262 Transactions.—Chemistry. 
on the exterior of the leaf much of the difficulty experienced in bringing 
various chemicals to act upon the cellular substance of the leaf itself is due ; 
it also retards the commencement of the retting and fermentation processes 
for the preparation of the fibre. Of course, the removal of this greasy bloom 
could not be economically effected on a manufacturing scale by means of a 
solvent like ether, or even by the use of that much cheaper and still more 
powerful agent, the bisulphide of carbon (CS,); but it might be worth while 
to see how far a brief immersion of the leaf in an alkaline or soapy liquor 
would answer in actual practice. As an alkaline lye might be prepared from 
the ashes of the rejected parts of the leaves, the cost of such a treatment as 
that just suggested need not be considerable. Laboratory experiments have 
shown me that leaves cleansed from the surface-wax by means of a boiling 
alkaline solution, are far more easily acted upon by the materials used in their 
subsequent treatment. It may be here remarked that in the treatment of the 
dried plant with boiling alcohol, a solution of many of the proximate principles 
of the plant is obtained, and amongst these some of the wax or fat will be 
found; but, as the solution cools, the greater part of this substance is 
deposited in granules, which are soluble in ether, and which fuse below the 
heat of boiling water. 
C.— Sugar. 
In determining the existence and proportion of sugar in the Phormium 
leaf, two plans were adopted. When an alcoholic extract of the leaves had 
been prepared, as described further on, under the heading “ Bitter Principle,” 
it yielded, after treatment with lead subacetate and separation of the resulting 
precipitate, a solution which contained certain lead com pounds along with the 
bitter principle, and much sugar. This solution was freed from lead by means 
of sulphuretted hydrogen (H28), and then, after filtration and concentration, 
gradually deposited a considerable amount of amorphous sugar. This sugar 
corresponded closely in properties to the sugar of acid fruits, known as fructose 
or levulose. It was soluble in alcohol, and reduced the red oxide of copper 
from Fehling’s sugar test very readily. A rough determination of its amount 
gave 4:3 per cent. as existing in the fresh leaves. This number is much 
higher than the estimate recorded by Dr. Hector in 1865 (1 to 1:5 per cent.) ; 
but I consider it rather under than beyond the truth. This apparent 
discrepancy may, however, be capable of ready explanation. The leaves of 
Phormium upon which my experiments were necessarily made, had been 
grown in a greenhouse a& Kew. The plant was a good deal shaded by the 
crowding of other foliage, and altogether was growing under quite artificial 
conditions. "These conditions may have been, and are likely to have been, 
peculiarly favourable to the production of sugar. | 
When an aqueous extract of the plant was prepared, a still higher per- 
