The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-10-23

A".ehs OhhCe the IoiIo"ihg directions II
? making sugar and molasses from the Ch
hese Sugar cane. BY giving it IA place
your columns you will probably obi se IN,
ny persons and aid in disseminating a kin
OF knowledge much needed at the preser
, time. Yours Truly
j. o. HARRIS.
for Is51.
Dr. Jackson's Process OF making Syru
from the ChIncse Sugar Cane.
In the hrst place, it is necessary to filte
the juice of the plant. as it comes from tn
mill, in order to remove the ceIlulose an
hbrous matters and the starch, all of whic
are present in it when expressed 4 ba
hitter, or one made Of blanket placed in
basket, will answer this purpose. Next, W
have to add sufticiency of milk of lin
Chat is, lime Stacked and mixed with water
to the juice, to render itslightly alkaline a
shown by its changing tumeIic paper 10
brown color, or Redeemed ltmus paper to
| blue. small excess of lime is not injuri
Gus. Alter this addition, the juice shoul,
be boiled, say for fifteen minutes A tbicl
green scum rapidly collects on the surface
which is to be removed by a skinner, anC
then the liquid should again be filtered
/ 1t will now be of a pale straw color, and rea
dy for evaporation, and may be boiled dowf
/ quite rapidly to about half its original bulk
after which, the fire must be kept low. tn,
evaporation to be carried on with grea,
( caution, and the syrup constantly stirred to
prevent it Fl ON burning at tie bottom Of the
kettle or evaporatlng pan. Portions of the
syrup are TO be taken out from time to
time, and allowed to cool, to see if il be
dense enough to chrystalize. 1t should be
aboCtas dense as susarhouse nolasses or
tar.
When it has reached this condition, il
may be withdrawn from the evaporatin-
vessel, and be placed in tubs or casks to
granulate. Crystals Of sugar Will begin to
form generally in three or four days, and
sometimes nearly the whole mass will gran
u!ate, leaving but little mOlasses to be
drained. After it has soliiicd, it NAV be
scoppcd out into conical bags, made Of
coarse open cloth, or of canvas, which are
TO be hung over some vesse 20 receive the
molasses and the drainage being much
aided by warmth, it will be useful to keep
the temperature Of the room at sOdec or 90
+. After some lays, it may be removed
from the bags ana will be found to be
good brown sugar. 1t may now be refined
by dssolving 1t in hot water, adding 20 the
100 pounds Of sugar mixed with cold water.
after which, the telnperatare is to be raised
to boiling, and the syrup allowed to remain
at that heat for half an hour. Tnen skim
and filter 70 remove tie coagulated sItumeu
and the impurities i has extracted from the
sugar
BY means Of bone-black, such as is pre-
pared for sugar retiners, the sugar may
be de-co.or.d, by adding an ounce to eacn
gallon OF the SaccharlDe solution, and boiling
the whole together. Then filter, and YOU
viii obtain nearly co,Or.e,S syrup Evap-
crate this, a. before directed, brskly, to half
ITS bulk, and then slowly until dense
enough to rystalIze, leaving the syrup as be
fore IN tubs, or pans, TO granuate. This
sugar vii, be OF a iight-brown color, and NAV
now be clayed, or whItened, by the usuai
method that is, by putting It into cones,
and pouring saturated solution Of white
sugar upon II, SO to displace the moIasses
which Will drop from the apex of the cone
when inverted 1t is now refined or LOAF
sugar.
The methods here described are the com
mon and cheap ones, such as any farmer can
employ. Ii may be Advantageous, when op-
eratons Of considerable extent are centem-
plated, to arrange regular system of shall
low eyapoTating pans for the concentration
Of the syrup, similar 10 those now used IN
Vermont for making maple sugar.
1t is evident ihst no ordinary methods can
compete with those OF regular sugar re-
tnery, whore vacuum pans are employed,
and evaporation is consequently carried on
at low temperature. Ii the planter should
raise sufficiently large crops to warrant tie
expense OF such a apparatus on his place, he
would not fail to manufacture large quanti-
ties Of sugar, and operate with perfect sue
cess, but this can be done only in the South
ern, Middle or Western States. where extern
sive farming is common. Those who wish
to have their brown sugar clarified, can
send it to some ofthe larger refneries, where
the operations may be completed. and the
sugar put up in the usual form o. white
loaveS.
A very large proportion Of our agricul
tural people will doubtless be satisfied with
the production Of good syrup from this
plant They NAV obtain i. by following 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 lighter color than that
which has been lined. This syrup is not
apt to crystalize, owing TO the presence of
acid matter. The unrIpe cane can be eru-
ployed for making molasses and alcohol, but
will not yield true cane-sugar unless it is
well matured.