, 1893-07-26

lrls and the conservation of the heat up - the
time the megass enters the second rollers have
been brought to a perfection in Queensland not
yet attained in other countries.
Adequate saturation of the magass Is OBJ
tanned 10y this process by the addition Of wa
ter to tile extent OF Az to so per cent of
the juice, and thus many of the Marriages
of diffusion have been secured without the
delay attached to that process. The questions
which manufacturers ask themselves are: Is
a diffusion pIaat cheaper? ID res il cost less to
work ? And are better results obtained by
that process over all others? 1t has : neral
ly been considered that the installation of
a diffusion plant is more costly than that IF
acruShlng plant with the simple app tratus
required for maceration and some form of
communion or shredder. However, on this
point further information is necessary,
and a modification of views formed q few years
ago may be- advisable. AS to whether the
process Of diffusion in the more expensive
there seams no room for question. The iu-
creased cost of evaporation the loss by
inversion, and the large amount of labor re-
quired, alone being considerab v in excess Of
the same features III crush n ca mn cera-
ton process.
As an instance Of the extra cost in fuel
we find that at Keala in Hawai- in addition
to the megass uset there IS required 5 cwt.
- OO@A ~ OESAF NOA y 4 EuGdI l11G. ~ w IL 81 Gas
it is possible in Queensland aud D9merara to
manage with megtss only. But this is only
an item IN the bill of costs which goes to
make up the undenied excessive cost of difl-
sion. But the main question to b9 considered
IS that OF the results obtained, as it is on ac-
count Of the alleged superiority of these. that
it is 80 commonly said that diffusion 10 the
process of the future. Cane sugar manufao-
turers ask themselves whit is the percentage
of suorose extracted 10y diffusion Kealla,
alluded to above.in its 189ls92 season obtain
ed 81 per cent. (See Planters' Monthly for
November, 1899
In uba the process was bitterly oritised.
and it was repeatedly claimed that the
crushing mills obtained 3 per cent. more su.
gar than the two dlfdsiou plants see SUGAR
Cone, Juue 1922. We believe that if we
take 96 per cent as the extraction Of sue
rose by diffusion we shall not be undertaking
the present capacity of that process. Now
what can the crushing mill do? In May last.
when We said they could extract 80 psr cent
and over, the figure was objected to Az ,ex-
oeptional. However, in discussing such
a question as this, it is only reasonable that
we should take thel exceptionally good GASES
from each side, other things being equal.
On the Belle Alliance plantation in Louisiana
sse Planter, November II 1892 an extrac-
ton Of sucrose 1884 pei cent was obtained
and at Habana, in Queensland, an average
over SO per cent. was shown in 1891.
But another season has passed in Queens
land and evidence has been forthcoming that
on its own ground THAT of extra saving
diffusion mas been caught in the race. We
are now positively assured that with COM
pie e maceration-and Of course some form
OF shredder-as high as SO per cent of the
sugar II the cane may be secured without
diffusion. Further than this, we venture to
predict that when water is also added be-
tween the shredder and the first rollers an
extraction Of not less tina " per cent will he.
found possible. Such being the case, ex-
oeptional, of course, but possible of accom-
plishment by all, the advantages Of diffusion
stand severely challenged. 1t has long since
been demonstrated that it would never pay
to throw out a big crushing plant for difu.
sion, but unless convincing arguments are
forthcoming to the contrary we fail to see
that diffusion must of necessity be regarded
as the process Of the future.-Tbe Sugar
journal and Tropical CaltiUator.
EVTD ACTNC