Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-10-11

Mr.. Editor
have received = series OF letters written
by oitiz n Of our county on the rais'ag
OF sorghum and the benefit % be derived
from the building Of sorghuni mill %
Woodstock. As they will be Of general
interest to our people, send them 70 you
for publicaiis-.
To those who are interested and desire
to form 9 joint stock company ior TINS
purpose. 1 would Se pleased to have them
call at my Office aud examine itemiSed
statements az to cost Of mill. and the
profit to 10 derived. &c.
A.0. WrNKooP.
Having given IN my last communication
- general description Of the larger plans,
for manufacturing sugar and syrup,
sh.ll nov sndeavor TO gives BRIEF aus
srIption Of the smaller kind Of syrup
factories adapted to the prsduotioa oil
syrup alone, sugar being only Incidentally
made and not contemplated ~ q shisi
product. In the manufacture OF syrups
alone MANY OF the difficulties attendant
upon the production Of sugar are elimi-
mated, less expensive apparatus Is re-
quired and Of necessity smaller SapitAi
ia involved IN these syrup plants while tns
construction and arrangement should DC
such as TO make them 10 be used in the
production Of sugar in the event oil secur-
ing prices Of high sugar content, AZ
time Of high market rates, the prine'pai
object, syrup producticu, should DC Al
WAYS kept in view 10 their construction
regarding the sugar product always as an
incidental Of the business, rather than rs
sald before its chief result. The successful
contraction and operation OF such fac
tories will therefore begin as In these Tor
sugar, ~ large Al extraction Ss Possioie
aud as perfect a classification and conoen-
trstion IS oan be obtained economically
While diffusion is desirable from the fact
of 1t. superior p ,wer for extraction, yet
milling. with an extraction Of say 60 per
cent. or even so per cent. when the refuse
cane (bagasse) IA used for fuel purposes
has IN many cases given satisfactory re-
turns. Many western sorghum factories
and in the south it is frequently done,
use baeasse direct from the mill but this
OF course depend on the mill power
In diffusion however the chips are
delivered fully saturated with water,
and require drying before use. The
loss Of these chips as fuel is in this case
usually covered by the increased amount
of price obtained. A building, one or two
stories, boiler house and cane shed with
necessary land f; say two acres, and CON-
ple,e plant for the manufacture OF 6OO
gallons Of ryrup per day Of ~ hours,
should not sxossd over three thousand
Ave hundred dollars. and might win
economy under favorable conditions be
erected for considerably less. Such
factory should consume from three 30 ak
acres Of clear cane daily, according 10 the
quality Of the Juice the product increasing
| in proportion 70 the sacchsrine content
The daily expenseI, exclusive Of packages
should remain pretty constant, higher
grades of Juice requiring less evapors-
! ton, labor and fuel they in any case re-
naming almost the same. 10 the case oil
big saccharine quality of juices the latter
after being reduced to syrup, could be
probably worked for sugar after the close
of the regular season, which however now
looks as IL capable Of mAteriallengthening
BY at least one or two months by STEERING
the cane in piles. This latter expedient
has been more or less successfully sc-
complished by the Department Of Agri'
culture and others and these ere good
reasons 10 believe may beccns valusble
adjunct to factories Of moderate capacity.
By she use OF ksovy niIi many are en-
ablod TO burn the bsgssss or crushed
cane directly from the mill, but the fail
ure to put in suitable crushing machinery
in most cases necessitate the use Of other
fuel. The requirements necessary 70
work are syrups for sugar consist in the
addition of a small vacuum pm, mixer for
supplying thelcsntrifugal machines, one or
two Of the latter,a crystallizing worn will
wagons, tanks, or other suitable recep-
tacles for the masse-cuete, or concentrated
syrup, together with storage rooms for
the raw syrup. With such machinery a
aue grade Of light yellow grocery sugar
should be obtained, and this too, at very
slight additional cost even that Of syrup,
provided the juices admit Of sugar pro
ductiop, and very oOnsi dersble profit il
return for the additional expense. As al
ready stat cd discretion must be used II
the handling Of the cane especially in de
termining its fitness for grinding, judginl
az 10 it's suitability for sugar or syrup,
in watching lite progress through thu
different manufaet0ry processes. Some
canes will be found on analysis only
suitable for syrup, Others will show
high sugar content and justify their work
ing for sugar. All this involves carefu
and judicious snperintendence combines
with thorough practical and technica
knowledge of the business Experience ha
q taught. perhaps clearly. the necessity 70
these requirements and there presence o
absence has marked in every instance eac
4 individual enterprise with success or fai
ure. With however a reasonable comb
Z nation Of these conditions sorghum syrul
d making, gives strong Inducements
a capital az q money making industry
worthy of every SERIOUS consideration.
c. CONRAD JoENsoN.