The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-09
Sugar and Syrup Making
BY C. NJ.

In trying to give a resume of
the different processes l am al
most at a loss where to begin.
The first deserving attention is
Wray's method, as it was origi-
nally brought into notice in
connection with the earliest at
tempts to make sugar from sor-
ghum in this country. 1t con-
sists in treating sorghum juice
previously neutralized by lime)
with a solution of nut-galls (tan-
nin) which has the property of
precipita ing in an insoluble
form from the juice nearly all
the impurities. MI. F. L. Stew
art, who has tested this more
thoroughly than I have, says Of
this in his work Of 1857, "The
DELEGATION is begun and finished
in the cold juice, and the detri-
mental effects of successive re-
heatlngs Are entirely avoided,
and the evaporation may be
carried on expcditiously to the
close without interruption. But
three filtrations of the whole
volume of cold juice are neces-
sary. One to remove the pre-
cipitate after naturalization by
lime, another to remove the in
soluble matter precipitated after
treating with the solution of
tannin, and third, after again
treating the juice with lime In
such quantity as to form a pre-
cipitate with all the tannin re-
naming in the solution" This
is too much trouble for little pay,
and we pass it. Nelson's method
depends on the action of the
bisulphite of lime, it acts as a
powerful antiseptic, preventing
the production or formation of
fermenting matter, and that is
all that it will do. [ have tried
it. In our cool northern climate
we have no use for it. 1t is a
mistake that methods success
fully employed in the South are
equally so In the North. The
constituents Of sorghum and
Louisiana cane are by no means
identical. Hedges method de-
ponds mainly on the use of lime
as a re-agent, and strange as it
may appear, Of all the wars that
have been made against it by
different manufacturers Of patent
pans, it stands to-day triumphant
above all others. There is moth
ing in fact that can take its
place. After fully neutralizing
the juice with lime Mr.. Hedges
runs it into a long fire pan COW
cred two-thirds over from the
front, back end open and faring
for the removal of scum, through
this he runs a constant stream
continually boiling, getting an
inspissation of about Is degrees
B., then run into settling tank
from there into steam pan until
finished. This method when
well worked has always made
good syrups, but the time was
propitious for a new process, and
this method seemed too much
trouble, for the backwoods chem.
ist with the skillet had come
forth with something new and
Mr.. Lowering and Mr.. Hedges
had to retire. This new process
which was the process Of the
patent pan manufacturers used
heat as a re-agent and nothing
else. The cheapness of this
method, and the seemingly gooo
result obtained in a few favorite
localities induce many to adhere
to it yet. / have tried it time
aud again, but my locality is no
favorable for il. The syruE
locks we'll enough, especially
when first commencing to boi
in the day, and the cane in good
condition, but it gets less favor
able as it progresses until wher
[ came to measure it out / fell
completely disappointed. The
syrup is stringy and sticks te
the measure, and if boiled very
thick as in his case it should be