REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



53 



The experiments, however, have their chief value in the fact that 

 they will call the attention of cane-growers to the advantages which a 

 rational system of diffusion will have over pressure in the extraction of 

 the saccharine matter. In the present condition of the sorghum-sugar 

 industry, in which it has alike to be protected from the over zeal of its 

 friends and the opposition of its enemies, the process of diffusion offers 

 the most promising outlook for success. It therefore seems the duty of 

 this Bureau to make a more practical test of this process and on a 

 larger scale. 



Of the sugar industries of the country, as a whole, it may be said 

 that fhey are far from being on a successful financial basis. Of the two 

 canes, tropical and sorghum, it may be said that the processes of man- 

 ufacture are imperfect and wasteful. A large part of the sugar is left 

 in the bagasse, and another large part passes into the molasses. 



Of the two northern sources of sugar the beet has the advantage in 

 localities suited to its growth, since the methods of manufacture are so 

 thoroughly complete and the conditions of their successful working so 

 well understood. With this source of sugar, therefore, the problem 

 narrows itself to the growth of a good beet. 



With sorghum the future success seems to depend on the following 

 conditions : 



(1.) A careful selection and improvement of the seed with a view of 

 increasing the proportion of sucrose. 



(2.) A definition of geographical limits of successful culture and man- 

 ufacture. 



(3.) A better method of purifying the juices. 



(4.) A more complete separation of the sugar from the canes. 



(5.) A more complete separation of the sugar from the molasses. 



(6.) A systematic utilization of by-products. 



(7.) A careful nutrition and improvement of the soil. 



Willi the present extremely low prices of sugars, all these conditions 

 must be most carefully guarded before a profit can ensue, and it will be 

 the object of this division not only to investigate the subject on their 

 own part, but to keep informed as to the results of others. 



MAPLE SUGAR. 



The remaining source of sugar, the maple, is necessarily limited in the 

 amount which it can furnish. Of the products but little has hitherto 

 been known, and having been requested by Prof. H. C. Bolton to fur- 

 nish him with copies of analyses of maple sugars and sirups, it was sur- 

 prising to find how small an amount of attention had been given to the 

 matter. In order to arrive at a more definite idea of the constitution 

 of these products, a large number of samples were purchased in open 

 market and others secured directly from reliable manufacturers. 



The results of the analyses, presented in the following tables, show 

 to be true what has long been suspected, namely, that the commercial 

 articles are largely adulterated. The commercial sirups are quite uni- 

 formly mixed with starch-sugar, or glucose. No method of analysis, 

 however, will detect a kind of adulteration, which is probably common, 

 that of the addition of cane or beet sugar to the maple. All of these 

 sugars are identical chemically. 



Of the sirups, Nos. 14 to 20, inclusive, are known to be genuine. Ex- 

 cluding from these No. 15, which had been made for more than a year 

 and had undergone, undoubtedly, partial fermentation, it is seen that 

 the sucrose varies from 39.22 per cent, to 64.45 per cent. The invert 



