Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-11
MoLAssss roR PUBL
Louisians Planters VIII Get Hid OF
the Surplus IN THAT Way.

NEw ORLEANS, July l0.-The large crcp
Of sugar which Louisiana 10 raising this
year has greatly complicated the problem
- TO what TO do With the molasses. With
! = crop Of $50, COO, 900 pounds Of sugar,
there will be 700, 600 bsffsls, 81, 500, 600
gallons. or 800 .0lo. 600 pouads Of molssses,
which the Planters 90 not know how to get
rid Of.
The output Of molAsses in Loulsiana 10
now 20 great that there 10 no market for
the lower grades and ii does not pay to sell
them. Last year the molassea got down &c
5. 6, and esnts . gallon. 1hs barrel in
which It was put cost often tsice - much
as its con,en,s, and the freight to New
Orleans WAS 3 great deal more than the
moiasses was worth when it got there.
Consequently many planters gave it away
to aay one who would send them = barrel
and pay the freight. 0:hers dumped il in
big reservoirs in the hope that the price
would rise. Tens Of thousands Of galious
we're emp,ied into the Mississippi river and
Bayou Teche.
The overprcduc.ion Of molasses this year
will be even greater than il WAS last year,
and the planters are trying to fiud some use
for an article which formerly was one Of
their most valuable products, but now is q
nuisance. IL has been proposed first to
mxnufacture the molasses into rum or to
use 1t for fuel. Originally, most Of the
Louisiana molasses wss made into rum,
bus this Industry was abandoned almost 9
century ago. The rum project Today would
involve expense for machinery, distilleries.
etc. Its calculated that one gallon OF
moiAsses should make gallon of rum. so
that the use of materials for the rum would
be 5 to cents . gallon. aad Louisiana
would be able to turn out 20, 600 600 gallons
Of rum annually. There would be great
profit in this, but as the industry isl new
one, and it would re q uire considerable capi-
tai aud skilled labor, and the planters esd
all the labor they have in the sugar plsnts-
tons. IL is not likely TO be tried on any
large scale.
More remarkable is the proposition of
the Planter. the organ Of the sugar interests
here, that the molasses should be used for
fuel iu the place Of coal in the sugar house.
IL calculates that molAsses would be much
cheaper than the cheapest coal. and would
be good fuel. Here is its calculation on
this subject:
THE lowest grades Of vacuum pan mo-
lssses contain from 20 10 25 Per cent Of
sugar. WDiCu CADitue oc SAaaNse' W eAAss
ing machinery. Estimating a barrel Of
such molasses to be worth not 80 cents or
81, ard a barrel TO hold $50 pounds Of
molasses, the molsssee would be worth ons
or two cents gslion and from one eleventh
to one fifth cent pound. Pittsburgh coal.
brought TO the sugxr-house furnace, has for
about ten years cost one-ffth cent per
pound"
This molasses burns with q high heat
in combination with wood or wood dbre, so
that by sprinkliDg it on the bagssse (the
dry slalks of The sugar cane after the SAC
charine juice has been pressed from it) an
excellent fuel Of great heat power is OBJ
tanned. In this way estimating that only
bali the molasses produced is used for fuel
a substitute will be furnished for rs COO to
100, 600 tons Of coal. That's more than
enough for the manufacture Of all the SD
gar OF Louisiana. As the Planter insists,
something will have TO be done as the m.
iasses is the pete noir OF our sugar csnl-
psign. 1t takes up no end Of tank room,
warehouse room &c is in the way OF rapid
handling Of bxrreued sugsr, befouis the
sugar house floors. stains neat snd clean
sugar packages. calls for an extra force of
wxrebousemen and hsmpers the warehouse
work.