The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-10-31
FROM the Prairie Farmer.
A Successful Experiment by Judge Cation
Id Making Sugar from the SOrghO.

"A successful Experiment Dy Judge Gator
Id Making Sugar from the SorghO.
Ed. PkA1RIE FARMER AFTER the most un
qualified denial of several eminent chemist
in this country, that the Chinese sorgho con
tains any true crystalizabie sugar, IT may b'
interesting for me to state that l succeeded
perfectly in my first effort in granulating the
yrup from the cane which have grown thi.
season from seed sent from the Patent Office
and that toe, with as much facility as evel
did the syrup obtaihed from the sugar ma
pie, except that it required q little moro time
l will describe my process as briefly as
t possible, promising that all my apparatus
was OF very primitive character. pu,
several gallons of sap into an iron boiler,
out of doors, and added two speonsful of air
Stacked lime, first mixed in a bowl with q
small portion Of the sap. This was thorough
ly incorporated by stirring when the fire as
applied, and in about thirty-fv minutes
brought to the boiling point, when the fire
was immediately withdrawn. 1t was allow
ed to cool about twenty minutes, when the
scum was carefully removed, and the syrup
strained through a cotton cloth into tub
and cooled so that the finger could be borne
in it with difficulty, when the whites Of
three eggs beaten were added, and it was
! the boiling point, and the fire again wi h.
drawn and placed over the boiler, and it was
left to stand undisturbed over night. The
next morning, the scum which the night be-
fore had covered the whole surface, and was
OF light, feathery character, apparently
half All inch thick, had become concentrated
or condensed SO that it covered about two
! thirds Of the surface of the liquor; was
three-eishths Of an inch thick, and SO firm
that oD removing it with the skinner, but
few PARTICLES became detached. When that
was removed | carefully drained the liquor
oil and found in the bottom of the boiler
more impurities than l had SKINNED from
the top. The boiler was washed and the
liquor returned, and an active fire applied
Till 1t was reduced to two gallons when
transferred it to brass kettle on the top Of
the stove in the house, where it was boiled
down TO SIX quarts, when four quarts were
removed and the balance boiled down till
the steam escaped in puffs or, as We used
used TO describe It in the maple sugar camp,
till the bubbles rose and broke as they do
IN thin, boiling mush-when it was turned
into an earthcn dish and cooled
On examination / was satisfied that it
was too thin to granulate. returned il to
the kettle, and boiled at least twenty min
u,es longer as actively as ! could without
forcing ii up INTO froth. At this point it
would adhere to the skinner in broad flakes
from which it would drop, not in spherical
form, but in patches, leaving rugged edge
upon the dependen, fake, from " hich they
were detached. \ small portion Of this |
put in a saucer and stirred actively for twen-
,y minutes. Half pint was taken out and
treated for candy, and the balance taken
away in an earthern dish. The candy was
q bright, light yellow, and pronounced very
fine by both children and adults. Before |
set away the portion in the saucer. stirred
in a small pinch of dry sugar. The next
morning found this had comnsnced gran
ulsting, but unfortunately, but unfortunate
ly, | never saw it again. The cook had
washed the saucer and placed il nicely away
The larger mass found quite as thick as
tar in the same temperature; but no appear
~.e- sf sranulation.
l now stirred in one spoonful Of dry su-
gar AZ night no progress seemed to have
been made; but the next morning found
the process OF granulation fairly commenced.
and by 2 o'clock, p. NJ, it pervaded the
whole mass, although it continued to grow
stiifer till the next morning, when removed
1t 20 thin strainer and hung it up to drain
OF the moiasseS; which procession is now
soius on slowly but satisfactorily. The n.so,
before j. was placed in the dripping bag, had
assumed light, bright yellow. The moas-
ses dripping from 1t is OF very dark color,
and apparently as thick as was the whole
sample before granulation commenced bat
in this is large proportion of granulated
sugar, as is palpable to the eye under glass
magnifying but 'twenty-eight times. These
grains are also sensibly felt between the
teeth. They are much inner, however, than
the sugar in the bag. The grains of this
sugar, when separated Individually, upon
white paper and observed through the same
glass, appear like white, sharp, coarse sand,
perfectly or nearly transparent, but smaller
than the grains of common sugar, and per-
haps q little rounder. To make the com
parison satisfactory, they should be observed
under q much stronger glass.
That have obtained true crystalzable
sugar from the sorgho, is a matter beyond
al question; | have no doubt that over
ninety five per cent. of the whole sample is
now actually in a crystalline form, and is
palpable to any one who will observe it,
And this result has been produced by SIM
ply defeating the juice, and that but i'm
perfectly, neutralizing its fixed acid and
boiling 1t down to the proper point. Ioa
will observe that used no nutgali or 9th
er tannn, as directed by Mr.. Wrays, patent,
though it may be due to him to remark,
that the ground upon which the cane grew
was originally covered with a growth of
small sumac, first plowed last year with
sub soil plOw, and only finally subdued by
cultivating this crop. Whatever tannin
principle may been absorbed by the cane in
its growth, l trust is no violation of the pat
ent. !, however. added the lime to the cold
sap rs he directed. | made about five gal
Ions Of fine, clear molasses on Saturday, and
shall probably make as much more to-day
a part of which shall try again for sugar.
My little experience has led me to con-
clude that but two essential points are nee
essary. First, to neutralize the fixed acid
inherent in the plant. To this, a small por-
ton of lime alone is required to be applied
as s00n as possi6ls after the juice is express
ed, and then put into the boiler immediate
ly. The other, that is the clarifying, may
be well accomplished by gradually raising
and lowering the temperature of the liquid,
never exceeding the boiling point, and skim
ming off the impurities raised to the top
and decanting the liquor from those which
settle to the bottom. Thus. nearly all the
impurities may be separated from the-sap.-
Those impurities which rise to the top, do
SO while the temperature is rising, and those
which are held in suspension, settle to the
bottom as the temperature falls; and l
found quite as much of the last as the first.
This seems to have been overlooked by all
writers on the subject, SO far as | have OBJ
served: and yet it is indispensable to the
sugar process, unless the liquor is filtered
bone black. Do not forget to ado
some defeating agent, or for want of some
better, a little salt. Instead of decanting
the liquor of, as did. with the first lot l
have found it more convenient and better,
to draw it of with syphon, CD for which
l took, say four feet Of smalllead pipe, bent
it into the form of = U, with one leg short
er than the other, the shortest just long