Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-12-14
sUGAR-MAKmG IN KANSAS.
A Successful Plant in the Western
Part Of the State.

sorghum cane have been made for
years, but not until recently has the
manufacture Of sugar been made a
success in Kansas. At Conway
Springs a plant has been operated
since Aug. Is Of this year, and the re-
fnery has turned out 200 barrels of
excellent sugar and about seven car
loads Of drippings or syrup.
The growth Of cane is a sure thing.
In fact cane is about the only crop
which defes the drouth. The man
ufaeturers here say that in a dry sea
son there is less juice but quite as
much sugar in the cane, and that the
process of manufacture is easier, re-
quireing less boiling and evaporating.
From twelve to fifteen tons of raw
cane IS raised on an acre Of ground,
and the producers find a ready market
here at 81 per ton, and the farmers
say that they are able to realize there
on more money than they could from
raising wheat or corn if the latter
were sure crops.
The cane is cut and hauled to the
weighing house with the leaves and
heads on and the wagons are Unload
ed by means Of rope and tackles and
steam power. From the weighing
house the cane is conveyed to the
cutting machines by means of endless
aprons run by steam. The cane is
then fed to the cutting machine and
cut into pieces about one inch in
length and the heads are permitted to
drop through a slot near the machine
for the purpose; the cut cane is now
dropped before large fans and the
leaves and husks are blown out. Be
ing now freed from the heads and
leaves the cut pieces are elevated MO
machine which grinds them almost
into powder, and from there conduct
ed into cells or batteries, each of
which holds one ton. High pressure
is now applied by means Of forcing
water on the pulp at the pressure of
forty-fve pounds to the square inch.
Condensed air is then forced in Civ
ing an additional pressure of forty
five pounds ~te--the square 4nch5 and
steam is introduced The pulp is
allowed to remain in the cells or bat
teries cooking and under pressure for
five minutes. At the end Of this time
the pulp is dry and all the sugar IN
solution has been passed out. The
JUICE and=water is now, placed into a
clerifying apparatus heated by means
Of steam introduced into copper pipes
which are coiled within the clerifer;
here-it remains about twenty minutes.
The syrup is. now pumped into a
double effect" where it is again re-
duced by means of heat during TWEEN
ty minutes. The syrup has now be-
come quite thick and is ready for the
strike-pan" or last condenser, It re-
quires great skill to manipulate this
machine.
After the sugar has left the ''strike-
pan" it is placed in large iron watts
which are mounted on wheels for
facility in moving and wheeled into
room heated to a temperature of 100
degrees where it is left until it is run
through the ''centrifugals'' which is
the final process. These centrifugals-
of which there are three, are huge
affairs, suspended by means Of rods.
On the inside is a sieve-ike appliance
into which thesthick syrup or sugar is
put ia quantities Of about thirty
five pounds, and is revolved at the
rate Of 1900 revolutions per minute,
and by centrifugal force the syrup or
dripping is forced from the sugar and
the sugar is then taken out sweet,
light oolOred, fiakey and ready for
market.
Three grades Of sugar are made,
coffee A, coffee B. and coffee CT
The sugar finds a ready market at q
cents, and the drippings, of which
there is about one gallon to thirty
/ i've pounds Of sugar, sell at 20 cents
a gallon
Two chemists Of the United States
! Department Of Agriculture are de
tailed here for this special work, 3
A. Scneinitz and @, Cars who stated
that in southern sugar cane the PEI
gent. Of cEystallzable sugar In the
total solids In the Juice is about 50