Vol. VIII. No. 91. 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
[July, 1905.] 18 1 
The composition of the “ saki ” is shown in the following table : — 
Per cent. 
Alcohol 
Glycerin, resin, and albuminoids 
Fixed acids 
Volatile acids 
Water (by difference) 
11*14 
1 ’992 
■13 
'02 
86718 
Total ... 
100 
SUGAR-CANE CULTIVATION IN MADRAS. 
A considerable amount of interest is being shown in various parts of India at the 
present time in the possibility of profitably extending the cultivation of the sugar-cane 
and of manufacturing sugar for export. In this connection a Bulletin recently issued by 
Mr. C. Benson, Deputy-Director of Land Records and Agriculture for Madras, gives an 
interesting historical account of the introduction of the various exotic canes now grown 
in Madras, and of the yield of sugar obtained from them, and from those indigenous to 
the province, after about 60 years of cultivation. The area of land under cane in Madras 
was greatly extended for the first time about 1836, when the import duties on East and 
West Indian unrefined sugars were equalised in England. In this year, on the initiative 
of Surgeon Wright, the Madras Government obtained a supply of cuttings from Mauritius, 
which were in the course of time distributed to planters throughout the province and 
supplemented by further imports at various times. The Mauritius cane thus introduced, 
together with several indigenous varieties, constitute almost the whole of the sorts now 
cultivated in the province. The indigenous varieties commonly grown are t lie purple or 
red cane, and a small white reed, the latter being especially popular, and constituting 
in general about one- third of the whole Madras crop. The introduced varieties are white 
or yellowish canes, and probably also include the common striped kind which Mr. 
F. N. Gill regards as derived from the Otaheite Ribbon cane of Mauritius and the West 
Indies. 
There existed, until the results of the present investigations were published, no information 
regarding the yield obtained from these various canes, so that no selection has occurred 
based on analytical data, nor has any study been made of their relative resistances to 
climatic, fungoid, and other disturbing influences. Mr. Benson calls attention to the 
urgent necessity of planting experimental plots for the investigation of these points, and 
for the determination of the kind of soil best suited to the plants, the necessity or 
otherwise of irrigation, and the detection of any downward tendency in the yield of 
sugar obtained. 
The analyses of the juices were made by Mr. C. L. Royle, and a selection from the 
results obtained is given below : — 
Variety of Cane. 
District. 
Juice obtained. 
per cent. 
Sucrose. 
per cent. 
Glucose. 
per cent. 
( 
Coimbatore 
68-72 
17 to 20 
*75 to 1 
White . . . 1 
Kurnool . 
66-67 
10*3 to 13*8 
i*6 to 1*98 
t 
Godaveri . 
62 
12*6 to 167 
•29 to *91 
f 
Coimbatore 
68 
15*0 to 17*5 
roS to 1*15 
Striped . . . [ 
Kurnool . 
62-68 
10*8 to i6*S 
*95 to i*S 
t 
Godaveri . 
68-70 
9*57 to 17-88 
■71 to 1*4 
Coimbatore 
55 - 62*5 
157 to 18*4 
■82 to 1*31 
Purple . . . < 
Kurnool . 
60 
10*16 to 11 *74 
•87 to 2*3 
( 
Godaveri , 
62-65 
S*6i to 16*34 
'44 to *95 
V 
In the Bulletin further particulars relating to the kind of soil on which the crops were 
grown, and the method of cultivation, are given which need not be reproduced here, but 
attention may be directed to the large yields of sugar obtainable from many of these canes, 
which compare very favourably with the amounts obtained in Australia, the West Indies 
(Imp. Inst. Journal, Vii., pp. 155, 210), and in Hawaii, where, even with a very carefully 
organised system of cultivation, the usual yield is about 17 to iS per cent. 
MINING AND CONCENTRATION OF CORUNDUM IN ONTARIO. 
The existence of corundum in Ontario has been known for some twenty-four years, but 
it was not till the year 1896 that the corundum-bearing rocks were accurately surveyed. The 
prevailing rock is gneiss, composed chiefly of hornblende, biotite, and felspar, which is 
traversed by dykes of felspar and mica, and, in some cases, nepheline syenite. These dykes 
carry corundum, as well as small quantities of magnetite, pyrites, garnet, etc. The largest 
deposit of corundum discovered in Ontario, and the only deposit which has yet been 
economically worked, occurs in Raglan township, Renfrew county, in a broad dyke of almost 
pure felspar, which outcrops at intervals on the southern face of a high hill. The corundum 
itself is in the form of hexagonal crystals, which vary in size from half-an-inch to five or six 
inches in length, and are scattered through the felspar. The colour is usually of a brownish 
or greenish shade, and, whilst in one place the corundum may be concentrated in quantity, 
only a few feet away the felspar may be quite barren. This concentration apparently 
follows no definite law. The property was secured by the Canada Corundum Company in 
rgoo, and during the year work was begun in developing the deposit and in constructing 
an experimental plant for the concentration of the ore and the preparation of raw 
corundrum for market. Since then the process has been gradually improved, and the 
following is a description of the method at present in use : — Mining operations are exceedingly 
simple, and merely consist in stripping the dyke, drilling being done by hand, and dynamite 
being used for blasting. The ore is roughly sorted at the mine, and the picked ore, containing, 
probably, an average of 10 to 15 per cent, of corundrum, transported by wagon to the mill. 
The concentrating problem presented by the ore is the separation of the aluminium oxide, 
with a specific gravity of about 3*9, from the felspar gangue with specific gravity of 2*4 to 
2*5, and the elimination of such impurities as magnetite and pyrites. Water-power is used 
for working the concentrating machinery, and about 25 tons can be treated per day. The 
ore is fed by hand into a No. 2 Gates gyratory crusher, with a rated capacity of 12 tons per 
hour, which is, however, much less for this mineral, on account of the extreme hardness and 
tenacity of the corundum and the toughness of the felspar, which is finely crystalline and 
devoid of cleavage. In crushing, the corundum and felspar do not part readily, and a clean 
separation cannot be effected unless crushed to at least a 12 mesh. After the first crushing 
the ore, which is made to pass through a ij inch ring, is crushed wet between rolls to i inch 
size. It is now separated into three sizes, by means of a trommel fitted with 4-rum. and 8-mm. 
punched steel screens. The 4-mm. size is further separated into 1*5 mm. and 2*5 mm. sizes. 
Larger sizes, in each case, go to gigs, which concentrate the corundum. This is re-crushed, 
and further subjected to the sifting operation, the final products being 1 mm. and 1 *5 mm. sizes. 
By means of concentrating tables, a fairly clean magnetite corundum is obtained. These 
concentrates are dried on steam driers and passed under an electro- magnetic separator, to 
Sa-36/% 
free them from magnetite. The final operation consists in sizing, and the products are, 
approximately, 50 per cent, in sizes 12 to 24 mesh, 45 per cent, in sizes 30 to So mesh, and 
5 per cent, of fines. Sizes above 24 mesh are re-wasbed, to remove the remaining felspar, 
dried, and again treated under the magnetic separator, and re-sized. The finished corundum 
is put into 200 lb. sacks, ready for market. 
THE COPPER-MINING INDUSTRY IN THE CLONCURRY 
DISTRICT. 
Copper ore was discovered in the Cloncurry district in the year 1SS0 and was worked 
and smelted by a Glasgow Company between 1883 and 1887, after which year work was 
suspended, and it is only in recent years that attempts have been made to re-establish the 
industry. 
The rocks, in which the copper is found, belong to the older Metamorphic Series and 
form an extensive area of stony ridges and rough hills at the beads of the Cloncurry, 
Leichlhardt and Burke rivers. These rocks break through the later formed Lower Cretaceous 
strata which form the plains and downs of the greater portion of Western Queensland. The 
copper -bear m g rocks are of Silurian age and consist of steeply inclined — as a rule, almost 
vertical-beds of altered sedimentary strata, being made up chiefly of quartzites, greywackes, 
slates, schists and crystalline limestone. The beds have been bent into sharp folds by forces, 
acting in a general east and west direction, the same forces having determined the direction 
of the majority of the lines of hills which, as is well known, is north and south. The copper 
deposits are distinctly bedded and are not fissure lodes. From the surface, down to the 
permanent water level, the copper occurs as blue carbonates, copper glance, and oxides in 
ores of all degrees of richness, from the earthy ferruginous and siliceous varieties, to masses 
of practically pure ore. Below- the water level, the copper occurs as thin seams and 
impregnations of cupriferous pyrites in the slates. This leaching out and concentration of 
the mineral accounts for the phenomenally rich ores which are found outcropping all over the 
Cloncurry district. The deposits are generally very irregular both in quality and extent. 
The Great Australian Lode consists of three, each of which has been worked at the 
outcrop. The matrix is a brownish quartzite enclosing small pieces of metallic copper and 
thin veins of green carbonate. The ore can easily be picked to a high percentage. The lode 
appears on an average about 10 feet wide and is generally nearly vertical. 
The Hampden .Mine consists of a series of shallow shafts and trenches above the 
permanent water level, extending along a belt of copper -bearing slates some 200 feet in 
breadth for about 40 chains in length. The beds are vertical and their general trend is about 
15 degrees west of north. The ore is chiefly red oxide, and the lode material is a soft white 
kaolin derived from the decomposition of the felspathic slates. The ore is graded into three 
classes containing 40 per cent., 13 per cent, and 6J per cent, of copper. 
The Duck Creek Lodes appear to be similar to those already mentioned. The ore is 
either oxide or carbonate. A bulk assay of the ore gave 16*36 per cent, of copper and 
4 dwts. 13 grains of silver. Many other outcrops are known to occur and some work — 
mostly prospective — has been done towards their development. Since the district was 
surveyed in iSSr very little has been done to prove whether the outcrops contain valuable 
ores at a lower depth. The discovery of the Hampden Lode is the only item of any 
importance, and the splendid manner in which this mine has opened out leads to the 
hope that other outcrops, when prospected, will be found well worth systematic development. 
GENERAL NOTES. 
CITRONELLA OIL FROM JAVA. 
The recently issued bi-annual report on essential oils of Messrs. Schimmel and Co, 
draws attention to the fact that the cultivation of citronella grass, and the distillation of this 
volatile oil, has recently been undertaken in Java. No particulars are given as to the com- 
position of the oil, but it is said to be of much finer quality than that now produced in 
Ceylon, where it is inferred the cultivation and distillation of the plant are less rationally 
carried out. The value of this Ceylon industry may be estimated from the fact that 
1,430,168 lb. were exported last year, valued at about one shilling per lb. The quality of the 
Cinghalese oil has greatly improved in the last few years, adulteration being now very rare, 
and it is difficult to see how a finer oil can be produced in Java at the present unremunerative 
price. 
CINNAMON OIL. 
This valuable volatile oil, now chiefly produced in Ceylon, has recently been examined in 
the laboratories of Messrs. Schimmel and Co,, and its composition ascertained. In addition 
to the principal constituents cinnamic aldehyde , phdlandrenc and eugenol (the odoriferous 
constituent of oil of doves) the following substances have also been found : pinene , the 
characteristic constituent of turpentine, cymene, caryophyllene (also present in clove oil), 
henzaldehyde (oil of bitter almonds), linalool (a constituent of lavender oil) and cumic and 
nonylic aldehydes. There are also probably present hydrocinnamic aldehyde and hnaly! 
isobutyrate, 
+ 
An Automobile Fire Engine is being brought out, in which the power that drives the 
pumps can alternatively be applied to propel the engine through the streets to the place where its 
services are required. A machine of this type has been in successful use for some two years in 
Mauritius ; but in the present instance a further advance has been made by the adoption of liquid 
fuel, which seems to present distinct advantages for this kind of work, not only on account of 
the ease with which it can be manipulated, but also because the amount that can be stored in a 
given space will yield considerably more power than the same amount of coaL Steam can be 
raised from cold water in a very few minutes, and if, as is frequently done, the water in the boiler 
is kept warm while the engine is standing in the fire station by means of a ring of gas jets, the 
petroleum burner can get up a full head of steam (120 lb. per square inch) in one minute. The 
vehicle is controlled from the front by a throttle valve, reversing lever, and foot brake, and, 
although its 30 horse-power engines enable it to attain a high speed and its weight complete 
approaches three tons, it can be stopped dead in a few yards. 
The Carrying Trade of the Kingdom. — The Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association have 
just prepared a very interesting series of tabular comparative statements with respect to the 
carrying trade of the United Kingdom during the ten years 1891-1900, showing the part of that 
trade carried in British and foreign vessels, distinguishing the trade with foreign countries and 
that with British possessions, and also distinguishing vessels with cargo and these in ballast. The 
figures have been obtained from the “Annual Statements of the Navigation and Shipping of the 
United Kingdom.” The tonnage of vessels with cargoes trading to foreign countries in 1891 
comprised 36,428,937 British and 15,816,41s; foreign, while in 1900 the figures were 42,780,284 
tons British and 26,566,403 tons foreign. The annual average for the ten years was 40,860,575 
tons British and 18,887,284 tons foreign. The percentage of British decreased from 6g| to 6i|. 
while that of foreign increased from 30J to 38 the annual average percentages for the whole 
decade being respectively 68 and 32. . The vessels trading from the United Kingdom to British 
possessions with cargo were of 9,105,416 tons in 1891 and 9,551,871 tons in 1900, while foreign 
ships were of 963,456 tons in the former year and 959,586 tons in the latter. The annual average 
percentage of British increased in the ten years from 90J to 91J, while that of foreign decreased 
from 9^ to 8|. 
