Huntsville gazette., 1882-06-03
How Sugar is Made in China.

| The cane, when cut, is collected in
bundles and conveyed by men or boats,
according to the locality, to the mill or
crusher: this consists of two granite
cylinders about three feet in length by
eighteen inches in diameter, placed per-
pendicularly, the lower ends revolving
in stone socket, the upper in a frame
of wood set into granite uprights; at
| tached to or let into the upper end Of
these cylinders are wooden cogs, and to
the end of one of these cylinders is at
tached strong wooden shaft or spin
die, to the upper end of which is fixed o
strong cross beam or lever, and to the
outer end is attached the propelling
power, which usually consists of four
or five small oxen. The cane is passed
between the cylinders, the juice rum
ming down into small trench, which
opens into a receptacle in the ground
holding twenty or thirty gallons; the
Juice is then conveyed in buckets to the
boiling pans near at hand, and the cane,
after being crushed, is taken away to be
used as fodder 1t is sometimes dried
in the sun, and is used for fuel for boil
ing the sugar. The boiling pans are OF
cast iron, the greater part of those used
being made at Fat Shan, about fifteen
miles from Canton. They are about
eighteen inches deep by four feet in di-
ameter, and are placed in brickwork
side by side, usually four in number,
with arches for fuel underneath, all COW
cred with mat or thatched shed. Three
kinds of sugar are manufactured,
namely: "rock candy, "'sgreen sugar."
and ''clayed sugar. y The rock candy
is made as follows: The sugar is
placed with sufficient quantity of water
in large boiling pan, similar to the
ones already described, and boiled
down to the proper consistency, which
is ascertained by putting a small guam
tity into cold water; if it hardens at
once, it is then time to run it off into
earthen jars-these jars holding about
fifty pounds each. They are always
broken in three or four parts and the
parts are then bound together with a
small quantity of lime cement and few
bamboo or rattan hoops. The hot
liquid is then put into these broken jars,
and a network of basket splints is
placed over each, the ends of the splints
extending in different directions through
the. liquid to the-bottom of the jar. If
the temperature is cold it will crystalline
in about fifteen days if warm it requires
from twenty-five to thirty days. As it
crystallizes it adheres to the ,splints, the
portion not crystallizing settling at the
bottom. The jars are then placed with
the bottom part turned partly up over
empty ones to allow the molasses to run
out. When sufficiently drained, the jars
are removed, the hoops taken off, and
with a small hatchet the parts again
broken asunder; the candy is then re
moved from the splints and spread out
in the sun for q short time to purify or
bleach. 1t is them assorted and packed
into wooden tubs holding from forty fifty
pounds each. fa nerT@ ws,g
Two qualities are always found in the
jars; that at the bottom being darker
and of less market value. The drainage
from these jars is reboiled, and a poorer
quality of brown sugar produced; from
the refuse remaining after this last pro
cess cement is made by mixing with
lime. The process pursued in the-man-
ufacture of s.green'' sugar is as follows
The juice is boiled in the month of De-
Ctu1Dcl DIS IL ID UdhCt HUH bllC CIuSlCFo
in buckets, in one of the four iron boil
ing pans; a man is in attendance, who
pours the juice from one pan to the 9TH
er. As soon as the liquid boils, small
portion of lime is put in, and the white
of one or two eggs is placed in each pan.
After time the 1dirt.and refuse ceme on
the surface, which is all Skinned off
from time to time, while the sugar is
boiling. When sufficiently boiled, it is
run off into wooden cooler about sew
en- feet long, four feetwi and one foot
deep; and while in the hot liquid state,
q man begins to stir it about with a
piece of wood about a foot and a half
long, and an inch thick, attached in the
center to handle about four feet long.
With this wooden instrument the liquid
is kept in constant motion, Until it be-
gins to granulate and cool, and when
cool enough, several men mix and rub it
with their hands until all the Jumps are
bruised and the sugar becomes all of
one color, which is dark yellow. 1t is
then put in baskets, and sold to sugar
dealers, who put it up in mat bags, and
bring it to markets for sale to merchants
for shipment.
The sugar principally exported to
foreign countries is what is known as
"clayed" sugar, and is made as follows !:
When the juice is boiled to q proper
consistency, the whites of two eggs are
put into each pan, which serves as a
clarifer; when sufficiently boiled, it is
run off into conical shaped earthenware
jars, which are placed in rows either
over trenches or empty jars. In the bot
tom of each jar containing the sugar is
q small aperture in which is placed a
wisp or bung Of straw; when the sugar
has become sufficiently granulated by
| cooking and an occasional stirring, the
straw bung is slightly loosened, the por-
ton not becoming sugar escaping into
the trench or empty jars. When suffi-
ciently drained, a thin layer of straw is
placed over the sugar, and over this a
thick layer of clay. !. The jars are then
packed away in dry place, where they
remain from thirty TO forty days, ac-
cording to the state of temperature
The coverings and straw bungs are then
removed, and each jar will be found to
contain three qualities or grades of
| sugar, the upper part being white, the