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Citrate of lime is bought and sold on the same basis as concentrated 

 lemon and lime juice, namely on the basis of citric acid contained. Quo- 

 tations are made for the same arbitrary quantity as in the case of con- 

 centrated juice. In this case the standard is the cask of 675 pounds 

 of citrate, containing 64 per cent, of citric acid ; this being equal to 

 432 pounds of citric acid. As to price, citrate sells at about the same 

 rate as concentrated juice, sometimes realising a little more, sometimes 

 a little less than that article. 



From the point of view of the manufacturer of citric acid, citrate 

 of lime possesses some advantages over concentrated juice. It 

 can be stored without loss, while juice is liable to leak from the casks : 

 the first stage of the manufacture of the acid has been already com- 

 pleted and the manufacturer can dispense with the neutralising vats 

 and the filters, thus there is much economy of space and of labour ; 

 finally owing to the fact that citrate of lime is white, while concentrated 

 juice is black from the charring action of the heat used in its produc- 

 tion, the resulting citric liquors obtained from citrate are a better 

 colour, yielding whiter crystals of citric acid, thus reducing the opera- 

 tions of refining the citric acid and saving both labour and material. 



Possessing these advantages it seems probable that citrate of lime 

 will ultimately displace concentrated juice, provided that an article 

 thoroughly suited to manufacturers requirements is produced ; a3 com- 

 petition becomes keener in the production of raw material- -and this isr 

 likely to ensue from the attention being given to tropical products and 

 the difficulty experienced in finding new and profitable ones — -there will 

 arise competition between these two forms of raw material, when the 

 preference which the manufacturer of citric acid will give to well pre- 

 pared citrate will no doubt enhance its value in comparison with con- 

 centrated juice. Hitherto the production of citrate of lime has been 

 relatively small so that competition between the two forms of raw ma- 

 terial can hardly be said to exist : it is not unlikely that this condition 

 may be altered in the near future. 



It has been proposed to undertake the manufacture of the citric 

 acid itself in the countries where the juice is produced ; this offers 

 many obvious advantages, but at the same time is beset by some diffi- 

 culties. The chief difficulty would appear to be a trading one; the man- 

 ufacture of citric acid is in the hands of a few firms against whose in- 

 terests small manufacturers could not contend, so that the probability 

 of citric acid being made in the countries producing th^ raw materials 

 seems remote unless the venture is undertaken by one of the already 

 established citric acid- making firms. 



The discussion of the pros and cons of this question would be too 

 lengthy and technical to be profitably dealt with in this article ; I 

 .therefore propose to reserve it, if necessary, for future consideration. 



