The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-03-24


roof and chimncys ak massive columns
supporting an immense yeranda, and all
rising fron the midst of green foliage. In
front is garden in which are the choices,
grow,hs of this land Of flowers; between
TINT and the river, II lawn beautiful and spa
cious, shaded by lofty pines, sycamores ana
expresses, from whose branches danGIe IN
hammered strands the gray southern moss
magnolias, pecans and other growths lend
their charms. while the orange and rose
send forth their delicious odors with such
rayishing sweetness ~ to lead oneto suppose
that the dcws of heaven were descending or
that You had just entered Eden. To the
right are the villaCe-like quarters u the
"Son. of liam" and their families, whose
black faces afford striking contrast with
The snow-whi,e buildings Away to the rear
stands the great sugar house with all it, APP
pendagcs, sheds. shops and other buildings
and its two towering chimncys like giant
sentiuels on duty. TO the right, left and
rear stretch the cane fields, aud beyond
denscly covered woodlands and the neigh.
boring plantations, each in itself a pic'ur-
esque lttlc village; while in from, rolls the
mighty Mississippi, grand, majestic, sweep
ing on
Like som" huge monster winding
DownNard lhroush the rrhilitd pI@nF;
Seeking rest. hut never nrdng,
TIL the troric gulf II gains
SUGAR.
OF all sweet things sagar is one Of the
sweetest in fact We always considered it The
sweetest thing in life but on that we claim
no patent. Everybody likes it children cry
for it, and next to her ca, it is the delight Of
all old maids. We take sugar in our coffee,
sugar in our tea, sugar III our toddy and
sugar in our. No; We take that straight;
but in nearly everything else, And now that
we all use it how few there are who know
anything regarding its manufacture, or
have the least idea in regard 60 its growth,
culture and the various processes through
which it must pass before ready for the
table
Sugar il made from cane: and that cane
while growing resemble a corn-stalk, yet is
entirely different The cane grows to a
height Of fifteen feet or more and varies in
thickness from onehalf to two inches Usu-
ally sugar planting is done in the fall Of the
year, but much is planted in the spring,
and requires planting only once in three
years The ground is prepared in about
the same way as for corn. The cane in its
original length and state is laid in rows, or
drills, three stalks eide by side in the drill,
with drill. six feet apart. The cane Is
covered or rounded over with eight or ten
inches Of soil, and that done, the planter has
no more TO do for two or three years but
keep down the weeds and reap his crops
A field of growing cane resembles field Of
growing corn more than anything else, ex.
cept that there is no bloom, no tasscl. no
silk, nothing hut the straight tall stalk with
its half-dozen or less long, waving blades.
making begins. OF this ID. y. c." in the
Cincinnati CommrcjGl says: AS in planting
men and women arc engaged in cane cutting
They use broad, sharp instrument, neither
n knife nor q Ratchet, with sharp hook
shaped projection at the end with which the
blades at the top Of the cane are stripped
away. With one blow the stalk is cut down,
off and il il ready for the cane cart, in
which it is loaded and hauled TO the mill, |
where il goes through n process Of manu-
'acturing and comes out the sweetest thing
N litc-sugar"
unloaded in The sugar house, the cane is
placed on eonyeyer," carried up m in
line TO the second story Of the building |
Shere i, ~ run through three powerful roll |
,rs Of several hundred horse- power, which |
rush it TO pulp and at the same time
squeeze every particle Of juice out Of it, |
oaving the "bagasse," as the refuse is
allied, as dry az powder, and which in many |
'ases is carried to the furna ,cs and burned
,ut this il not always done, ms the bagasse
makes too hot fire and could not be cooled |
Town quickly enough to prevent great dam
lge in case Of accident Coal is the principal
fuel used From the rollers the juice flows
nto u sraiucr, thence into chest or box in
which "A shaft with paddles forming a sort
IF wheel, forces the juice along through
his chest, into which fumes Of burning
sulphur are forced n, the same time
by n machine or furnace made espc
cially for that purpose. After passing
through this arrangement, which is called
it, the juice is conveyed by iron
pipes into iron watts called CHARTERS" each
vat capable of containing 400 gallons Of the
liquid. Here Stacked lime is added, which
prccipitatcs all foreign substances, and ena
blcs the sugarmaker 70 remevc them when
The liquid approaches boiling heat. These
iron watts are generally six in number, in
,Ia hnt,,u,g nf which orp rows of tNO or