Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-12-24
SUGAR MAKING INKANSAS.


and syrup company for the present sea-
son. After a careful investigation, we
are able to present the following. which
we believe truthful in every respect.
The company was organized to make
sugar and syrup on a small scale. by
the use of an open evaporation; and con-
duct line of experiments begun last
year by Messrs. O'Brien and Albright
In KiDgman county.
The cane crop the past season was
the poorest ever known In this section,
the tonnage per acre being from l to-
81 tons, with an average of about II
tons, which might be termed one-seventh
of a crop Of ordinary cane tor this To-
cality. Quite large portion of even
this light tonnage consisted of leaVesand
sheaths, which absorbed much of the
juice while cane was passing through
the press. The machinery used con-
sisted OF steam boiler, engine, juice
pump, Madison No. 2 mill, Porter No.
8 evaporation. CHARTERS, coolers, cane
unloader and racks and tanks for stOr-
age.
AS many Of cur readers have not Wis
tied the sugar factory this season, We
will give description of one piece of
the machinery used, partly because the
device is a curiosity, and further for
the reason that its use makes it posi-
BILE to make sugar successfully on
small scale. We allude to the Porter
evaporation. This apparatus is the in
vention of Mr.. j. F. Porter. and is COM
paratiYely new, there being only few
in this state. 1t consists of two copper
lined troughs, 1O1 feet in length and Is
inches in width, placed side by side,
with arrangements for raising or low
ering either side for the purpose of in
creasing or diminishing the flow of
juice or syrup. The heating is done by
steam and the coils are so arranged that
the scum is raised and thrown to the
outside and held there until removed
at the will of the operator by means of
a gang SKINNER, which SKINS the whole
length Of the pan at once.
When i'll operation the clarified juice
is received in one side at the end and
flows gradually over the coils in stream
barely covering the same. After pass
ing through both sides of the evapora-
tor, the juice, purged of its impurities.
is discharged in the form of syrup,
which falls into a cooler and is then
conveyed to storage tanks. The time
ordinarily occupied in converting juice
to syrup is from to minutes, and the
inflow of juice and outflow of syrup IS
continuous while the evaporation is
taking place. 1t seems incredible that
juice can be converted to syrup in the
length OF time mentioned, but this is
undoubtedly the case and has been
proven by Numerous tests. This evapo-
rator has, while working for syrup only
shown its adaptability for producing
sugar. The Hon. Seth H. Kenny, of
Minnesota, has used one the past three
years, and says large proportion of
syrup turns to sugar, and where tested,
the amount crystaliZed proved to be
four pounds to the gallon of syrup.
Moses Speakman, of the same state,
says that fifty barrels of syrup made by
him turned to mush sugar to within
half inch of the top of the barrels. Mr..
Wayt, OF Maxville, Kan, has had
the same experience with his syrup. In
Minnesota, where the seasons are short,
it is not sugar but syrup they want, the
latter being worth from so to go cents
per gallon by wholesale, which makes
syrup more profitable than sugar. That
being the state where the evaporation
originated, and where most used, it can
readily be seen why its merits as a
sugar evaporation have not become gen.
orally known.
Last season Messrs. O'Brien and AL
bright ran a syrup factory in Kingman
county, their intention being to work
for syrup alone. At times during the
working season the syrup showed de-
cided tendency to grain, and during the
winter and spring it was learned that
nearly all the syrup made had grained to
the extent of three to three and half
pounds to the gallon of syrup, varying
according to the length of time cane
had lain after being cut before working.
A portion of mush sugar was brought
by them to this place last spring and
run through the centrifugals at the
sugar mill, the result being large siz
ed grain of fair Sugar, and syrup but
, little different in taste or appearance
from that from which no sugar had beer
taken. With such convincing proof:
: that sugar might be made on small
3 scale, and that prO6tably, it was deter
mined to continue the experiments thi:
season at Conway Springs. While thu
: season has been marked by drought un
precedented in late years, and not sin
!. gle load of ripe cane could be had, new
3 ertheless the syrup made is all granting
! and will some time during the winter
form into a solid mass of mush sugar
!, As syrup is this year scarce and higf
: in price most Of the product will be SOLE
y as syrup, before grainlng Is IA
D enough advanced to injure its sale fo
Z that purpose. Enough will be retained
q to satisfy even the most skeptical o
d the truth of these statements, and Mr.
t Wilson informs us that he will taxi
d pleasure in showing syrup to those whit
/, desire to inspect it.
s Concerning the graining of syrup i
# may be said that grain does not form
u as quick in syrup made by open evapo
e rator process as when boiled III vacuau
i pan. Small grains soon form which
IS continue to grow and settle to the bot
) tom, the whole process often requiring
t 80 to 40 days. On good cane. syruI
q made by this process has been know
e to grain solid mush sugar within TWEEN