198  ON  CANE  SUaAR,  ETC. 
• 
that  in  many  of  the  formulae  the  diflSculties  above  alluded  to 
are  encountered,  and  the  resulting  sjrup  is  either  disposed  to 
fermentation  or  to  deposit  sugar  by  crystallization.  While  in 
other  formulae  the  quantity  of  the  preparations,  when  finished, 
are  greater  than  that  intended,  and  in  consequence  its  medici- 
nal activity  proportionally  diminished. 
The  design  of  the  writer  of  this  paper  is  not  to  go  into  any 
consideration  of  the  changes  which  sugar  may  undergo,  in  the 
various  syrups,  by  long  boiling,  or  from  chemical  changes 
occasioned  by  contact  with  substances  with  which  it  may  be 
combined  ;  but  to  offer  some  remarks  of  a  more  practical  char- 
acter. 
In  pursuit  of  the  following  investigations,  Lovering's  pul- 
verized sugar  was  employed.  In  making  syrups,  however,  it  is 
very  apt  to  form  a  mass  at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  thereby 
being  liable  to  be  burned,  where  heat  is  taken  to  effect  the 
solution  ;  crushed  sugar  has  not  this  tendency,  and  is  therefore 
preferable  in  most  cases.  This  sugar,  as  generally  met  with,  is 
nearly  dry,  20  grs.  being  exposed  to  a  heat  of  180'^  Fah.  for 
two  hours,  lost  "19  grs.  or  •95  per  cent.  The  specific  gravity 
of  it  was  found,  by  several  trials,  to  be  1-589.  This 
result  was  ascertained  by  finding  the  weight  of  the  bulk  of  a 
quantity  of  sugar,  compared  with  the  weight  of  an  equal  bulk 
of  nearly  absolute  alcohol.  This  liquid  was  taken  on  account  of 
the  almost  insolubility  of  sugar  in  it,  and  in  order  to  guard 
against  error  which  the  small  amount  taken  up  might  cause, 
the  alcohol  used  was  allowed  to  stand  with  dry  sugar  before 
being  used. 
A  sample  of  the  sugar  without  previous  drying  was  found  to 
have  a  specific  gravity  of  1*58  and  as  this  represents  the  offici- 
nal sugar,  I  have  therefore  used  it  in  the  succeeding  investi- 
gations. 
By  calculation,  1  lb.  of  sugar  will  be  found  to  equal  8  fluid 
oz.  Thus,  1  lb.  —5760  grs.,  dividing  this  by  its  specific  gravity 
(5760-^1.68)  its  bulk  in  grains  will  be  3645-569,  which  divided 
by  455-69  grs.,  the  number  of  grains  in  a  fluid  ounce  gives  8 
fluid  oz.  I  have,  however,  found  that  when  sugar  is  dissolved  in 
water  it  occupies  a  less  space  than  above  stated,  showing  a 
slight  condensation.    This  was  ascertained  by  direct  experi- 
