609 



G. MARTINEAU. A Beet Sugar Industry in England. The In- 

 ternational Sugar Journal^ Vol. 12, No. 137, 218-221. Altrin- 

 cham. Manchester, July 1910. Home Grown Sugar. Idem, 



222-225. 



From the numerous letters sent to the press of late it may be 

 gleaned that the great mass of opinion has been strongly in favour 

 of starting a beet sugar industry in England. The opinion is quoted 

 of a prominent East Prussian agriculturist, who stated that the soil 

 of England is for the most part more fertile than that of Germany ; 

 on similar land the German farmer grows sugar beet with success, 

 and pays double the rent the English farmer pays; there seems 

 to be no reason why cultivation of sugar beet, which is possible 

 in Germany, should not successfully be carried out in England. 



Mr. A. Balfour does not doubt the value of this form of in- 

 dustry to English rural population, as it gives employment at the 

 very time of the year when work is least in demand for other 

 operations connected with agriculture. 



Mr. Martineau sums up the position stating, that if it turns out 

 as it possibly may that in England they can get a better weight 

 of roots off the best English soils than the average weight for the 

 whole of Germany n 568 kg. nearly 12 tons per acre; and if 

 they can also get as seems certain an average yield of sugar of 

 14 per cent, then the English beet grower can beat the foreigner, 

 and with an unlimited market at his doors. 



THORNE AND TEFFENS, The Details of a modified Method for 

 the Hydrochloric acid Extraction Process in the Pola- 

 rimetric Determination of Starch. (Abs. in Chem. Ztg., 33 

 (1909), No. 69, p. 624) E. S. . XXI, Dec. 1909. 



A modification of the Effront-Ost-Lintner method is suggested. 



In this method 5 gm. of the material, ground as fine as possible, 

 are rubbed up in a mortar with water until the mass ceases to cling 

 to the side of the vessel, 20 cc. of water being generally required. 

 About 40 cc. of hydrochloric acid of specific gravity 1.15 is added, 

 amid constant stirring, until the mass swells and forms a viscous 

 fluid. The mixture is allowed to stand for 10 minutes and then 

 transferred to a 200 cc. flask, containing 10 cc. of a 4 per cent 

 phosphotungstic acid and 20 cc. of hydrochloric acid. The mortar 

 is washed out with dilute hydrochloric acid and the flask filled 



39 



