White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1861-09-26
for TIE farmer.
Important Discovery in Sugar Making.

Important Discovery in Sugar Making.
In the Journal d. Agriculture of February
sth, the editor. M. Barral, speaks of the new
process Of M. Rousseau for the fabrication OF
sugar, as being likely to casue a revolution in
this branch Of industry. We are inclined to
receive with distrust the glowing accounts the
French are wont to give of their great discov-
cries. yet We chesrfully acknowledge that some
Of these have proved of great advantage to ag-
ricultural science. and hope that this new pro-
cess, may on further trial, be found to possess
al the merits claimed for it, and that our Wes-
tern farmers may be able to use it successfully
n the manufacture of sugar from the sorghum.
The chemical agents employed are cheap, have
NO injurious action on the human system, or the
saccbarine juices. The repeated 6ltrations
through animal charcoal. which are now used
for refinement of sugar, are said to be unneces.
sary and the evaporation of the syrup can be eff.
fected in simple apparatus.
The juice that il extracted from the sacchar.
ferrous plant is generally colorless as long as it
remains in the cells of the plant, but changes
rapidly on exposure to the air. because it con.
tains albumenoid matters, and other substan-
ces which are colored brown or black BY the
action of oxygen. NJ. Rousseau, removes the
albumenoid matter BY heating the saccharine
juice in boiler, with three thousandths of its
weight Of sulphatc of lime (pIaster of paris)
puverized. When the liquid reaches 2l2 deg,
all the coagulable matters rise to the surface
and unite in . firm head and perfectly clear
juice remains, which may be drawn off, This
juice, if left exposed to the air, will become as
black As ink, but if from six to eight per cent
of its weight of hydrated peroxide of iron be
stirred in, it is freed in few seconds, from all
the changcable organic matters, and continues,
for an indefinite period, colorless. Nothing now
remains to be done but to evaporate the water
and thus obtain crystalized sugar.
M Barral remarks that he has been able to
try the experiment only in the labratory, but
ne has tried it enough to satisfy him that the
application on large scale will be success full. |
In subsequent number of his journal he re- sf. |
nrms his belief in the value of this discovery, |
and says that he has made excellent sugar by |
this process. He moreover says that in a few
days an experiment will be made on large scale,
and in September next, after the gathering of
the beet crop, this process will be employed in
one Of the large sugar houses in France, and
several farm sugar houses will be fitted up which
the farmers can visit and ascertain for them.
selves all the profit they can derive from this
discovery. This process has no perceptible eff:
feet in removing the coloring matter of brown
sugar, after the juice has become o1ydized by
exposure to the air; the repeated 6ltrations
through animal charcoal, are then necessary to
refine the sugar.
We will here mention for the benefit of our
Western friends, the remark of an experienced
sugar refner of this city that one reason of the
failure to make sugar from the sorghum, in
many cases, is that the whole stalk is ground t
up, top and all, whereas the top should be cut d
'f and only the main body of the stalk ground. f
The top often contains an acid which hinder,
he sugar from crystalizing, but does not prevent
he making of good syrup.-American Aq,ieul. e
urist