82 



MAPLE-SAP SIRUP. 



the extremes are 208 and 41 cc. One cubic centimeter of tenth- 

 normal alkali equals 0.005 gram of calcium carbonate or 0.0028 gram 

 of calcium oxid. The average "cc figure" expressed as grams of cal- 

 cium carbonate is 0.485 and as grams of calcium oxid 0.2716, the 

 average per cent of insoluble ash being 0.37, a figure which is midway 

 between the calcium oxid and calcium carbonate results. There is 

 present in most cases in the ash of maple sirup a small quantity of 

 material that does not dissolve in the acid. 



For the alkalinity of the soluble ash the average figure is 75 cc, 

 the extremes are 122 and 41 cc; considering the alkalinity of the 

 soluble ash to be due to potassium carbonate, the average figure 

 would equal 0.51825 gram of potassium carbonate in 100 grams of 

 sirup. The average per cent of soluble ash is 0.63. There are pres- 

 ent in maple ash other soluble salts, and the alkalinity recorded may 

 be due in part to sodium carbonate. 



The figures obtained by dividing the alkalinities average 0.77, and 

 the extremes are 1.83 and 0.21 per cent, exhibiting a much smaller 

 range than those for the relation of soluble to insoluble ash. As is 

 seen from the table, 77 per cent of all the samples have a figure 

 below unity and of the remainder 17 per cent are between 1 and 1.19. 



Alkalinity of soluble ash divided by that of the insoluble ash. 



MINERAL COMPOSITION OF MAPLE ASH. 

 GENERAL DISCUSSION. 



The ash of maple sirup is composed largely of calcium and potas- 

 sium carbonates. Magnesium, and sometimes manganese, are 

 present in small quantities, but as before noted the latter is not 

 always a constituent of maple sirup. If an appreciable amount is 

 present, it colors the ash, as was noticed in quite a number of samples. 

 From 8 to 10 per cent of sodium, which is a normal constituent of 



