Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1863-06-03

juice great ueal VI SrceE ieculOuS maGter,
which the alkali takes hold of by the at.
traction of its acids, and brings to the sur.
face scum. These constant skimmings
will soon give you clear juice, capable Of
making clear, thick, acidless syrup. This
use of soda I discovered in 1857 by exper.
imenting, and experience has fully confirm
ed its superiority over all other alkalies.
The Louisiana and West Indian sugar
planters use lime to purify the juice. It
will neutralize the acids, but doubt its pu.
rifying agency. The lime will readily
unite with and neutralize the phosphoric
and sulphuric acids, but are not,the com.
pounds, the sulphate Of lime, or plaster Of
Paris, being one, too, heavy to elevate the
green, woody matter to the surface? ]
think so, and for this rsason, unless you
wish to eat phaster of Paris I'M mechanical
solution in your syrup, do not use lime in
your cane juice.
T am fortified in these views, against the
use of lime to clarity and purify syrup, by
DR.. Robert Battey, one of the ablest prac-
tical agricultural chemists in Georgia. he
says deliberately-"Lime answers no use.
full purpose SO far as syrup is concerned,
save to neutralize the free acid which exists
naturally in the cane. Lime darkens the
color, and, to my taste, detracts from the
grateful flavor of the syrup" Iregret that
DR.. Battey did not go farther and give the
reason why lime does not clarity. I have
already suggested its specific gravity, as q
base, as being too heavy, as the reason.
If soda cannot be had, have ready strong
lye from green hickory ashes. This aka.
line solution is the next best to that of soda,
and apply it in the same way.
After the Juice is both neutralized of its
free acids and purified of its feculs, which
may be seen and known by the cessation Of
efervescence and the transparency of the
juice, then boil down to the syrup point.
In the absence of instruments, which
cannot now be had, be sure you boil enough.
1t is safer to err by boiling too much than
not enough. As general guide, you have
to go by eye sight, and as but few in the
South ever paid any attention to it hereto.
fore, I will give certain general rules which
should be observed.
l. Boil down until the syrup is about
oue-ifth of the original quantity of juice,
for it is true that FIVE gallons of juice will
average one gallon of syrup.
2. Boil down until the syrup, being re.
duced to about one. fifth of its original guam
tity, will hang 10 fakes on the rim Of the
dipper as you pour it out, and suspend it in
the air.
3. Boil down until all water is expelled
This may be seen and known when the
syrup, being redueedto to about one.ffth its
original juice, throws up jets some six
inches high; this latter is the water esca.
ping as steam; continue to boil until these
jets cease; then strike off your syrup into
tubs, and when cool barrel it.
The Borrels.-Put up your syrup in cy.
press barrels; white oak barrels will not
hold syrup. Several large plaaters put up
their syrup in poplar troughs. These will
hold the syrup, but the oxygen of the at
mosphere will certainly, sit has doue, acid
ify it, as it thus has so much surface to act
on.
In conclusion, the Chinese sugar millet
is an industrial plant of great utility to the
South in these our times of trial, blockade
and war. It's fodder isrequal to that Of
corn, its seed is equal to two thirds of corn,
and its syrup nearly equal to that of sugar
house molasses, yieldingas many gallons Of
syrup per acre as the land can pecks Of
corL. '.