The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-01-19
sOrgssnl.

ries of many, as well as to encourage the
growth and manufacture Of the Chinese SUI
gar cane, desire through your paper tc
make public such information as l possess
In 1858 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 worthless, 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 We're put into the ground on the
Isfk Of Mayausd The new rsre erap ripe on
the 30th ~ Septcmbsf - y ssss s Ell
Adnonishel W previous losses, / hasl pss- M
pared everything necessary to make sytdp
to-wit: A min and horsepower from Mcssrs.
Runner, Wickersham & Wykoff of your city,
an exporter from DR.. j. E. Barbour, of Du-
buque, Cooks patent, by 81 and few
barrels, kegs, buckets, skimmers, and the
like. On the oath of September the work
was commenced.
soon found that, though all things work
ed well, their relative powers were very dis.
proportionate the mill yielding 100 gallons
ofjuice per hour, and the everporator convert
ing about one third only into syrup.
To aid the evaporator, procured three
sheet-iron pans, Zone with wooden ends and
sides, and set them in furnace. now
had an evaporating surface of 81 feet
The quantity Of syrup was thus increased
from 30 to 60 gallons per day; still found
the power of the mill great enough to sup
ply nearly double as much exporatng surface.
would say IS or 100 feet would be neces.
sary to keep such a mill as mine, driven by
four horses at constant work.
The juice was run through coarse cloth
into barrel from the barrel through fine
wire gauze into the pans; thence through
another wire gauze into barrels and kegs.
We clarified with eggs tested acidity with
htmus paper, and neutralized with lime
We found this clarification imperfect; the
cloth and gauzes were too coarse An ex-
pertinent was made by diuting the syrup,
straining through finer cloths, and re- boiling.
This resulted in producing an article every
way salts fatory.
The evaporator 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 it indicated $50 deg, Faren-
heit 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 indispensable
to sugar making from thejuice 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
sugar-making properties of this cane My
experiments, though unsuccessful, were by
no means discouraging. A fine crop of fcrys-
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 protracted boiling, and had been
in barrels some weeks, it was believed that
the granulating properties of the juice had
been thus destroyed Had the materials or
dered from st. Louis been forwarded whilst
the juice was being expressed, the expense
OF buying sugar another year would not be
mine.
The question, "Willit pay p is often asked.
To this wish to say
: LIST, That we ought not to be deferred from
an undertaking of so much value to the great
West SO long as any reasonable hope Of sue
cess is held out. When industry and capi-
tai shall take hold ofthis matter, and chem
istry shall lend its aid, who can Predict it's
future? 7
Cotton was not 'king' until the spinning
jenny and gin were invented; nor, was sugar
monopolized bf the Southern cane until the
strain" and vacuum PAM lent their aid
Who can say that the Chinese sugar cane
will not do as much for us when the enter
prise Of our citizens shall be one directed to
it. But,
2ndly, That enough is now known of the
value of this crop to say that it will pay,
COST OF MAKING SYRUP.
A three roller horizontal mill, $125 90
horsepower, 90 90
EvaporAtor, Cooks patent, bys 70 90
Interest on 1910 above invested, 81 90
wear and tear, 81 90
Three pans, sheet iron, 25 90
Setting horse power, $3-mill, SIS, 8 oo
Evaporator and furnace, 6 Oo
Rent Of 8 acres of land at So, ls 90
Pulling fodder, Glands at Toe. per day), "a OC
Hauling same to mill, (team and dri-
yer 81 per day., 25 oC
Is cords light wood at 75c., y 90
: Hauling same 6days, 10 oC
- horses, 16 days, at 35c. per day, % AZ
] boy to drive 16 days, at 35c. Der dav. g AZ
. q man ak the mill IA dave "a or