The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1891-12-11
SORGHUM SUGAR.

jackson w mig IL Jnefe Is q process
for the manufacture of sugar from
sorghumby the use of alcoholic" To
which the editor of the Wing re-
plies that he is aware that there
was such a process and that it could
be profitably employed by West
Tennessee farmers, and publishes
the following from Colemen's Ru-
raj World, because it fully answers
the question, and, besides, opens up
new and promising industry that
can but claim the special attention
of our planters, many Of whom are
now seriously embarrassed by the
low price of cotton:
By the recent introduction of the al
eehol process in the manufacture. of SUI
gar from sorghum, the industry takes on
ANEW aspect and promises soon to rival,
if it does not surpass, in value the cane
and the beet-root products.
H. w. Wiley, director of the Govern
ment sorghum-sugOr station, at Medicine
Lodge, Kans, reports the yield of first
sugar to be $50 pounds per ton of the
plant, which latter costs 50 to 50. 50lper
ton, against 81 to SIS per ton for beets or
cane, yielding the same amount of first
sugar.
The Louisiana Planter says: The
process, until the semi-sirup is ready
for the strike-pan, is the same as in the
ordinary sorghum mill. After the juice
has been eyaporated, to a semi-sirup,
ready for granting in the strike. pan, it is
drawn off into large tanks and mixed
with an equal volume of alcohol, pipe
at the bottom of the tank conveys q cur
rent of air through the mixture, and the
strip and alcohol are thoroughly mixed,
1t is then allowed to stand about twelve
hours.
The alcohol combines with theimpu-
rites in the sirup and mass of gummy
substances is precipitated to the bottom.
The clear mixture of strip and alcohol
is then drawn into the distilling column
and the alcohol recovered. The strip
being freed from impurities and alcohol
is then conyeyed'to the strike-pan.
The residue left in the bottom of the
tanks is run through filter presses, and
after the sirup is obtained from it q
thick, gummy mass is left somewhat re.
sembling rubber in appearance, but lacks
its consistency, and readily breaks apart
The loss in alcohol is less than L pei
cent
The masse cutie contains no gums and
is swung through the centrifugalS in 6
remarkably short time, charge being
run through in less than two minutes
while masse cutie from sorghum strip BY
the ordinary process requires from sSv
en- to ten minutes.
By alcohol process actual sugar to tn,
amount of from 148 to 100 pounds pc
ton of cane has been obtained.
, In all the industrial arts there is per
haps nowhere a more striking illustra
E ton of the ability of science to remov
! difficulties than in this case of sorghum
{ sugar manufacture. Chemicals faile,
to remove the gummy substances iron
E the juice, mechanical means failed
Mark how simple the remedy -conver
/. the gummy substances into alcohol, an
G use the alcohol to separate the quinn
substances. It is simply to cause til
juice to clarity the juice, the impuritie
r to remove the impurities. THERE'S notl
e ing simpler, except the wand of a mag
:. clan.
!. And now sorghum-sugar manufacture
g having the diffusion process and the a
). cohol process, enters new era OF su,
4 cess. It has now a business basis, il
stead of a theoretical basis.
There are many millions of acres
IS land in the southwest whose soil and cl
n mate are admirably fitted to produC
O sorghum-cane containing GAG pounds
sugar in ton of trimmed cane, that i
!" cane cleaned of leaves and of seed, ar
~ of this GAG pounds of sugar, $50 pcunt
L is known to be. easily obtainable; so tn
II with the second sugar the total vie
Is will not fall much short of 200 pount
:, Of sugar per ton efclean cane, The Gu
. tivation of sorghum is much easier al
70 less expensive, in the southwest, tht
81 the cultivation of sugar cane or of suga
ID beets.
ie 1t would be we'll for the farmers