Download (4MB) - QUT Digital Collections

THE COMPOSITION OF THE CANE.The Reducing Sugars of the Cane.—The reducing sugars ofthe cane consist almost wholly of dextrose and levulose. Wiley, working onsub-tropical cane, found both these sugars, but Winter, in Java, with tropicalcane, found only dextrose. Geerligs, 4 however, showed that in Java dextroseand levulose are both formed, but that the latter is used up more rapidly inthe plant's economy, and tends to disappear, and this observation has also beenmade by C. A. Browne, 8 in Louisiana, finally, as has been shown by Wiley, 4the reducing sugars may be entirely absent in perfectly ripe cane. In over-ripecane they again appear, due to the inversion of the saccharose.The Non-Sugars of the Cane.—The following bodies have beenidentified in the cane; a doubtful identification is shown by italics :—Inorganic bases: potash, soda, lime, magnesia, iron, alumina, manganeseoxide, titanium oxide.Inorganic acids: sulphuric, phosphoric, silica.Organic Acids : malic, succinic, oxalic, glycolic, acetic (in damaged cane),citric, tartaric, aconitic.Nitrogenous bodies: albumen, nucleins, albumoses, peptones, amines,amido acids, xanthine bases, lecithins.Non-nitrogenous bodies: Fat, wax, chlorophyll, anthocyan, pectin, xylan,araban, gum, cellulose, lignin.Composition of different Parts of the Cane.—According toC. A. Browne 6 the average composition of Louisiana cane is as shown in thefollowing table:—The Nitrogenous Bodies of the Cane.—These have beenfound by C. A. Browne 8 to be thus divided in Louisiana cane :—15