The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-11-08
SUGAR-M AKING.

! Many persons, perhaps, have not yet done max.
ing sorghum. The following letter from Mr. Long
to the Raleigh Confederate, will be valuable an d
worth preserving:
| MEssRs. EDITORS: AS most persons have press
ed their cane, regret that could not have given
through your columns, to the public, before this
time, the results of my experiments with the Sor-
ghum or Chinese Sugar Cane. But hope it is
not too late for this year, and it may be of
use to ali next year.
find that by a simple and cheap process, a
good yield of excellent Browr Sugar can be made.
will state my process now, in as few words as
possible, and promise at some leisure time to make
more full statement. TIE juice contains starch
aud gum or jelly, which it uust be cleared of, be-
fore it can make good syrup or sugar; and this
must be done dcfore 1t boiis. For these purposes,
l have receiver under my iron mill, sufficiently
large to hold enough 10 fill my boiler Into this
pour halt gallon Of clear lime water to SO gal
Ions OF juice intend to press 10 it. The juice
being pressed and the starch having settled to the
bottom, draw it off through Spite hole near the
bottom, leaving the starch on the bottom below
the Spite. 1t is carried to the c1orifer which
is sheet iron bottom boiler on iue so high that
tube may run from the bottom to the top of
the boiler proper. In this clari6er | simmer three
hours. 1t must not 6otl.) During the last half
hour Of this simmering, cover the surface of the
the size of thumb ends. When it has simmered
three hours, put out the fire and allow the juice
TO get cold, the colder the better Under mode
rate heat, the lime has done its work. thick jelly
has formed on the bottom below the tube, the coal
has precipitated the lime and floats on the top with
the scum. l now draw off the juice, through the
tube, from under the scum and from over the jcl-
y, into the boiler, and boil the now clarified Juice
as rapidly as possible until it fcams and assumes
no nj oolor. hon 4
boil slow, until it has pulled steam for some min
utes then meanwhile stirring with wooden pad
die.
The syrup is now removed to some open vessel
to cool and granulate. If made properly, it will
granulate before it is entirely cod but it may take
two or three days, or even more If it does not in
q hours, sprinkle little sugar over it. After
it has granulated, it may be put in eaky barrels,
or into bag to drip. have had it to turn to a
sohd lump of sugar as soon as cold.
find that 100 pounds of cane will yield about
80 pounds of juice, or gallons, which will make
about say, from 6 to pounds of sugar, and from
to pounds Of good molasses, far superior to the
syrup that is made without extracting the jelly.
If any person who has boiled his syrup in the
ordinary way, desires to the effects of not get
ting clear of the gum or jelly, let him attempt to
make candy of it, and when he pulls or eats it, l
think he will be satisfied that it is akin to gum
elastic
L would like to write more minutely on the SUBJ
jeot, but fear 1 am already too tedious for your
columns. need only say, that if any person will
follow the principle above indicated, he will most
assuredly succeed in making sugar But will
further add, if he will have the fixtures and follow
my process he will find that he has made good
article of sugar, by cheap and easy process that
has cost him but little more than the common
syrup that he has been making.
". S. LONG, Yanceyville, N. c.