Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-02-25
SORGHUM SUGAR.

contains provision for experiments III
| sorghum sugar making by the new al
cohol process. The usual appropria-
ton is inserted in the bill this year as
it was last season. The depal tment OF
agriculture, however, through its chem
ist, DR.. Wiley, couple of months ago
discovered process of extracting
greater yield of sugar from sorghum
syrup by means of alcohol. Under the
ordinary processes the yield of sugar is
about 100 pounds to the ton of cane
This is all that can be thrown off by
centrifugalS under the ordinary condl-
ton OF the syrup. A gummy refuse re-
mains in the centrifugals, and, until
the alcohol treatment was discovered,
it was impossible to separate the re-
naming crystals from the gum. By a
treatment with alcohol the gummy re-
fuse syrup is cut to pieces, the sugar
I crystals are separated, and the syrup
may then be run through the centrifu-
gals again and from forty to eighty
pounds more of sugar to the ton are Sc,
| cured. The same results are secured
by treating the syrup at once before
any of it is placed in the centrifugals.
The house committee on agriculture
proposes an amendment to the appro-
prlation bill increasing the amount for
experiments $4,000.
Some important experiments have
just been tried Fort Scott (Kan.) sugar
works. A letter from the secretary of
agriculture, transmitting Chemist Wi
ley's report upon these experiments,
was received to-day by Chairman Funs-
ton, of the house committee. Among
other things it says:
The sample, about five gallons in
quantity, was received on the 3rd of
February. 1t was Immediately sub
Jected to the treatment by the alcoholic
method. For this purpose the molasses
was diluted until it formed a syrup of
about fifty degrees brix, that is, con
tanning in 100 parts, fifty parts OF solid
matter. In this condition it was treat
ed with an equal weight of 50 per cent
alcohol. The precipitated gums and
other bodies thrown out by the alcohol
were separated from the syrup by pass
ing through the filter press; the filtered
syrup was passed through a rectifying
apparatus for the purpose of recovering
the alcohol; the residue was concebtrat.
ed to proper consistence and set aside
in a warm room for capitalization.
This part of the process was accom-
plished on the 7th inst. Since that
time the mOlasses obtained by this
treatment has cryStalliZed rapidly, and
the vessel now containing 1t about one
fourth full of mush sugar, while the
syrup above Is filled with small crystals
which are growing rapidly in size. In
order to obtain definite idea of the
result of the treatment, the following
analyses are given, the first being the
analysis of the molasses as received:
Total solids, 75.45 per cent: sucrose.
1851 per cent; glucose, 1914 per cent;
purity, 57.79 per cent.
After the treatment and concentra-
ton the molasses had the following
compositions: Total solids, S2l0 per
cent; sucrose, 51.62 per cent; glucose,
23.OS per cent; purity, 628S per cent.
The total amount of material re-
moved by the alcohol was little over
6 per cent. Of the weight of the original
molasses. AS result of the treat
ment it is noticed that the purity Of the
mOlasses is considerably increased, and
by the removal of the gummy matters
the capitalization of the sugar present
is greatly facilitated. The total guam
tity of mlOlasses used for the expert
ment was forty pounds. The yield of
sugar, at the present time, can only be
estimated from the character OF the
| capitalization so far as it has pro-
crossed. Apparently from eight to ten
pounds of raw sugar will be obtained
from forty pounds of molasses worked
This would indicate yield Of over two
pounds OF sugar per gallon, and it is
possible that when the capitalization
is completed as much as three pounds,
or even little more, may be obtained
There is one popularity noticed in the
treatment OF the molasses as compar-
ed with the treatment of the fresh
Juices by the alcohol process. 1t was
noticed in treating the fresh juices that
nearly 2 per cent. of the material, based
on the original weight of the normal
| juices, was thrown out by the alcohol;
| inasmuch as in the cases of molasses
we have a greater concentration, ii was
expected that the percentage of materi-
al thOwn out would be increased ac-
! cordingly. AS the molasses has about
five times the concentration of the orig
| inal julces-that is, five times the per-
centage of the total solids-it was reas-
enable to expect that five times the
weight of the material would be precIp-
! itated by the alcohol. The contrary,
we found in the few experiments made
| that only from two and a half to three
times the weight of the material was
thrown down, as compared with the
fresh juices. 1t is seen from this that
in the long continued boiling which the
molasses has to undergo in concentrat-
ing it for sugar making purposes the
gums and other matters precipitated by
alcohol have changed their nature to a
certain extent, and have become to
that extent soluble in the alcohol.
When the agricultural appropriation
bill comes up in the house Chairman
Funston and the committee will en-
deavor to have the amendment proyid-
ing for the alcohol experiments adopt
ed The principal point is to remove
the tax from alcohol manufactured Tor
this purpose, but it is believed that
free alcohol and an appropriation of
$4,000 for continuing the experiments
will revolutionize the sorghum sugar