Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1858-05-06
Or garnltr.
Clear Syrup from Sorghum.

All sorts ofeXperlments have been
tried with the Chinese sugar-cane
this year. We are all going to be-
come sugar planters, and are row in
the apprentice state earning the
best mode Of cultivating the cane
and manufacturing it into molasses.
We shall continue to extract the
most important facts from the details
communicated by different individ-
uaIs to the different papers, so that
our readers may be furnished with
an abstract of the most important
facts and conclusions brought for
ward in this interesting stage Of the
business. William Tenny, of Hen
ry County, Alabama, gives some Of
bis experience in raising sugar cane
and manufacturing the sugar. in the
Cotton Planter and Soil Of the South.
He planted an acre of pine land,
harvested twenty bushels of seed,
one Thousand pounds Of fodder from
the leaves, and one hundred gallons
OF first-rate pure syrup.
He says: The juice expressed
from the stalk is Of an Opaque green
color, occasioned by the presence OF
a considerable quantity of UegetaJle
extract, held in mechanical mixture
in the saccharine juice" This mat
ter comes from the green rinds and
parts ofleaves encircling the stalk,
Nov the great difficulty" says
he, Gin making a large yield Ofsyrup,
is to get rid of the green uegstabLe
extract and the acids Of the juice; for
the residue, pure transPreatjH'ee,
will make transparent syrup.
ut is fortunate for Us ia this pro-
cess, that pbosphoric and sulphuric
acids abound in the rind and leaves:
and are in close union with the green
veqc'ab!e ertract Of the juice, which
We have to get rid Of before making
good syrup.
"In order to accomplish this" be
says, Il first added lime to one hun
dfed aud twenty gallons of the juice
and only made twenty gallons Of the
syrup, with a greenish tingo. L'ms
will neutralize the acids, but the
specific gravity of its compound with
the acids is too great for them tc
rise and remain on the surface of the
juice to be SKINNED off This fail
ed. Almost every body will follow
this process this year, aud fail t.
make large yield of clear syrup
at next occurred to me to try
super carbonate of Soda as a pa
rifer and neutralizer. 1t proved to
be all we could desire. Having fill
ed boiler with juice (ffty gallons,
aud applying moderate fire, as soon
as gentle boiling commenced, and
the first general skimm!ng had boen
done, took two pounds ofthe super
carbonate of soda by the side of the
Kettle, and mixing one teaspooniul
with halfa pint of cold water, poured
it into the boiling juice. The alklli
(soda) rapidly combining With the
phosphate aud sulphuric acid,
Astounding in tie green vegetable
extract, the compound foamed high
over the surface of the juice, but
soon subsidized into dark greenish
seem floating on the surface. In a
few minutes this scum becomes OF a
thick consistency, and can be re-
moved by perforated ladies or SKIM
mers without losing any juice,
This process of pouring into the ket-
tie of juice half pint Of water with
Que teaspoonful of soda in solution
must be repeated every six or eight
minutes, and the skum thrown off
for one to one and a half hours if
necessary; at least until the two
pounds of soda have been used up
Durine this Swimming process gen.
tie fire must be kept up, and the
Juice must not be allowed to come
to general boiling over the entire sur
face, but only at two sides at furthest.
Two to three pounds of soda are
sufficient for one hundred and fifty
gallons of juice, according as it is
fully ripe or not. Bear in mind that
this adding of soda and skimming
must be continued until all the green
coloring vegetable extract is thrown
ont of the kettle in the form Of
scum, which will be indicated by the
Juice now becoming ola light, trans
parent color. As soon as this is per-
ceiyed to be the case, boil down to
the syrup point, and strike off into
coolers.