American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-09-03
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THE FARMERS COLUMN.

THE FARMERS COLU MN.
lFrom the Agricultural Report of L. s. Pa.ont !.
Office for 1857. l1rr5l .e.s' I
Doctor JaGkson's Process Of Making Syrup
and Sugar from the Chinese Sugar Cane.
In tho first place, it is necessary to
filter the juice of the plant, as it comes
frem tho mill, in order to remove the
colluloso and fibrous matters and the !
starch, all of which are present in it
when expressed. A bag filter, or, one
made of a blanket placed in basket,
will answer this purpose. Next, We
have to add u suthcicnoy Of milk oflimo
"tthst,is lime Stacked and mixed with
watcr) to the juice, to render it slightly
alkaline, as shown by its changing
tumeric paper,or Redeemed litmus paper
to blue. A small excess of lime is
not injurious. After this addition, the
juice should be boiled, say for fifteen
, minutes. A thick green scum rapidly
collects on the surface, which is to be
removed by skinner, and then the
liquid should be filtered. 1t will now
be of q pale straw color, and ready for
evaporation, and may be boiled down
quite rapidly to about half it's original
bulk, after which, tho fire must be kept
low, the evaporation to be carried on
with great caution, and the syrup con-
stantly stirred to prevent it from burn.
ing at the bottom Of the kettle or eva
porating pan. Portions of the syrup
are to taken out from time to time, and
allowed to cool, to sec if it is dense
enough to crystalize. 1t should be
about as denEo as sugsr-house molasscs
or tar. When it has reached this con-
dition, it may be withdrawn from the
evaporating 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 granulatc,
leaving but little molasscs to be drained.
After it has solidifed, it may be scooped
out into conical bags, made of coarse
open cloth, or of canvass, which are to
be hung over some vessel to receive
the molasses; and the drainage being
aided by warmth, it will be useful to
keep :he temperature Of the room at
800 or 900 +. After some days, it
may be removed from the bags, and
will be fouHd to be good brown sugar.
1t may be refined by dissolving it in
hot water, adding to the solution some
white of eggs (say one egg for 100
pounds of sugar mixed with cold water,
after which the temperature is to be
raised to boiling and the syrup allowed
to remain Mt that heat for half an hour.
Then skim and filter to remoye the coag-
ulatcd'albumen, and tho impurities it
hos extracted from the sugar.
BY means Of bone black, such as is
prepared for sugar rcfners, the sugar
may be dccolored, by adding an ounce
TO each gallon of the saccharine solution,
and boiling them together. Then filter,
and you will obtain a nearly colorless
syrup. Eyaporate this,a before direct
cd, briskly, to half its bulk, and slowly
until dense enough to crystalize, leav-
ing the syrup as before in tubs, Or
pans, to granulatc. This sugar will
be Of light color, and may now
be clayed, or whitened, by the usual
method; that is by putting into cones,
and pouring a saturated solution Of
white sugar upon it, so as to displace
tho molasscs, which will drop the apex
Of the cone when inverted. 1t is now
refined or loaf sugar.
The methods here described are the
common and cheap ones, such as any
farmer can employ. 1t may be advan-
tagoous, when operations of consider.
able extcnta are contemplated, to arrange
irregular system Of shallow evaporating
pans for the concentration of the syrup,
similar to those now used in Vermont
for making maple sugar.
1t is evident that no ordinary methods
can compete with those of regular
sugar refinery, where vacuum pans are
employed, and evaporation is consequ.
emily carried on at low temperature.
Ii the planter should raise sufficiently
large crops to warrant the expense of
such an apparatus 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 farming is common.
Those who wish to have their brown
sugar clarified, can send it to some of
tho larger refncrios, where tho opera.
tons may be completed, and the sugar
put in the usual form Of white loayes.
A very large proportion Of our agri.
cultural people will doubtless be salts
lied with the production Of n GOOD sYrn1,