The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1859-10-13
,sarmer's department.
For the News.
LETTER FROM "UNcLE BEN"
How 10 Make Molasses from the Chi
nese Sugar Cane.

ntat 0uk0A CAhNs
PENN TP. Sept 2lst, 1859.
FRtENp BoARDMAN:--I think Iprom
ised the readers Of the NEws some time
back to give them my experience in ma
king Sirup from the Chinese Cane. 80
much has been said and written on this
subject that il would seem useless for
me to tax your readers further; but be
lieving that much that has been said is
but little to the purpose, | will try and
state what I learned by my own expert
ence tho two past seasons.
Many persons that have written on
the subject are moro interested to sell
Mills and fixtures for boiling, than they
are in making good article of Molasses.
[ have tried putting lime, soda, eggs,
milk, blood, and all such things to elar-
ify it, but have no hesitation in pronoun-
cing them all humbug.
My plan is simply this. In the FIRST
place let the Cane get as ripe as posi-
BILE. Don't be frightened if the frost
should kill it, though would prefer to
have it ripen naturally. Then get a
good iron Mill (you will only fool away
your time with a wooden oneD get also
sufficient number of bailers to DO the
work you have to do. | believe there is
no better boiler than the common Su-
gar kettle, holding from twenty-five to
forty gallons. Build these into furna-
ees, each one separate, and be very care
full to build them in 50 that the FIRE can
como in contact with the bottom Of the
kettle only. If the fire is allowed to come
up the sides, th3 scum will burn to the
kettle, and in finishing off the Molasses
it will naturally rise up and dissolve
the burnt scum, which viii giveit a very
disagreeable taste.
As soon as you get one kettle full of
Juice pressed out, put it in one Of your
kettles, put a brisk fire under it, and
boil it down as fast and as soon as pos
sible, taking care to skim off all the scum
that rises during all the time of boiling.
Put in no lime, unless you want to make
your molasses black.
BE careful never to let the JUICE stop
boiling until is finished A little expe-
rience will enable you to determine
when It's done by pouring it from the
skinner. My rule is to boil until it
will form fake on the edge of the
skinner about two inches wide.
Many people err by making their sirup
too thin. They complain that it will
not keep. have Molasses now in the
house that is two years old, and is better
than when it was first made.
No one can make Molasses success
fully if he has more than one kettle in
the same furnace. 1t is impossible to
get even two kettles ready to take off at
the same time. When finishing off, the
fire must be slackened. This will cause
the juice in the unfinished kettles to
stop boiling, consequently their contents
will be ruined, or at least very much in
jured
The Molasses should not be put i'm
mediately from the boilers into the bar
rel in which it is intended to be kept
for use, or for market, but should be
put into some open vessel to cool; and
should there a thick yellow scum rise
on the top, it should be carefully taken
off before it is finally barreled up.
By following these simple directions
no one can fail to have a good article Of |
Molasses, better than the best New Or.
leans
L forgot to say in the proper place,
be sure to wash out your kettles clean
every time they are empted.
Yours truly, UNCLE BEN.