Sugar, its Cultivation, Manufacture and Commerce, No. I [pp. 152-159]

154 SUGAR-ITS CULTIVATION, MANUFACTURE, AND COMMERCE.
gar. It contains pure sugar and impurities. Twenty pounds Lou isiana molasses gave 15 lbs. of the former, and 5 of the latter, includ ing water.
Treacle is a late product of the refinery; it does not crystalize; is
of a dark brown color; specific gravity, 13S0-1400.
Fig. 1. The plant is perennial. The
stem, cut horizontally, is shown
in figure 1, and when examined
by a microscope, shows a series
of hexagonal cells, formed of
delicate tissue and closed lateral ly above and below, each being
entirely independent. A series
of vessels inclosed in woody
sheaths is also found, and best
A shown by a vertical section.
Thus, A A, fig. 2, are the ves sels; B B, the cells; the former
being formed of rings, and run ning from one extremity to the
other of the joint, forming a
Fig. 2. lacework. Here are situated
^ 3 ~ ~A ~the knots. The eyes, or ger minal spots of the plant are
found here. The vessels con tain a crude sap or fluid; the
cells a solution of pure sugar
and water. Between these
there would appear to be a con tinua] communication. The
sugar cells supply nourishment
to the rapidly vegetating cane,
but this supply is discontinued
on maturity.
Cane-juice is the expressed pro duct of crushed cane, and of con sequence, consists of other sub stances besides sugarand water.
It is first opaque, frothy, and of a yellowish green or greyish; sweet
taste acid reaction on test-paper, and separable by filtration into a
transparent yellow fluid, and a dark green fecula. This fecula or
scum, when separated by heat and lime, consists of wax 7.5, green
matter 1.3, albumen and wood 3.4, bi-phosphate of lime 0.5, silica
2.1, and water. The transparent liquid consists of wvater, sugar,
saline matters, coloring principles, etc.
The experiments of Peligot and Evans on filtered cane-juice
prove 1. That cane-juice, without the addition of any foreign matter,
when its water is evaporated at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere, does not produce crystals of sugar.
2. That when it is exposed to a temperature a little below that of