Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-07-24

SATURDAY, JULY Fl, 1858.
From the Agfcultu al Report of the United States Pat
ent Office for 1857.
DIR. JACKS0N'S PROCESS OF MAKING SYRUP
AND sUGAR. FROM THE UEINESE SUGAR
CANE
In the first place, it is necessary to filter
the juice Of the plant, as it comes from the
mill, in 5rder to remove the cellulose and
fib,ous matters and the starch, all of which
are present in it when expressed. bag
filter. or one made of blanket placed in
a basket, will answer this purpose. Next,
we have to add a suficiency of milk of
lime THAT is, lime Stacked and mixed with
water] to the juice, to render it slightly al
kaiine, as shown by its changing tulnerlc
paper to brown color, or reddeted lltmus
paper to a blue. A small excess Of lime
is not injurious. After this addition, the
Juice should be boiled, say for fifteen min
utes. A thick green scum rapidly collects
ON the surface, which is to be removed by
q skinner, and then the liquid should
again be filtered. 1t will now be of pale
straw color, and ready for evaporation, and
may be boiled down quite rapidly to about
half its original bulk, after which, the fire
must be kept low, the evaporation to be
carried on with great caution, and the syr-
up constantly stirred to prevent 1t from
burning at the bottom of the kettle or e.
vaporating pan. Portions Of the syrup
are to be taken out, from time to time,
and allowed to cool, to see if it is dense
enough TO crystal;ze. 1t should be about
as dense as sugar house molasses or tar
When it has reached this condition it may
be withdrawn from the evaporating vessel,
and be placed in tubs or casks to granu-
late. Crystals of sugar will begin to form
generally in three Or four days, and some
times nearly the whole mass i'll granu-
late leaving but little molasses to be drain
ed. After it has solidified, it may be
scooped out into concal bags, made of
coarse open cloth, or of canvas, which ale
to be hung over some vessel to receive the
molasses; and the drainage being much
aided by warmth, it will be useful TO keep
the Temperature of the room at 80 or 80
F. After some days, it may be removed
from the bags, and will be found to be
good brown sugar. 1t may now be retin-
ed by dissolving it in hot water, adding
TO the solution some white of eggs, (say
one egg for one hundred pounds of sugar
mixed with cold water, after which, the
temperature is to be raised to boiling, and
the syrup allowed to remain at that heat
for half an hour. Then skim and filter
to remove the congratulated albumen and
the impurities it has extracted from the
sugar.
BY means of bone black, such rs Is pre-
pared for sugar retiners, the sugar may be
re-colored, by addirg an ounce to each
gallon of the saccharine solution, and boil
ing the whole together. Then filter, and
you will obtain a nearly colorless syrup
Evaporate this, as before directed, briskly,
to half its bulk, and then slowly until
dense enough to crystalize, leaving the
syrup as before in tubs, or pans to grauu
ulate. This sugar will be Of light brown
color, and may now be clayed, Or whlten
ed, By the usual method; that is by put
ting it into cones, and pouring a saturation
solution of white sugar upon it, so as to
displace the molasSes, which will drop
from the apex of cone when inverted. 1t
is now refined or loaf sugar.
The methods here described are the
common and cheap ones, such as any far
mer can employ.
It may be advantageous, when opera
fions Of considerable extent are contempla-
ted, to arrange regular system OF shall
low evaporating pans for the concentra-
ton IF the syrup, similar 10 those now u
sed in Vermont for making maple sugar.
1t is evident that no ordinary methods
can compete with those % a regular sugar
refinery, where vacuum pans are employ
cd, and evaporation is consequently car
ried on at low temperature. If the
planter should raise sufficiently large crops
to warrant the expense of such an appar-
atus on his place, he would not fail to
manufacture large quantities of sugar, and
to operate with perfect success, but this
can be done ONLY in the Southern, Middle
or Western States, where extensive farm
ing is common. Those who wish to have
their brown sugar clarified, can send it to
some of the larger retineres, where the
operations may be completed, and the SUI
gar put up in the usual form Of white
loayes.
A very large proportion of our agricul-
tafal people will doubtless be satisfied
with the production of a good syrup from
this plant. They may o tain it by fol- |
lowing the methods described in the first
part of this paper, or they may omit the
lime, and make an agreeable, but slightly
acidulous syrup, which will be of "a lighter
color than that which has been lined
This syrup is not apt to erystalize, owing
TO the presence of acid matter. The I'M
ripe can be employed for making molasses
and alcohol; but will not yield true cane
sugar unless it is well-matured.
DELIcArE QUEsTIoNING.-In one of the
larger country towns of Massachusetts,,
few weeks since, a young gallant invited
some of his lady friends To oo with him on