St. Landry democrat., 1889-02-23
Kenner Sugar. Station.
INTERESTING DIFFUSION EXPERIMENTS
STORING CANE IN ENSILAGE


STORING CANE IN ENsILAGE.
While the data of the diffusion expert
ments conducted by DR.. Stubs at the
kenner Sugar Station about the 18th of
January have not been fully made up.
The Item, in conversation with the doctor,
obtained an interesting account Of what
had taken place.
The first experiment was with frosted
cane which had been allowed to stand in
the field until the tops had sour smell
and TASTE
The second was with windrowed and
matlayed cane.
The third and last was with ensilage
cane, and was dead failure.
There has been no cold severe enough
to freeze cane, so the only injury sus
tanned by the frosted cane was the killing
of the buds and eyes The analysis gave
no evidence of deterioration in the cane,
although it is impossible to make an &C
curate determination on this point as no
two stalks polarize alike, DR.. Stubbs every
week took three stalks out of each row
and analysed them. Each stalk gave an
analysis that varied from that of the
others, but the general glucose ratio was
about the same at the end as at the begin
mug Oh Inc season.
The cane in windroWed mats was as
fresh as the day it was put up, and did
not show the slightest inversion of sugar.
The ensilage was chips taken directly
from the cutters and covered up to ey-
clude the air. When the cane was put
down it contained Il per cent sugar
when taken out all had been inverted but
per cent. Notwithstanding the failure
Of this experiment, DR.. Stubs intends an
other season to pursue his Investigations
in this direction until success, of which he
is confident, shall reward his efforts. He
thinks the central factory will become an
accomplished fact as soon as the ensilage
system is established, for cane can then be
stored away to be used as convenient.
One room 100x60x20 would hold, he es-
Inmates, 5000 tons of chips, and the room
could be Theoretically sealed and the cane
kept any length of time. The ITEM would
think this plan for ensilage impracticable,
only it is hardly safe to question the posi-
bilities of science.
DR.. stubbs made an interesting expert
ment with the chips as fuel, at the conclu-
sion of his diffusion work. The chips,
containing IS per cent of moisture, were
taken readily by the mill and ground out
iAAS q biaAhOt. hltCI tu6 uTSJ pressure,
% per cent of moisture remained, and after
the second % per cent. The chips were
then shoveled into the ordinary boiler fur
mace, and burned beautifully, without the
addition of any other combustible.
Another important experiment was made
by DIR. Stubs. In drawing from the bat
terry in the usual way, the charge is taken
from the last cell filled with chips. The
fresh chips reduce the temperature very
considerably, which causes imperfect clar-
ification where Qualification is confined to
theS cells. In order to remedy this diff
Guilty, the doctor drew from the third cell
from the last with happy results, keeping
the tive last cells dormant
The first drawing in regular diffusion,
according to the new method, is little
weak, but after the third or fourth draw
ing the juice regains it's normal strength
This system of working renders it easy to
keep up the desired temperature.-N. O.
City Item