Analysis of Sugar Cane, 



513 



sugar, could make 544 if he were able to extract all that the cane con- 

 tains." " In practice," he adds, " we shall never attain that limit but 

 by some improvements in the cylindrical rollers. It will be possible 

 to obtain 75 parts of juice from 100 of cane, which will be upwards 

 of ~ths of its whole contents." 



5 



M. Avequin, however, does not carry so high as M. Peligot his 

 estimate of the quantity of sugar that may be obtained from the 

 cane, but that is evidently owing to the climate of Louisiana, 

 which is ill adapted to the culture of sugar-cane, for there it has 

 degenerated; and it is known that the plant contains less sugar 

 the further it grows from the Tropics, in so much, that it will 

 probably be found an unprofitable attempt to cultivate it in Algeria. 

 Further, the results of M. Peligot are found verified to a certain 

 extent by those of Dutrone, who points out a variation in the 

 density of cane juice of from the 5th to the 14th degree of Beaume, 

 and who admits that 251bs. and 11 ounces of sugar may be obtained 

 from a quintal of vesou of the latter degree of density, which would 

 give no less than 23 parts of sugar to 100 of cane. But such 

 a produce is quite a maximum that will never be attained in 

 practice, no more probably than the result little short of that ob- 

 tained by M. Peligot. 



M. Robiquet confirms the statement of M. Guibourt. 



M. Thenard adds, that M. Peligot was aware of the labors of 

 M. Avequin, and had not failed to mention them in his memoir." 



Extract of a Letter from M. Peligot. 



" A letter from M. Guibourt read at the last meeting, claims in 

 favor of M. Avequin, Pharmacie at New Orleans, the priority of 

 some of the results that I have pointed out in my analysis of the 

 sugar cane of Martinique. If M. Guibourt had read my memoir, he 

 would have seen that I have cited from the text that part of the 

 work of M. Avequin to which he calls the attention of the Academy, 

 relative to the ninety per cent, of vesou contained in the cane. 

 There are, it is true, other parts of the memoir of M. Avequin on 



8 u 



