The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-08-23
MAKING slRuP AND SUGAR.
A Valuable Talk on a Subject Which
Interests Many Farmers

A Valuable Talk on a Subject Which
Interests Many Farmers
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
The season for grinding cane on the
farm is nearly here. Bulletin No. A
of Florida Station, tells all about plant
ing, cultivating and harvesting the
tropical sugar cane. and how to manu-
tacture, preserve and market sirup
and sugar from it's juice. AS much
of this practice is equally applicable to
sorghum juice, we give rather full
report of that portion Of the expert
ments relating to manufacturing pre-
serving and marketing. We also ap
pend a digest of bulletin No. 80, of
Delaware Station on experiments in
developing sorghum as a source of
sugar.
AS to grinding the cane on the farm,
the Florida bulletin emphasizes the
vast superiority of the three roller mill
over the two roller mill. 1t also em
phasizes the great Importance Of con.
stant watchfulness to see that the roll
ers are kept screwed tight together.
Even with the three-rolIer mill tightly
screwed, only. .thfee fourths of the juice
is squeezed out Of the stalk, and the
two roller mill fails to get more than
half of it.
The juice having been expressed
from the cane, the first process in
actual sirup making ig at an end. and
the Aaext step is that of freeing the
juice as largely as possible from foreign
substances. In common farm practice
this consists simply in straining it
through gunny sack as it comes from
the mill. This, however, although de-
sirable, only suffices to remove from
the juice the small particles of cane
that pass from the rollers. There re-
main many other foreign substances,
the presence of which is detrimental to
the quality of the sirup and the re.
moval of which is indispensable to
securing Of the best product. Chief
among these are coloring matters and
the so called non sugar carbohydrates
and albuminoid compounds. The
method which has been universally
recommended by the experiment sta,
tions for accomplishing this removal
consists Of sulphuring and lining the
juice. The first process being to sub
] ct the juice, as it comes from the
mill, to the action of sulphurous acid
fumes obtained from the burning oI
sulphur in a furnace constructed fol
the purpose, and then the removal oi
sulphurous acid by defecation of the
juice with milk of lime in a separate
pan or boiler before the actual process
Of evaporation begins. That the
method accomplishes the object sought
and results in a superior quality oi
sirup there can be no question. That
1T Is comparatively expensive, incOn
venient and impractical for genera
domestic use is, however, equally true
and is abundantly demonstrated By
the fact that, though the method hal
been recommended by every publica
tion issued by an experiment station
treating of sIrup making during the
past decade, the method has not act
ually been adopted by one sirup maker
in hundred.
In view of these facts, a series of ex
periments was undertaken in the hope
Of devising a simple and practical
means so inexpensive as to be within
reach of all. The fltering materials
tried included straw, hay, seed cotton,
cotton lint, sand, shavings, excelsior,
sawdust, ground excelsior, charcoal,
fuller's earth and Spanish moss. The
last material was so unquestionably
superior to any other used that it was
adopted as the best and most feasible
article for the purpose, and was used
exclusively after it's advantages were
demonstrated.
The method of use was as follows
Dry moss, such as can be obtained
anywhere in the State of Florida, was
carefully picked and freed from leaves,
sticks and foreign matter and thor.
oughly washed. A tub, or half barrel,