—There is a very large trade in this country in canned pineapples imported from Singapore and the Straits Settlements and the Bahamas. The pines are usually canned with the addition of sugar, and those that come to our ports are as a rule sweetened only with cane sugar.

A large number of analyses has been made of these canned pineapples in the Bureau of Chemistry and the general data which were secured are presented below:

Canned pineapples from Singapore, average, maximum, and minimum composition:

Solids.Sugar.Protein.Ash.Acidity.
Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.
Average,20.1517.90.46.28.30
Maximum,25.3025.10.60.36.43
Minimum,18.1814.87.39.21.16

The above data show that it is possible to compute the average quantity of sugar which is added in the preparation of the sample. If we assume in round numbers that the natural pine contains 12 percent of sugar, we find that approximately eight pounds per hundred of fruit have been added in the preparation of the pines from Singapore.

Below is found the average, maximum, and minimum composition of ten samples of canned pineapples from the Straits Settlements:

Solids.Sugar.Protein.Ash.Acidity.
Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.
Average,21.0418.45.47.26.26
Maximum,24.2821.94.57.32.32
Minimum,17.3214.54.39.22.17

These data show that the preparation of the pines in the Straits Settlements for shipment in cans is the same as that in Singapore. The average amount of sugar added appears to be about one percent greater.

Average composition of canned pineapples from the Bahamas:

Solids.Sugar.Protein.Ash.Acidity.
Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.Percent.
Average,13.7810.69.34.38 .57
Maximum,26.7822.43.46.501.18
Minimum, 8.54 6.33.20.22 .22