The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-01-20
From Che ". T. Sun
A REVOLUTION IN SUGAR MAKING.

| An invention has recently been perfected which
promises 10 effect complete revolution in the manu-
iaclure OF sugar. The ordinary process of making
sugar from the cane is tedious and expensive as
well as wasteful. To simplify this process, and save
wastage of the cane liquor has been the object of in
| Vulnerable experiments instituted in various countries
at great expense citizens of France have expended
hundreds OF thousands of dollars in chemical expert
mens, IN which the greatest chemists of that coun-
try have been industriously and perseveringly en-
gagged for many years but without obtaining results
| at all adequate to the time and money expended in
| the investigation. Similar experiments have been
Instituted IN England and in this country with no bet
ter success. The process now carried on upon sugar
plantations consists In pressing out the juice of the
cane by rolling mills, and carefully evaporalng till
II has acquired the proper consistency for crysalz.
ing; lime water is added during this operation to
neulrallze any free acid and to facilitate the separa-
lion OF certain vegetable matters, which, in conse-
quence OF the action OF the lime rise readily TO
! the surface and admit of being skinned off. When
duly concentrated, the syrup is run off into shallow
wooden coolers, where it concretes; it is then put
into barrels with holes in the bottom, through which
quantity OF moasses gradually drops, and the re-
naming sugar acquires the granular crystalline state
II is packed into hogsheads, and comes to us under
the name OF rao or muscoyado sugar.
The following is sketch of tie process by which
raw sugar is purified: Raw sugar is chosen by the
rehner by the hneness and sharpness Of its grain it
Is put into copper pan or boiler, previously charged
with certain quantity Of lme-w water, with which
portion of bullock's blood has been well mixed by
agitation, and is suffered to stand night 10 dissolve
| Early In the morning fires lighted under the
pans, and when the quor boils the coapuaied aleu-
men OF the blood rises to the surface and carries the
Impurities OF the sugar with it, The liquid is kept
gently simmering, and continually skinned till q
small quantity taken out in metal spoon, appears
perfectly transparent this generally takes from four
10 hve hours lhe clear syrup Is then run of into
cstern the pans reduced to half their former size
by iaking oil movable 'front.' and small portion Of
the purified syrup returned into each the fires are
now Increased, and the sugar made to boil rapidly
as possible, till small quantity taken on The thumb
is capable Of being drawn into threads by the oren
ger the fires are then damped and the boiling syrup
earned OH IN basins to the "coo.ers; fresh guam
tty IS then pumped into pans and eyaporaled be
lore In The colors the sugar is violently agltated
with wooden oars till it appears granulaed. 1t is
upon this agitation that the whiteness and neness Of
grain in the refined sugar principally depend the
chIystals are thus broken down while forming, and
the whole converted into granular mass which
permits the colored liquid sacharine matter to run off
and which would be combined with the solid if it
were suffered to form into larger chrystals This
granular texture likewise facilitates the percolation
OF water through the loayes in the after process
which washes the mnutely divided chrystas from all
remaining tinge of moasses Some improvements
have been made in this process
That the above process Of refining the sugfr pre-
duced by the planter is extremely costly besides be-
ing liable TO great wastage, is evident from the fact
tha II greatly increases the cost Of the refined sugar
Loaf sugar sells at about twelve cents per pound
whereas the ordinary sugar from which it manu-
featured probably cost only six per pound -
FROM tins Will readily appear that process which
VIII produce loaf sugar upon the plantations, almost
directly from the cane, with one simple operation
and al less cost than is now necessary TO manuiac-
ture the raw sugar, mus, be a great dsideralum We
are happy 10 say that this desidera,um has been
complshed by gentleman residing upon one of the
West India India Islands who has spent over fifteen
years IN Investigations and experiments. His inven-
ton is founded upon purely scientific principles bat
consisting chiefly in the practical application of
well known principle IN a branch Of science very
much neglected. lie is about 10 set the newly
invented apparatus in operation large plantation
IN the West Indies and in the course of two or three
months we hope to receive his permission to give the
public more extended idea Of the principles of his
invention, with which he has kindly made us acquaint.
ed Its benefits to the sugar planter will be immense
we are satisfied that 1t will only enable him TO
produce loaf sugar at a less expense than he now
manufactures raw sugar, but IT will also enable him
10 increase the product Of his plantation least %
per cent, owing 10 the with which il will refine
whstha hitherto been lost in wastage.