viii, a, 6 Pratt et al.: Nipa Palm 397 



secretion. This peroxidase is capable of oxidizing sucrose and 

 invert sugar in either neutral or alkaline solution. 



Collection and preservation of sap. — Nipa sap may be collected 

 without appreciable deterioration in bamboo joints or tuquils 

 containing lime cream and sulphite. The latter may be added 

 to the lime at the mill by passing the requisite amount of sulphur 

 dioxide into a lime cream of proper consistency. The presence of 

 this additional preservative in the lime cream will destroy the en- 

 zymes present and prevent deterioration of the sap. It also 

 avoids the necessity of further bleaching. The use of small fun- 

 nels for conveying the inflowing j uice to the bottom of the tuquils 

 avoids stratification and results in more perfect preservation. 

 The additional expense attendant upon their use is slight, and 

 more than counterbalanced by the resulting advantages. 



Cost of collection. — Nipa sap can be collected and delivered to 

 a mill on a commercial scale with negligible loss of sucrose and 

 decrease in purity for approximately 3 pesos (1.50 dollars United 

 States currency) per 1,000 liters. 



Extraction of sugar. — Approximately 115 kilograms of com- 

 mercial white sugar polarizing at from 99° to 99°. 5 can be re- 

 covered from 1,000 liters of sap possessing average composition. 

 No important modification of methods now used in sugar practice 

 will be necessary. Furthermore, no expense corresponding to 

 the grinding of cane or the extraction of beets need be included 

 in the cost of manufacture. The lack of fuel caused by absence 

 of bagasse may be largely overcome by utilizing the cheap and 

 plentiful wood of mangrove swamps. 



Cost of manufacture. — Manufacturing sugar from nipa sap 

 will be less expensive than from cane or sugar beet. It is be- 

 lieved that data presented in this paper will form a sufficient 

 basis for calculating costs and profits. 



Area of swamp necessary for a 10-ton mill. — About 9,000 liters 

 of nipa sap will be required to produce 1 metric ton of 96° sugar ; 

 therefore, a 10-ton mill running at full capacity will necessitate 

 90,000 liters of sap daily. One hectare of nipa swamp yielding 

 30,000 liters of juice per season should produce from 200 to 250 

 liters per day during the months of maximum flow. Therefore, 

 about 450 hectares of good producing swamp would supply such 8 

 a mill operating at full capacity during the height of the season. 

 Many distilleries at the present time are receiving a larger vol- 



' The former estimate (Gibbs, loc. cit., 142) was based upon 2,000 plants 

 per hectare; that is, on the assumption that all plants fruit each year, 

 which is not the case. 



