SUGAR, MOLASSES, CONFECTIONS, AND HONEY. 677 



Lowest polarization. No. 10, marked New Orleaiis sugar, shows the 

 lowest polarization of any of the samples, viz, 77.3. It is low even 

 for an open-kettle sugar. It is more likely to be a very low grade of 

 refinery product. 



Highest polarization. The highest polarization shown by any of the 

 samples is 100.2 by No. 42, also marked New Orleans. This sample 

 is shown to have also 1.07 per cent water and 1.88 per cent ash. The 

 number, 100.2, representing the polarization is necessarily erroneous. 

 All plus polarizing sugars are of a high grade of purity and have but 

 little ash. The only possible explanation of this high number is that 

 the sample is beet sugar made from material rich in raffinose and not 

 well purified. This might account for the excess of polarization and 

 also for the presence of so large a quantity of ash. A sugar polarizing 

 99 and over should have only a trace of ash. 



This polarization should also be diminished 0.3, on account of error 

 in the instrument. But even 99.9 polarization is entirely too high for 

 a sugar containing nearly 3 per cent of foreign matter, unless, as above 

 intimated, it may also contain raffiuose. 



ANALYSES BY W. B. RISING. 



Samples. The samples were purchased in Berkeley and San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal. They were mostly low-grade refinery samples, and one, of 

 which there was some doubt, was said to be New Orleans sugar. 



Lowest polarization. Sample No. 171 showed the lowest polarization, 

 viz, 79.6. It was a yellow sugar with 6.32 per cent water and 2.65 

 per cent ash. The place of its manufacture and the name under which 

 it was sold are not given. 



Highest polarization. The purest sugar of this lot is No. 5, a granu- 

 lated sugar purchased in Berkeley. It shows a polarization of 98.10, 

 with only .15 per cent water and .02 per cent ash. 



Highest ash. Sample No. 4 is remarkable in having so high a content 

 of ash. Scarcely more than this would be expected in molasses. The 

 color of this sugar, however, was white and its polarization only 85.7. 

 From the large quantity of ash contained in it there is reason to sus- 

 pect that it was made from beets. The small quantity of beet sugar 

 used on the Pacific coast, however, would make it difficult to accept 

 such an explanation. 



Accuracy of instrument. Mr. Rising has failed to report the reading 

 of the sample sugar sent him ; therefore the accuracy of the polari- 

 scope used by him is not known. 



ANALYSES BY M. A. SCOVELL. 



Samples. The samples were purchased in Lexington and Louisville, 

 Ky., and in Cincinnati, Ohio. After the analytical work had all been fin- 

 ished Prof. Scovell's laboratory was destroyed by fire and his notes 

 and samples destroyed. With great energy and ability he soon re- 

 18808 No. 13 4 



