Report of Society's Meetings. 141 
Mr. Sherlock thought the discussion might proceed, 
and be adjourned to next meeting. This was agreed to. 
Mr. Francis, Government Chemist, said he thought 
that as the subje6l of diffusion was on for discussion it 
would be an opportune time to lay before the Society 
some figures he had prepared with reference to the 
amount of sugar contained in the cane, and to the 
analyses of cane laid before the Society by Mr. Russell 
at several previous meetings. Mr. Francis then read the 
following paper : — 
On the proportion of Sugar in Sugar-Cane. 
According to Watts's Dictionary of Chemistry (vol. 
5, p. 468) sugar cane contains more than 20 per cent, 
of sucrose unmixed with any other kind of sugar. 
Flukiger and Hanbury, the chief English authorities 
on the constituents of plants, state (Pharmacographia, 
p. 718) that (Mauritius) cane, when mature is composed 
of sugar 18 to 21 per cent; cellulose 8 to 12 per cent., 
water, salts, &c. 67 to 73 per cent. Ure's Dictionary of 
Arts, &c : (6th edit., vol. 3, p. 817) gives the density of 
cane juice as ranging from 6'3° to i4'2° Beaume. Similar 
general statements are to be found in many other 
authorities of less importance. Such statements are not, 
however, satisfactorily substantiated by the published 
analyses of juice and cane ordinarily met with. 
To Dr. leery, the then President of the Chamber of 
Agriculture of Mauritius, we are chiefly indebted for 
our knowledge of the constituents of cane juice. He 
examined the juice, at different stages of development, 
of the six varieties of cane cultivated in Mauritius, viz : 
white Otaheite cane, Batavian bamboo cane, Guinghan 
