The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-01-07

gro With and manu- acture OF the Chinese su-
| gar cane, desire through your paper to
make public such information as | pos
sess.
In 1853 FIVE or six acres were grown on
| my place. My attempt at manufacturing re-
suited in nearly total loss. My mill and
evaporators, though got up with some care,
turned out to be " orthless, and before their
places could be supplied, the wet season
soured and ruined my cane.
In 1859 planted FIVE acres of very sandy
soil, made poor by long cultivation. The
culture was such as Indian corn demands,
with some extra trouble in the first cleaning.
The seeds were put into the ground on the
18th Of May, and the new was crop ripe on
the goth of September.
Admonished by previous losses, had pre-
pared everything necessary to make syrup,
to-wit: A mill and horse power from Messrs.
Runner, Wickersham Wykoff of your CITY,
an evaporator from DR.. ]. Il. Barbour, OF Du-
buque, Cooks patent, by 81 and q few
barrels, kegs, buckets, skimmers, and the
like. On the Oath of September the work
was commenced.
Isoon found that, though all things worked
well, their relative powers were very dispro-
rortionate: the mill yielding 100 gallons Of
juice per hour, and the evaporation convert
ing about one-third only into syrup.
To aid the evaporation, procured three
sheet-iron pans, one with wooden ends and
Sides and set them in furnace. now had
an svaporating surface of ST feet. The
quantity of syrup was thus increased from
IS to 60 gallons per day still found the
power of the mill great enough to supply
nearly double as much evaporating surface.
would say rs or 100 feet would be neces
sary to keep such mill as mine, driven by
four horses, at constant work.
The juice wasran through coarse cloth
into barrel; from the barrel through fine
wire gauxe into the pans thence by syphon
into the evaporator; thence through another
~ire gauze into barrels and kegs.
We clarified with eggs--t tested acdisy with
litmus paper, and neutralized with lime. We
found the clarifcation imperfect the cloth
and gauzes used were too coarse. An expe-
riment was made by d1luting the syrup,
straining through fner cloths, and re-boiling.
This resulted in producing an article every
way satisfactory.
The evaporation is deemed Indispensable in
any successful effort to make either sugar or
syrup. We kept thermometer lying in the
syrup at the point where it leaves the evap-
orator. When il indicated $50 deg, Faren-
heis, We withdrew the stopper and permitted
the stream to run until it fell below that
/ point, when the stopper was again returned.
This might be done upon any other evaporA-
| tor, but not With the same expedition and
safety. Scorching in our hands attended
every effort at quick boiling with any thing
else. And as quick boiling is indispensable
! to sugar making from the juice Of the Chi
nese sugar cane, when the object is to make
large quantities, Cooks Patent or something
like it must be used.
Many persons are incredulous about the
sagar-making properties of this cane. My
experiments, though unsuccessful, were by
no means dscouraging. A fine crop Of crys.
tails made their appearance at every effort;
the difficulty lay in separating them from the
glucin mass. As this was not undertaken
until after the juice had been converted into
syrup by protracsed boiling, and had been in
barrels some weeks, il was believed that the
graduating properties of the juice had been
thus destroyed. Had the materials ordered
from ST. Louis been forwarded whilst the
juice was being expressed, the expense O,
buying sugar another year would not bs
mine.
The question, "Will it pay?" is otter
asked. To this wish to shy: Ne
lst, That we ought not TO be deferred from
an undertaking of 80 much value to the grea
West 90 long as any reasonable hope OF sue
cess ia held out. When industry and capita
shall take hold of this matter, and chemistr,
shall lend its aid, who can predict lite future;
Cotton was not ssking' until the spinnins
jenny and gin were invented; nor was sugar
monopolEed By the Southern cane until th,
rtrain" and "vacuum pan" lent their aid
Who can say that the Chinese sugar can,
will not do as much for US, when the enter
prise of our citizens shall be once directet
to it. But,
2ndly, That enough 10 now known Of tn
value OF this crop to say that 1t will pay.
COST Or MAKING SYRUP.
A three roller horizontal mill, $l25 On
Horsepower, 80 On
Evaporator, Cooks Patent, 4 by 50 10 On
Interest on 1910 above invested, 81 O,
: Wear and tear, 81 Ol
Three pans, sheet iron, rs o.
!: Setting horace power; &s-milt; ST, O.
. Evaporator and furnace, 6 o.
Rent Of 6 acres Of land at So, l8 o.
n a. l. n -