122 



GIBBS. 



COMPOSITION OF THE SAP. 

 (In cooperation with F. Agcaoili.) 



The sap as it flows from tlie stalk is clear and transjDarent, almost 

 colorless, and very sweet to the taste. Samples from six different palms 

 in the Provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga were studied to determine 

 the composition. 



The native tuba gatherers stated that the first four palms had fruited 

 in August, but that the flower stalks had been cut for only one month 

 and had been running sap ever since. They believed that the flow would 

 continue for piore than another month, but that the flower stalks would 

 be cut away entirely before the flow ceased. The jJalms were more than 

 thirty years old. The estimated daily flow may not be quite coi*rect for 

 the reason that it is based upon the amount collected during the night 

 following the fresh slicing of the stem, when the sap flow is somewhat 

 greater than during the day, when the cut surface is not fresh. Samples 

 numbered 5 and 6 were, from all the infomiation which could be 

 gathered, from trees of about the same age and. to all intents and pur- 

 poses, in the same condition as the first four. All of the trees were 

 average specimens representative of the whole district, which contains 

 millions of palms. 



The anaMical data are tabulated as follows: 



Table VI. — Analyses of the sap of the nipa palm. 





t-u:)Oo 







o 



c 





Q 





M 













S 

 o 





c 



.2 





■s 



: 



^1 





s 





o 



1 



5 



om one 

 d u r i n 

 4.30 p. 



, Febru 



, 1910. 





s'il 



CO 



oi o 

 a 





c 

 o si 



c 



c3 

 O 





c 



c 

 1 



E3 





2 -^£S- 



o 

 p. 



>> 



- 



>. 





t. 



h 



g3 



o 



Ul 





ft 

 1 



CO 



Flow 

 sta 

 hou 

 a. 

 and 



Pi 





O 



!5 

 < 





o 



> 



a 



ss 



So 



W 



> 



^ 





cc. 













^- 















•1 



695 



0.953 



1.0633 



15.40 



0.43 



0.39 



5.0 



2.20 



5.50 



5.85 



7.31 







»2 



240 



0.324 



1.0654 



15.39 



0.27 



0.65 



12.4 



2.86 



11.83 



12.60 



0.74 







*3 



890 



1.221 



1.0679 



- 17.03 



0.10 



0.47 



14.0 



2.42 



12.73 



13.60 



0.89 





»'4 



600 



0.823 



1. 0714 



18.36 



0.03 



0.48 



15.6 



4.42 



15.42 



16.58 



0.80 





5 

 6 



Dec. 14 

 Dec. 14 





1.0644 

 1.0730 



"15.7 

 "17.7 







14.1 

 16.2 







14.95 

 17. 32 







89.8 

 91.5 



1 



















* Preserved with 1 g. mercuric chloride. 



*> Preserved with 1 cc. formalin. 



<: Calculated from the density. BuM. V. S. Dept. Agric. Bur. Chem. (1908), No. 107, 221. 



The first four samples were collected at Hagonoy, in glass bottles 

 containing the preservatives and analyzed in the laboratory in Manila 

 two days later. Samples numbered 5 and 6 were taken from two trees 

 at San Esteban and j^olarized immediately. To avoid all external 



