32 



It will be interesting to compare these numbers with those obtained 

 at Magnolia Station, La., in 1885, and recorded in Bulletin No. 11, pp. 

 11, 12. 



Per cent. 



Total solids in cane 14.22 



Total sucrose in cane 10.90 



Total glucose in cane 92 



Mean purity 76. 6 



Mean glucose per 100 sucrose 8. 44 



'Available sugar calculated as before, viz, 7.58 per cent. =151.6 pounds per ton. 



It thus clearly appears from a careful study of the analytical data 

 that the sorghum canes entering the battery at Fort Scott were totally 

 unfit for sugar-making. Those who are disposed to find fault with the 

 experiments because more sugar was not made would do well to con- 

 sider these facts. 



No known process, save an act of. creation, could have made sugar 

 successfully out of such material. 



If nothing better than this can be obtained, then it is time to declare 

 the belief in an indigenous sorghum-sugar industry a delusion. This 

 subject will be mentioned again in the summary. 



A general review of the data connected with this interesting problem 

 shows that with fresh chips of fine quality, the natural acidity is capa- 

 ble of producing no appreciable inversion during treatment in an ex- 

 traction flask or while under pressure in the battery. With the dete- 

 rioration of the cane, however, and consequent increasing acidity, this 

 inversion becomes very great. In other words, the natural acids of the 

 cane, such as malic and aconitic, are incapable of producing any appre 

 ciable in version ; but the accidental acid (acetic) which comes from de- 

 terioration may cause an inversion of the sucrose in a most marked 

 degree. The most practical method of avoiding this danger appears 

 to me to be a mechanical contrivance which will sprinkle evenly over 

 the entering chips 2 or 3 pounds of fine slaked lime or double that 

 quantity of fine calcium carbonate to each cell of chips. 



As has already been noted, every other attempt to neutralize the 

 dangerous acids of the cane in a practical way has failed. 



DIFFUSION JUICES. 



The ratio of glucose to sucrose (per hundred) in the diffusion juices 

 was as follows : 



Per cent. 



Before October 1 39.95 



After September 30 68.15 



These results show that before frost the inversion of the sucrose in 

 the battery was nil, but that after frost this inversion was very marked. 

 This fact is also emphasized by another, viz, that before frost the full 

 battery of 14 cells was used, but that afterwards 8, 10, and 12 ceils only 



