Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-11-08
srLPnUR0Us ACID AND SUGAR.

81 LII a iSOiS AIM AM - g.. IA
\ curious method Of preventing acidity in
cane juice, in the process Of making sugar
from it, is used in the Sandwich Islnds
The Pacific Adrcrnscr; (Honolulu) describes
a sugar plantation Of East Maui, under the
management ofa Mr. Spencer, as follows.
This plantation contains about 1900 acres,
of which some 500 acres are planted with
cane. The season for grinding commences
about the middle of March, continuing about
six months-ani the works at the time of
our visit were in full operation. The
amount Of this seasons crop will not exceed
- tons, the cane having suffered heavily
from drought the past two years in success
sion. The mill is worked by mule power,
and the quantity of cane-iuicc obtained from
a dav's grinding fills fye.clarifers of 500
gallons each, each clarIfer furnishing about
500 lbs of sugar. Theye are four
boiling kettles, including the tache.
The quality Of the sugar appeared
excellent, when taking into consider
alton the state of the cane from which II
was produced. The good quality OF the
sugar Mr.. Spencer attribut's to the use of
sulphur, which is mixed with the juice be-
fore 1T goes into the clarliiers. The manner
of mixing should briefly describe as follows.
The Juice flows from the mill in a conduit,
and is received into a square wooden spout,
being strained previous to entering the spout
through 4 fine wire sieve. This spout is
four or five feet in height, and six inches
square. The birthstone or sulphur is burnt
in q small iron stove or rretort. and the smoke
escapes through an iron pipe into the spout.
| The juice, after its admittance into the top
of the spout, falls on . shelf, from which 1t
! flows to fall upon another placed beneath it,
and so dropping from one shelf to another un-
til it arrives at the bottom finally entering a
| cistern, from which 1t is pumped Up into a
| conductor, which leads it to a precipitator
/ into which it falls. As soon as the Juice
| absorbs the sulphurOus smoke, fermentation
/ ceases. The fumes which are taken up cs-
cape by waste pipe from the bottom Of the
| spout before the juice falls into the cistcrn.
! Half the lime necessary to clarity the juice is
added while it is In the precipitator, the re-
mander after it is drawn of in.0 the clari-
fer. From the quantity Of sediment which
| saw, which had been removed from the
precipitator and the olariier after the hquid
had run oft into the kettles, should think
the use OF the sulphur was attended with the
most beneficial result as regards the cleanIi-
ness OF the sugar. 1t is evident that there is
a great gain IN the quantity obtained, as it
grains to the very top Of the coolers. l am
no L'etag, and not able therefore to give the
chemical reason fer the result from the use
Of sulphur which | have mentioned, but q
chemical friend who is near me suggests that
the following is the process The sulphur
when burned, forms Sulphurous acid, which
is deozidlzing agent, composed of two
atoms Of oxygen and one atom Of solphur.
When brought into contact with the juice
the suiPhurous acid takes Up another atom
Of oxygen, and becomes suIphur,c acid.
This deprivation Of the atom Of oxygen pro-
baby causes the stoppage OF fermentation.
The sulphur is burned at slow heat in the
retort, in order to prevent its becoming sui.
phuric acid before meeting with the juice