The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-08

Vic ~ WI UDEI hUGh Ny - 49,
many the increase, though not sc great as in
Austria, has been very marked,
While these figures may not De conclusive,
yet the fact that there is such a continued ~
crease in the sugar-houSes worked by dlffu-
sion. and such a diminntlOn IN those. worked
hv presses. and this particularly In Germany
and Austria, where the industry seems the
most successful, and the further fact that the
leaders of the industry In France strongly adj
vocate the introduction OF diffusion there,
and attribute the backwardness in their
development, as compared with their Ger
man neighbOrs, largely to the fact that they
have thus far adopted diffusion to SO slight
an extent, would seem to convince tho most
skeptical that relief lies in the direction oY
diffusion.
No matter what scientific theories may be
advanced as to tine ~desitRbility, or the reverse,
Of d given process, the fact OF the increasing
adoption OF the same by lead ng manufac-
turers Is the best evidence OF Its merit, and
such evidence as - accepted by practical men
everywhere.
The State of Maine has been Offering a pre-
MUM for the first successful manufacture Of
beet sugar In that State. 1t has been secured
by the Maine Beet Sugar Factory Of Port
land, which have issued Its first report, III
| which they state that they have produced by
weight 9Ia per cent Ia sugar from the beets
they consumed, q truly wonderful result, II
correct. They have used al old sugar refinery
located IN Portland, and therein they have In
| PRODUCED twenty-four dilfusers and otherwise
they have adopted the machinery of the old
refinery. Our Yankee friends are In earnest
about the introduction Of the beet sugar in
dustry. They are not working for glory, but
want profit, and after careful consideration
and examination OF the methods In use in Eu-
rope they adopted diffusion.
On the other hand, DR.. Maumene, a high
authority In all matters pertaining to the
beet sugar Industry, tn hts recent work On
the theory and practice OF the manufacture OF
sugar, published In 1873. says that, notwith-
standing this process meets with favor from
some writer's, ] pronounce it inferior to It's
reputation, and though honestly wishing II
success. consider it absolutely impossible"
The French have been somewhat slow to &C
cept diffusion, but 1t is gaining ground even
in France, and DR.. Maumene's views do not
seem to coincide with those Of the other
French authorities.
It we accept, then, the diffusion method rs
the best for the extraction Of juice from the
beet, we are led to inquire whether 1t will be
equally successful when applied to sugar
cane. In this direction we find but little data.
Your committee have exhausted every
source OF Information at their command, but
still can furnish no positive evidence in sup
port of its conclusions.
The first application Of diffusion to the ex-
traction Of Juice from sugar cane was mace
at Aska, in the East Indies, in 1866. Tbs re-
suits ut Aska have been widely quoted as evil
tence Ut the success Of the method there, but
IN IA pamphlet published II In Vienna In 1873, in
which an account Is given of the results at
Aska, beginning Al 1866, the results to 1868
are spoken OF AS Experimental" and only
those OF the previous season as having been
conducted Oh o commercial working scale.
The limited character Of this so-called work
ing scale may be- judged from the quantity OF
cane stated rs worked up Ia the week ending
March 2S. 1868, VIZ, 1873 tons IA cwt..; result, .
pr cent VI sugar. Why this pamphlet, pub
lished at Vienna in the interest OF diffusion,
in 1873, should give no later results ut Aska
than those III 1868, and those on such d lin
tied scale, and the previous years admitted to
be experimental, we are unable to determine.
We are led to suspect that the subsequent re-
suits Of diffusion at Aska were not s~atisfac-
tory. We find, however, that the works at
Aska made al exhibition of their produce ut
the Paris exhibition Of 1879, and then claimed
To obtain 20 per cent more juice aId sugar by
the diffusion method than by tho use OF
mills.
This would seem To show that they consider
diffusion u success and continue to practice it
Ia the same report, however, they state that
theirs is the only works In her Majesty's DO
minions In which the diffusion method IL
used. This is a somewhat damaging state
meat, for certainly were diffusion a pro,
nounced success at Aska, where 1t was intro
duced thirteen years ago, others would surely
have adopted 1t.
We now have advices Of the Introduction Oh
diffusion into the French West Indies, On the
island OF Guadaloupe, at Mourepos planta.
tion, concerning which the BEN Pubaqne, o1
Martinique, states that the process required
but one llour to exhaust the sugarln the cane,
aud that the yield was 1915 to ID per cent ol
the weight Of the cane. Ia The most success
ful season the French central factories there
, had, they obtained but so per cent in sugar
OF the weight OF the cane, and hence we think
there may be some errorin yield stated above
at 1914 to 10 per cent. The work done IL spoken
of as experimental and not altogether s~atisfac.
tory, and further improvements were contem'
plated to more especially adapt the method u
sugar came.
We come now to the application Of diffu'
sion to The extraction OF Cane juice In Loulsl.
ana. DR.. Canisius came to Louisiana in 1865
for the purpose, as he stated, Of buying q
sugar plantation and introducing the dilfu-
sion method. He met with no encouragement
and abandoned the attempt. In 1871 Mr..
Wessely came here from New York, having
the same object in view. IT, likewise aban-
dOned the matter. In 1873 the matter was
taken up by DIR. Otto Kratz, who introduced Il
Robert apparatus, which Was erected at Belle
Alliance plantations, parish Of Ascension, be-
longing to Messfs. Z. u j. kock. There seems
to have been but one definite experiment made
that season-thirty-one acres OF Wiudruwed
cane yielding 3.73 per cent Of sugar. The
experiment WAS considered as by no means
conclusive, and, after material moo locations
to the machinery, the campaign Ot 1874 was
entered, and beginning October rs some SOC
tons OF cane were consumed, from which LII.
yield Of sugar was 5.23 per cent, or say l04Ia
pounds VI sugar per ton OF cane. No sub5y-
quent definite yield OF sugar was there OBJ.
tanned, the diffusion syrup being worked up
with the mill syrup.
AT Mr.. Il. @. Planners Southwood planta.
ton, during this same season OF 1874, where
another apparatus was erected, the diffusion
Juice eyaporated Ia open Kettles Woula hot
erystaiizn, and the campaign WAS a failure
The diffusion company were In nowlse
daunted by these misfortunes, but, taught by
their experience how to avoid sons OF the dis
asters that had befallen them, they proceeded
to buy the Louisa plantation, in the season OF
1875, and TO erect thereon a diffusion appa-
ratus, including such notifications to more
especially adapt it to sugar cane as had been
suggested by the two previous campaigns
The company entered the campaign OF 1875 {
financially embarrassed, and subsequently,
failed, aud the only definite results W. have
Of that campaign are from Messrs. Anderson
and Simpson, who worked up ny diffusion
produced therefrom, as shown In their care.