, 1880-04-28

wing tueih "u'o1 'o"irS{fSS'D "
what is technically known as "hollow
heart''; the "borer" does bis work with
fearful energy sometimes rats damage
them Wholesale dry seasons cause the
canes to get sunburnt and over-ripe before
they are cut in wet seasons the Weight OF
cane grown is often heavier than can, be
borne upright. aud canes are laid and rot at
the joints; and there are very few seasons
that a planter can gather III the whole OF
hi. crop sound aud freshly cut. All the
foregoing result in ole thiog, Gcidity, and
acidity is q greater enemy than lime, and
must be got rid Of at any cost. Hitherto
we have found lime the cheapest, safest.
and moat effective agent for the purpose.
Il may not be the best, and | do not mean
to state that it is; but it is the best /
know of yet. Some years ago the inventor
of the Concretor endeavoured to make
concrete sugar without lime, and failed,
Notwithstanding the admirable system OF
concentration he adopted, and finally had to
return to the old plan of tempering his
Juice with lime. | believe that nine, tenths'
Of the molasees made is from tsuity con-
centration. Syraps cannot be brought to
SuCD u lOtO " DHGtiob ~ NNJ
the ordinary processes, as 10 render them o
mass OF crystals on cooling; nor, IT they
could, would the present method OF cool
ing attain such q result. The consequence
is. that a large portion OF The syrup (not
necessarily molasscs) is left with the sugar
10 our coolers. This, il perfectly neutral,
could Mt once be reboiled; but acidlty :
soon sets in, and the syrup becomes mo-
lasses. Even with the most expensive
processes-e.g., triple etitt end vaeuum pan
as used in the large French 4stnss-no be-
ter result than S per cent. OF tina weight OK
the caues 10 Isl aud End crystals is obtain.
ell, because the syrurs are treated IN too
large a quantity at one m I0ls, L
thluk, is the great advantage secured in
the CoDcretor, the cylinder OF which, being
filed with a large number oil Volute Sheets,
the Juice is dealt with in thin films passing
over the enormous surface thus secured,
and is dried 10 ito corporation TO a much
greater degree than is possible by any
other method, the result being that no mo-
lasses is made. For some years | have
been using one Of Flyers patent Coucretor
cylinders L. sizp) to effect the hual con.
centration of my syrups. ct hrst used
the complete machine bat, as l have he.
fore stated in the Sugm Cane, | was ted
to believe, by daily use OF it, that the tray
portion was o mistake, and finally aban~
doned it three years ago, retaining the
cylinder, and fixing it to take syrop from
the battery of tayches, the necessary heat.
ed air being obtained from a horizontal
air-heater placed after the muttitubular
boiler. This arrangement aoswer per-
fectly, and by this means | can work off
the crop with scarcely any molassea. la
fact, if | made all concrete should have
no moIasses; but I find it moie convent.
ent to take off the last strike every night
as Muscovado, as after the tache fire is
stopped. our supply of heated air fails. In
this way nearly 500 tons was made last
year, with very little, more molassss than
was obtained from the Zeelandia expert.
ment. I think, therefore, that it is clear
that lime, iudiciously used, is not the cause
of molassss. I always temper my juice
after Swimming. so as to give q slight
Katius reaction to litmus, and find that by
so doing it takes less lime THANH rendered
perfectly %neutrai Tor, according to the
practice of some, slightly acid) atifrst, and
iirre added as acid is developed ipi the pro-
cess. By the time the juice is boiled to
800 Beaume, it will be found to be neutral.