189 



Under these circumstances the West Indian producer, in deciding- 

 which article he shall make, must ascertain the difference in cost of 

 production and whether the buyers are likely, at an early date, to pre- 

 fer one article to the other. As matters stand at the present moment 

 I anticipate that citrate will prove more expensive in preparation than 

 concentrated lime juice, the cost of erecting steam heating apparatus 

 and drying chambers and of importing and transporting lime or 

 chalk will more than counterbalance the saving of fuel, the reduction 

 in cost of packages and the saving of acid destroyed in the process of 

 concentration. Nevertheless we have the evidence afforded by Italy 

 and Sicily, the principal sources of supply, where the production of 

 citrate is making steady headway and where, I am informed, the pro- 

 cess is found to be better and cheaper than simple concentration. The 

 exports of both articles from Messina and Catania have recently been 

 as follows : — 



Dec. 1, 1899, to Sept. 30, 1900. Concentrated juice 1,671 pipes 

 Citrate of lime 635£ tons . . 2,085 



Total .. .. 3.756 " 



Dec. 1, 1900, to Sep. 30, 1901. Concentrated juice 549 " 

 Citrate of lime 590J ton - .. 1,969 " 



Total .. .. 2,518 



It seems to me highly probable that the manufacture of citric acid 

 will ultimately show a decided preference for citrate of lime, and this 

 as soon as the manufacture of citrate in Italy and Sicily is placed upon 

 a sure footing, so that citrate of uniform and dependable quality 

 comes steadily to market : when that point is reached citrate will be- 

 gin to command higher prices than concentrated juice. West Indian 

 producers will then have to produce citrate if they wish to obtain the 

 best prices for their goods. This time may not be far distant, for the 

 experiments of the lest thirty years have removed most of the difficul- 

 ties which were encountered, while during the last ten years thej ad- 

 vance has been very marked on the commercial side. 



The table below is added in order to facilitate ca^ulations dealing 

 with the acidity of raw juice. In some places it is customary to speak 

 in terms of ounces of citric acid per gallon of juice, in otheis in terms 

 of grains per ounce. 



Table showing the quantity of citric acid in grains per ounce equi- 

 valent to ounces per gallon, and vice versa. 



per gall. 



= Grs. per on. 



Grs. per oz. 



== Oz. cr 



8 



21-875 



20 



7-314 



»-5 



23-242 



22 



8-045 



9 



24-609 



24 



8-777 



9-6 



25-966 



26 



9-508 



10 



27-344 



28 



10-23y 



10-5 



28-711 



30 



10-971 



11 



30-078 



32 



11-702 



11-5 



31-445 



34 



12-434 



12 



32-813 



36 



13165 



12-5 



34-180 



38 



13-897 



13 



35-547 



40 



14-6^8 



