CANE SUGAR. 



percentage of the expressed juice, and thus the weight of sugar in the juice; 

 determine separately the sugar percentage of the megass as given below, and 

 thence the weight of sugar in the megass. The sum of these determinations is 

 the weight of sugar in the weight of cane used. 



2. After Spencer*. Spencer very properly remarks that it is impossible 

 to satisfactorily comminute the cane without a special apparatus ; he recom- 

 mends for use the ' Hyatt ' cane reducer Fig. 263 ; this consists of a series of 

 circular staggered saws revolving at a high rate against which the cane is 

 forced, the comminuted cane falling into a covered box ; after obtaining the 

 finely divided sample 100 grms. are placed in a suitable vessel and boiled for 

 ten minutes with 100 c.c. of water; as much of the extract as possible is 

 drained off and the operation repeated seven times, the woody residue being 



/// vy 



FIG. 263. 



finally pressed in a hydraulic or other powerful press ; after all the extracts 

 are united and made up to definite volume, the united extract is analysed. 



3. A fine sample of the cane is obtained as above and the sugar extracted 

 in a Soxhlet apparatus, the extract made up to definite volume and its per- 

 centage of sugar determined ; this is the process preferred by the writer. 



4. Zammaron's Method. 1 One hundred grms. of finely divided material 

 are placed in a wire basket, and the basket and its contents placed in a copper 

 vessel, at the bottom of which is a cock ; .200 c.c. of water are placed in the 

 vessel and boiled for ten to fifteen minutes ; the extract is then drawn off by the 

 cock and received in a litre flask ; this process is repeated seven times, when 

 about 960 c.c. of extract will have been obtained; basic lead acetate is then 

 added to the extract in the litre flask, and its contents completed to 1000 c.c., 

 and polarized after filtration. 



In the writer's experience with finely divided cane there is no necessity 

 for a prolonged boiling ; of appliances for dividing the cane the Hyatt cane 

 reducer and a ' jerked beef slicer ' give very fine samples ; the ' sausage 

 chopper ' often used does not give so fine a division. 



476 



