average of 0-461 per cent., with extremes 

 of 0-207 per cent, and 0-530 per cent. Combination of these results with 

 those quoted above would indicate that about 65 per cent, of the nitrogen 

 is to be found in the waste products, and 35 per cent, only in the stalks. 



In the cane stalks themselves, Browne and Blouin 2 found the distribution 

 of the nitrogenous bodies as shown below : 



Per cent, of Cane. 

 Albumen (coagtiable and soluble in pepsin) . .. . 0-059 



Nuclein (coaguable and insoluble in pepsin) . 

 Albumoses and peptones (not coaguable) 

 Amido acids as aspartic acid 

 Amido acid amides, as asparagine 

 Ammonia as NH3 



0-040 

 0-033 

 0-145 

 0*232 

 0*008 



Nitric acid as N2O5 .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-071 



Total nitrogenous bodies .. .. .. .. .. 0*588 



The identity of the nitrogenous bodies remains open to question. Shorey 11 

 isolated a body which he identified as glycocoll ; but Zerban 12 with a similar 

 procedure found only asparagine. After removal of the albuminoids, and 

 by precipitation with phosphotungstic acid, Shorey obtained a mixture of 

 lecithins, the alkaloidal bases of which he identified as betaine and choline. 

 The only xanthine base he found was guanine. In addition to asparagine, 

 Zerban also isolated glutamine and tyrosine, these two bodies being present 

 in much smaller quantity than asparagine. 



The Ash of the Cane. As with the other constituents, distinction must 

 be made between the ash of the stalks and that of the leaves, roots, etc. 

 Maxwell's analyses of Hawaiian cane already referred to gave 3-2 per cent. 

 of ash in the stalks and 9-5 per cent, in the leaves, etc., both calculated on 

 dry matter ; and Popp 18 in some very early work found 4-05 per cent, ash 

 in the stalks and 8-25 per cent, in the leaves. 



The earliest analyses on record are those due to Stenhouse, 14 and since 

 then very many have been made. Some analyses are vitiated since it is 

 not stated to what basis the analysis refers, stalks, leaves or whole plant. 

 A selection from the very large number on record is given below and covering 

 the extreme variations in composition. This variation will be controlled 

 by variety, the composition of the soil, and by the manures used. The only 

 features of constancy are the preponderance of silica in the ash of the leaves 

 and of potash in the stalks. 



