The Appeal., 1890-12-20
IN SUGAR LAND.
How Cane is Crushed and Converted
Into Sugar.
"A process Complicated and Complete
Life in Levee ned..Plantations
Its Lights and ShadOws-Illus-
trations Specially Prepared. b,

trations Specially Prepared. f.,
Sugar cane is the greatest of grasses
Comparatively unknown to the ancients
it waves all over the world ofthe tropics
to-day, gIaddening civilization with the
sweet crystals from it's Jul e. No men.
tion is made of it in Scripture, although
the Holy Land is now fallow field for
cane. 1t probably had it's origin in
China, and found it's way thence to
India and Arabia. Pliny describes it as
Linda SALT" coming to Athens and
Rome IN costly CONNECTIONS. The Sara
Gems introduced cane into Sicily. later
the Moors planted it IN Spain, and the
Crusaders brought it back to Europe,
where it began to flourish in the thir-
teenth century. The discoveries of
Columbus, however, revolutionized the
growth of cane by planting it in San
Domingo.
The Jesuits early introduced the plant
in the neighborhood OF New Orleans
but it was not successful; and it remain
ed for San Domingo refugees who prcvi-
dent ally dropped in late in the eigh-
teenth century 10 give new impetus to
the growth Of cane and the manufacture
of sugar. The climate of Louisiana is
inferior to that of Cuba for can, growing
but as it became acclimated it grew less
insensible to frost, and, with the scien-
tltic use of fertilizers, is showing better
results to day than ever before.
CINCLAIR PLANTATION.
The ilust1 alton gives fair idea of the
plantation to the eye. The house of the
manager is in front; down toward the
right is the postoffice and store; nesting
in grove of 1--we oaks is the house of
the overseer; and, running back in q
double line are the whitewashed Quar-
ters of the Colored people, (there are
twenty five double tenement houses on
the place). There are two large stables
to the left, one of which has ninety-six
stalls (there are fifty mules employed in
teaming;) and in the background is the
sugar-house. It is a three-story SUBJ
stantial structure, with large wings for
storage and drying rooms, and has over
$1,000 worth Of machinery in it's plant.
TO understand this complicated pro-
cess Of sugar making says G. E. N. in the
1nter.Ocean, it is necessary to begin at
the cane shed and follow it's course
through the mill. the large wing ex-
tending out near the rear Of the build
Ing is the dumping ground. Cinclair
having lost it's crop WAS not content with
inactivity; it's facilities enabled it TO be-
come central factory, and it's enterprise
ing proprletos purchased 10000 tons OF
cane from farmers of that and other
parishes, some of 1t coming sixty miles;
switch-track permitting cars to unload
at the cane shed. Here running up as
an inci"ed railway is the cane-carrie1
5 feet inches wide, l3 fett in length; it
may seem to move slowly, but it keeps
a movln' " twentY-four hours day, to
satisfy the Unsuitable NAV of the mill
600 tons per day is its capacity) The
engine running the mill looks powerful
enough in fy-wheel, cog, and axle, to
fill the demand of a cable railway; it is q
three-roller mill, with supplemental rol.
levs. The first set of rollers weigh 5000
pounds each and have hydraulic pres.
sure of $4,000 pounds, and are screwed
up to an inch; after passing these the
cane is sprayed with water and passes q
second set Of two smooth beavy rollers
that ar screwed up or give enough tC
pass a sheet of p per. The second
squeezing leaves the cane like beaten
flax; it is now "bagasse" and is fed into
a burner famed by blower, the heat
derived from it's consumption being suffi
cient to make steam in battery of six
boilers. The bagasse was formerly
burned by wood fires, to dispose of it
or hauled away to dump Git is esti
mated that this waste, together will
crude milling, made loss of fully so pei
cent?
As 80 per cent of cane is juice we may
AAuoSAAO "udG yCllOW lSu STccu 5tTCdtt
pours over the great rollers day anc
night. 1t is conducted down a runaway
that serves as chimney for sulphur
furnace. This is the first bleaching pro
cess, and is the only internal odor in the
sugar mill, every other one being sweet
and fattening. This juice may be pump
ed into the surplus supply tanks, but soor
finds it's way to the CHARTERS. There
are here six CHARTERS, holding 900 gal
Ions each, and heated by exhaust steam
from a copper coil lying on the bottom
Lime is next introduced to make the
juice neutral, the limitus paper test, in
dicating the chem ical change. Wher
the boiling point is almost reached thu
"blanket" rises in the form of dirty
soapy scum;. about four inches of thi
floating material is skinned off, ant
eventually find its way to the filte
presses (nothing is wasted.) The skim
ming complete the heating stops, tn,
first stage juice is drained off. and tn,
calcarious deposit ia cleaned ont of III.