198 Timehri. 
that since the closing of the discussion on burning green 
megass as fuel, he had received by last mail a very valu- 
able paper from Mr. James H. Mann, Denver, Colorado, 
U.S.A. Considering that the paper was a very valuable 
document, he thought they might waive what was said 
about the closing of the discussion on this subje6t, and 
read this paper ; because, the writer was a distance off, 
and he could not possibly have sent his communication 
in time for the last meeting. The paper was then 
read : — 
The Theory of burning Green Megass. 
In my previous paper on this subject, I treated megass simply as a 
fuel containing more or less moisture, excusing myself on the ground of 
possessing no analysis, and having given deductions that are not stri6tly 
correct I trust I shall be blamed only for having been rather premature 
in stating my argument. 
After a perusal of several very interesting papers by Mr. Russell and 
others, lately received from Demerara, I am enabled to gather the 
required information, and, by following up my object of obtaining a 
comparative statement of the megass as a fuel, shall show my original 
deductions were not so very far wrong after all. 
Table " A" in one of Mr. Russell's letters, compiled with evident care 
and precision by Mr. Alexander, contains information most valuable 
and instructive. The percentage of available carbon in the megass is 
given, as well as the heat units in a pound of megass ; yet these figures 
give no real comparison between the different samples of megass, neither 
would the total carbon remaining in the megass from ioo cane represent 
its comparative value as a fuel, since there is a variable amount of 
moisture to be dispelled at the expense of some of this carbon. 
In the upper portion of this table * I have taken an ideal cane carrying 
13, 15 and 72 per cent., respectively, of fibre, sugar and water, and have 
compared the megass obtained from such cane after different percenta- 
ges of juice have been extracted. The highest percentage of expression, 
viz : 87, is of course one never to be attained in practice, but is here 
worked out merely to find the maximum possible value of megass as a 
* See page 199. 
