National Republican., 1885-10-22
Sugar Making Experiments.


Ccmmissioncc Colman's sugar making
experiments at Ottawa, Kan, with the
hundred ton diffusion battery built by the
PusCy Il Jones Company, of Wilmington,
Del, have been thus far successful. The
yield Of sugar from the sorghum cane was
more than 80 per cent, only twelve one
huudrCdths Of l per cent. being left in the
waste water and exhausted chips from the
battery. The yield of crude sugar, rs II
ccmc from the vacuum pan, was two hun
drcd and thirty pounds per ton, nearly
double that of ordinary methods.
The process of carbonitation with lime
and Carbouic acid was also successful
The product obtained was lighteri in color
aud more palatabe than the sugar made by
the ordinary process Of dcfecation, besides
ciTccting a saving Of about 10 per cent.
This being the first experiment on a large
sculc-the battery having Il capacity of con-
suming one hundred tons of sugar cane in
twcnty.fOur hours some slight mechanical
difficulties were encountered that can be
easily overcome.
Tie importance OF these experiments in
making sugar BY the diffusion process can
he full understood when we consider that,
while sugar can be made in nearly every
state in the Union, we are importing about
one hundred million dollars worth of that
article in raw state annually. Our sugar
reiiners, however, are exporting refined
sugars successfully in competition with the
reiincrs of Europe-having exported up
ward Of eighty thousand tons to England
during the past twelve months-but they
are obliged to import their raw sugar, every
pound Of which should be obtained here ut
home. The success Of the diffusion process
as applied to sorghum and tropical sugar
cane will enable us to export raw as well as
refined sugar. besides supplying the de-
mauds for home consumption.
The process is not by any means new 1t
has been In use In Europe as applied to the
manufacture Of beet sugar for twenty years
past and has enabled France and Germany
to enter into active competition with the
natural sugar producing countries Of the
world but it has everywhere failed Of com
| piete success whenever applied to sugar
cane. after repeated experiments by prl-
! vatc individuals during period of fifteen
! years in British India, South America, anl
| Louisiana. The confidence IN the ultimate
success Of the experiments is well stated in
report of committee of the Louisiana
Sugar Planters Association in these words
The dcarly.lcarncd lessons OF the past bid
fair to so improve diffusion, rs applied to slg II
cane, that the cane planters adopting 1t shall
so increase their yield, aud so diminish thcil
expenses that they will be able to hold their
own against this European giant, grown su l.
denly so great and strong that he now seem,
about to crush the cane-producing world out oi
existence.
The magnitude Of the interests involved
and the conviction that private enterprise
could not prosecute these experiments sue.
ccssfully, and in view of the success Of the
governments Of Germany aud France in the
same direction, Congress in 1881 made au
appropriation of $ll 500 for expenses of thl
chemical division and laboratory of the
department of agriculture for salaries
chemicals, and apparatus for the use o!
chemists and microscopists, and for ma
chinery and necessary expenses in conduct
ing experiments in the manufacture OF
sugar from sorghum aud other vegetable
plants. These appropriations have beer
continued regularly every session since
that time.
Commissioner COlman is entitled to credit
for energetic action in pushing forward the
work as intended by Congress, though mucl
embarrassed by the past mismanagemcnt
about $4,000 of the appropriation fo
sugar experiments of the present sea
son having been worse than wasted be
fore his appointment Congress has alst
authorized the construction of hundred
ton diffusion battery to experiment upol
tropical sugar cane in Louisiana, which, 4
is expected, will ue in operation at the com
mcnccment Of the season next month.