26 



cane is due to much of it being overripe, especially in the case of the 

 Amber variety. But the chief trouble arose from delay in handling 

 the cane due to defects in the machinery already pointed out. In some 

 cases, however, canes cut for two or three days, "when kept, for ex- 

 ample, in the middle of a car-load, from changes of temperature, pre- 

 served their sugar contents remarkably well. In general, however, the 

 results of the work emphasized the importance of a prompt handling 

 of the canes after they have been cut. 



With such canes as are indicated by the analyses of the mill-juices it 

 would be hopeless to expect to manufacture sugar profitably by any 

 process whatever. 



The amount of glucose per hundred of sucrose in the. first series of 

 analyses is 38.21; after September 30 it is 47.72. 



DIRECT EXTRACTION OF THE CHIPS. 



The determination of the sugars in the expressed juice of the cane 

 is not a satisfactory method of determining the sugar in the cane itself. 

 Did all canes contain the same percentage of juice, and were all the juice 

 both tbat expressed and that remaining in the canes, of the same com- 

 position, no other method of analysis would be necessary. Since neither 

 of these conditions obtain, however, in actual experience, I was led to 

 try some other process. The one finally adopted is described in full in 

 the Bulletin de FAssociation des Chimistes, and published in Paris No- 

 vember 15, 1884. 



Fresh sorghum -canes were cut into fine chips and treated for an hour 

 in a closed bottle with water at the boiling temperature. 



The analyses of the liquid obtained showed that the chips had the 

 following composition : 



* Mean of six analyses. 

 tMean of four analyses, 



It is seen by these analyses that the results obtained by the two meth- 

 ods agree very closely. 



A large number of experiments has also shown that equally as satis- 

 factory results are obtained with sugar-cane. 



When, however, in the case of sorghum, the canes have already begun 

 to deteriorate, and the sucrose is already partly inverted, it is found that 

 this method of analysis causes a considerable inversion. A similar in- 

 version, although to a less extent, takes place in the cells of the battery. 



After the close of the season a comparative study was made of the 

 amount of this inversion, and the results of these studies show clearly 



