STARCH-PRODUCING PLANTS. 



335 



TABLE No. I. DENSITY OP STARCH DERIVED FROM VARIOUS PLANTS. 



From this it will be seen that the order of density does not cor- 

 respond with the order in any of the other tables. Probably those 

 specimens prepared from dry seeds, such as wheat and maize starch, 

 which, as commercial articles at least, are less pure than those pre- 

 pared from recently dug roots, have also the lowest density. 



Hygroscopic properties of starch produced from different plants. 

 Such of the specimens as are marked in the following table, as 

 prepared in the colonial laboratory, were dried in the sun in shallow 

 trays, to which they had previously been transferred in the wet state. 

 When sun dried, the masses were broken down, and the starches 

 freely exposed to the air in the shade for ten days. Any adherent 

 masses were then rubbed to powder by light pressure a glazed 

 mortar, and the whole sifted. Portions of each of these starches, and 

 of others for the sake of comparison, were then dried, at 212 degrees 

 Fahrenheit, in a current of dry air, and the loss determined : 

 TABLE No. II. SHOWING THE HYGROSCOPIC WATER CONTAINED BY STARCH 



PRODUCED FROM DIFFERENT PLANTS. 



Remarks. 



Commercial, locality unknown 

 C., C. L.* 

 C., C. L. 

 C., C. L. 



Bermuda, commercial 

 Tubers from Belfast, C. L. 

 C., C. L. 



Grenada, commercial 

 Barbados, ditto 

 C., C. L. 



* The initial C. throughout these tables indicates that the plant was grown in the colony 

 C. L., that the starch was prepared in the colonial laboratory. 



