104 
that actually ruling, and will in all probability e in a dd years 
the present "method of producing lemon juice and citrate of lim 
The article from which I quote closes by saying: em ^ We ue haste 
* to notify our readers, so as to but lemon-growers on their guard, an 
* to prevent new investments being made in this branch of agriculture, 
* which must receive a great blow "from € new method of preparing 
** citric acid, and thereby sustain heavy losses." 
show what is meant by ** heavy loni" I would refer to my 
report dated January 8, 1889.* In the yea r 1887, from Messina alone, 
4,438 pipes of 130 gallons of lemon juice ined to fix colours in calico- 
printing), and valued at $635,834, were exported. A large quantity of 
crystallised citric acid was also expor 
Unmerchantable lemons are turned to great account, in Sicily more 
a 
the juice into concentrated lemon juice. Should this resource now 
taken from the Sicilian lemon-grower, he will indeed sustain a heavy 
While Florida and California lemon-growers will not be affected by 
this new discovery, sbould it ever prove all that is claimed for it, because 
their industry is still in its infancy, the question appears of sufficient 
interest to arrest attentiou, 
WALLACE S. Jon 
Rome, October 9, 1893. Consul- General. 
"nd inquiry at the Chemical Society it was found that nothing was 
own ves the new process amongst chemists in this country. Dr. Hugo 
Milo F.R.S., who kindly promised to make further inquiries in 
any, remarked in a letter :—“ Citric acid being rather ne to 
7 suffer breaking up in the presence of certain ferments, it is certainly 
* very remarkable that it should be formed in the process of a special 
* MEA action on a sugar in so large a opui as stated in 
- he 
x nip UE obtained and transmitted to Kew an extract from the 
Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der ss 
iften zu cita which fully confirms “what was stated in the 
Consular Report. 
A condensed translation of the paper is given below. The original 
was communicated to the Berlin Academy on June 15th last. “The 
process is already being carried out on a commercial scale. 
On CrrRIC Acip FERMENTATION. 
By Dr. C. Wreumer, of Hanover (communicated by Herr Fischer). 
Hyphomy yo are, as well as other Beer able to effect E 
under certain circumstances. A process of this kind, by which as much 
as one-half of the sugar used is ccaivartad into oxalic ‘acid, is well iow 
made this process, hitherto the only acid fermentation induced by 
repus, the subject of a more elaborate investigation 
earch has brought to light another case similar to oaii 
acid egiie in many ways, the product of w vhich i is another organic 
acid not hitherto obtained under such conditions. I call it “ citric acid 
fermentation. 
Certain moulds possess the property E converting a considerable uda 
portion of the sugar contained in the nutritive solution into 
"E 
© 
, acid which is, in constitution and xai identical with that fed 
Ta ee ga oa a a 
* Orange and lemon culture in Sivily.” (Consular Reports, No. 102, p. 296.) 
