58 R. T. BAKER AND H. G. SMITH. 
The remainder was dissolved in water clarified, and 
crystallised. Its solution was dextrorotatory, it crystal- 
lised well, reduced Fehling’s solution readily, had an odour 
of sugar strongly marked and the osazone melted at 
204-—5° C. Dextrose is the common sugar of the fruit of 
the vine, and it is thus also shown to occur in the root of 
this Vitis. A quantitative determination of a portion of 
the aqueous solution of the tuber gave 0°402% of reducing 
sugars. 
Mucilage—The mucilage was determined in the aqueous 
extract of the original ‘‘tuber’’ at 50—60° OC. as described 
above. The extract from 100 grams was precipitated 
with an equal volume of alcohol, the separated glairy mass 
removed, washed in alcohol, and dried at 100-—105°C. 
0°6816 gram was obtained equal to 14°13° of the total dried 
‘tuber,’ of this 0°1416 gram represented the fully carbonated 
ash, or 2°93» of the dried ‘tuber.’ This ash contained 
alumina, potassium and magnesium, and a trace of 
phosphoric acid. Only asmall amount of lime was detected 
and this was due to the few raphides which had passed 
through the cloth. The mucilage appeared to alter 
but slightly on long boiling with pure water, and even on 
boiling with dilute soda, as it separated in an identical 
manner with an equal volume of alcohol as before treat- 
ment; when boiled with very dilute hydrochloric or 
sulphuric acids it was entirely altered, and on continued 
boiling reducing sugars were largely formed. When the 
boiling was only continued sufficiently long that no 
precipitate took place with two volumes of alcohol, a 
turbidity was shown; on adding two more volumes of 
alcohol and on standing, a precipitate was obtained allied 
to arabin. It is thus seen that the mucilage resembled 
the ordinary vegetable mucilages soluble in water. 
