THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY. PART I. 159 



The first eight samples were collected from 6 o'clock in the afternoon 

 to 6 o'clock in the morning, January 24 to 25, 1910, from trees near 

 Nagcarlan in the Province of Laguna, and the last four, from 6.30 

 o'clock in the afternoon, April 3, 1910, to 6.10 o'clock in the morning, 

 April 4, 1910, from palms at Cotta in the Province of Tayabas. 



Since the sap begins to change almost immediately on dropping 

 from the stalk, the preservatives were put into the collecting bottles 

 before they were put in place upon the trees. The samples preserved 

 with formalin remained perfectly clear and almost colorless for a 

 number of days, while those containing mercuric chloride were milky 

 with a suspended precipitate when the collecting bottles were removed. 

 This white precipitate of nitrogenous material gradually settled, leaving 

 a clear, supernatant liquid. 



Fresh sap, in which no chemical change has taken place, from an 

 average tree in its prime, will probably have aboiit the following com- 

 position : 



Results stated as grams in 100 cubic centimeters. 





Density 



1.0700 



Total solids 



17.5 



Acidity- 



Trace. 



Ash 



0.40 



Sucrose 



16.5 



Invert sugar 



Trace. 



Undetermined nitrogenous compounds, etc. 0.60 



I believe invert sugar practically to be absent in fresh juice, although 

 the most perfectly preserved samples contained 0.39 per cent. 



Samples numbered 9, 10, 11, and 12 were in transit seven days before the 

 analyses were begun. Chloroform therefore will not prevent the action of the 

 invertase, unless the bottles are completely full and air is excluded. 



In addition to the substances above enumerated the samples were found to 

 contain nitrogenous compounds, an invertase, yeast cells, and molds. The white 

 precipitate in one was separated by filtration and without any attempt at purifica- 

 tion was fovmd to contain 2.93 per cent nitrogen or 18.3 per cent protein. The 

 invertase performs its work so rapidly that it causes the sucrose to disappear 

 within a very short time after the sap exudes from the stem, unless precautions 

 are taken to inhibit its action. 



A sample of tuba collected by a native in the usual manner and representing 

 a composite from a number of trees was preserved with a large excess of formalin. 

 The collections were made at 7 a. m. from the bamboo joint-s which had been 

 filled by the night's flow and the sample was preserved three hours later. 



