Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-01
SUGAR FROM SORGHUM.
The Diffusion Process infinitely De-
scribed--It Will Undoubtedly
Do Away with Mills.
A Great Opening over the Entire
South, Both More Profitable and
Certain than Cotton Raising.
All the Sugar Consumed In tha United
States Gan be Raised as Home il Pro-
tscted by the Present Tarin.
NEW FIELD FOR THE SOUTH.

NEW FIELD FOR THE SOUTH.
Special to The Gazette.
SAN ANTONIO, TEX, Jan. 31.-"I think
there is great field in Texas for sugar
making, snd since the process has now
become an established fact, 8 very grand
future for farmers" said Colonel Ed q.
Cunningham, the sugar planter, TO a re-
porter. The gentleman's remark had
reference to sugar making from sorghum
by Whist is popularity known as the War
mouth experiment. '-
"L3st October, continued the Colonel,
Isl visited For Scott and there SAW sugar
made from sorghum and twice since that
time have been to Msgnolis, Governor
Wsrmouth's plantation IN Louisiana,
where he Experimental so successfully.
Here 1 saw tropical cane used.
"You want tc know something about
the modus operand Of the diffusion pro-
cess? Well,
THE PREPARATION OF SORGHUM
as witnessed 1t st Fort Scott wss briefly
az follows: The cane Is srst brought in
from the fields with the fodder and tops
all on 1t and it is passed through an
ordinary cutter and cut into pieces prob
ably an inch or an inch and half long.
1t is then taken up by drag and
dropped into series Of fans, fans
similar to the fans used
in the threshing and cleaning
of grain. This blows of oil the Leaf and
hull that binds very close to the sorghum,
which has always been very difficult to
get rid of
IN THE MILL PROCESS,
and which is all deleterious to the Juice.
The operation settles this leaf,
hull and everything. Il is then
carried up another incline and there it Is
passed over set OF knives and mscerat-
ors, kaives that cut and mscerate at the
same time. This brings the sorghum in
condition for beng placed in the diffu-
sion cells. This is battery consisting
of cells, some twelve in number ar
ranged in single line. After
these cells are filed with sorghum
Of course water is added. Steam and
water pressure is then appliea and the
juices are conveyed from one cell to an
other
BY oSMoTI6 FORCE,
By a continuance of this process only
about tnree-fourths of per cent. Is all
that is left Of the sacchsrine matter in the
chips or bagasse OF sorghum. In bat-
terry of twelve cells after they are once
fllled cell Will be emptied every ten
minutes, making about two hours to COM
plete the diffusion. This Juice is then
taken and treated similarly to regular
cane juice-that Is, stripped cane-being
boiled in vacuum, first boiling and then
being placed in the double effect, which
Is two large pans similar to the vacuum
pans, having
VERY GREAT HEATING SURFACE.
From the double effect ii is passed into
the vacuum par and is then granulated
into sugar. This diffusion battery will
undoubtedly do away with mills. Under
the mill process the best extraction that
mas ever been gotten from sorghum was
ifty five pounds to the ton, but under the
diffusion pro cess they succeed 10
getting as high as 125 pounds.
The average proportion in the
crop is 100 pounds Of sugar and about fl
teen gallons OF molesses to the ton OF
cane. 1t will of course take some time
to introduce generally the process, be-
cause the amount OF skilled labor neces-
sary TO operate It
IS AT PRESENT LIMITED.
It has been tried in Kansas for some
time past, but last year WAS the first sue
cessful one. In Kansas this year there
will be ten or twelve factories established
and running"
"Do you intend to adopt this method
on your plantation" interrogated the
reporter.
"Yes, propose to plant 500 or 1000
scres in sorghum, which intend to Diff
fuse by the process adopted in Fort
Scott. 1 shall have my battery ready TO
commence operations in June. 1 have
great faith in it and think there is great
opening over the entire south for sor-
ghum. 1t would be- 8 crop that is
EASILY RAISED,
and think We ought to obtain as much
sugar from it as they do In Kansas, II not
more, to the ton, and then in all Of our
country located south of 3
latitude of Northern Texas
think we can develop