BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 451 
It gave quasi(a) D = 79°.89 and 13.61% dextrose calculated on 
the dry root wood. On being evaporated to dryness and treated 
with strong alcohol, a large portion of the residue failed to 
dissolve. 
In still another experiment rather more than 50 grm. of pow- 
dered maple root were boiled for 3 hours in 1000 e.e. of 3.5% 
sulphuric acid ; the undissolved wood was filtered off, dried thor- 
oughly, and left to soak during 24 hours with 70 c.c. of sulphuric 
acid of 90% H,SO,. The mixture was poured into 3250 c.c. of 
boiling water, and the boiling was continued during 3 hours. The 
filtrate was neutralized with lead carbonate, and, after the removal 
of the lead sulphate, sulphuretted hydrogen was passed through 
the filtrate to remove any lead which might be held in solution. 
After removing the lead sulphide and the excess of sulphuretted 
hydrogen, the solution tested with Fehling’s liquor showed 0.84% 
of dextrose, calculated on the dry wood, and gave quasi 
(a) D = 82°.15. The low percentage of dextrose is remarkable. 
C. Acid Hydrolysis of Wood from the trunk of a Birch Tree 
(Betula populifolia of Aiton).—The wood submitted to examina- 
tion was the outer part of the trunk of a gray birch tree four 
inches in diameter that had been felled in the month of October. 
After the outer and inner bark had been removed, that portion of 
the outer wood which lay between the bark and a circle drawn 
half an inch inward from the bark was split off and ground to a 
fine powder. ‘Ten grams of this powder were soaked in 200 c.e. 
of strong ammonia water for 24 hours to remove coloring matters 
and albuminoids, and the excess of ammonia was removed by 
washing. The wood was then mixed with 200 c.c. of hydro- 
chlorie acid of 3% and boiled for three hours, over a free flame, 
in a flask provided with a reflux condenser. One half of the 
filtrate from the wood thus treated was neutralized with sodium 
hydroxide, evaporated, decolorized with bone-black, and tested. 
It gave quasi(a) D = 62°.85 and 19.8% of ‘‘ sugar” calculated 
as dextrose on the wood dried at 100°C. 
On evaporating the solution to dryness and treating the dry 
mags with cold, strong alcohol, there was obtained a residue 
which gave quasi(a) D = 76°.81, while the portion soluble in 
alcohol gaye quasi(a) D = 24°.52; both observations being made, 
