The Washington times., 1901-12-08
THE NOVEL PROCESS
OF MAKING LACTOSE
1T is USED FOR COVERING PILLS.
sasugar of MiII<'' Is the One Salts
factory Coating for Hitter Mcdi-
cine-It IL Made Only i'm HurnI
Districts.

Districts.
Not one in thousand people who take
pills have any idea of the novel industry
represented in the making OF that almost
tasteless matter which covers SO much
bitterness in the shape of medic cine. This
is lactose. or sugar Of milk. fway out IN
the rural sections of America it is man
ufactured. The industry exis S bat at a
few spots In little harn-lii;e ard IN
painted buildings the product first takes
on form. These buildings are in close
proximity TO a cheese factory in each in
stance. In yards abutting are herds Of
swine feeding upon the casein as it comes
from the watts within. The journey Of su-
gar Of milk from country cheese making
centre TO the pills. tablets, and tritura-
tions of the physicians is an interesting
one.
Sugar of milk is made from whey. The
wney, it will be understood, is the recre-
ment liquid from the cheese factory.
Often it is transported by means OF a
trough direct to the sugar OF milk works.
Here it is placed in yats for boiling with
canacity OF 500 gallons each. Usually
there are half dozen OF these yats side
by side
Boiling Process First.
The first process consists in boiling the
liquid in the watts. When ii has reached
the right temperature 4 small quantity of
diluted sulphuric acid IS added. This acid
causes a separation of the casein and
fat aud leaves the sugar liquid. The
scum and the casein settles to the bot
tom. Casein is the coagulable part OF
whey. II also forms a goodly per cent
OF cheese From the vat the sugar liquid
is emptied into tubs os about the size of
the ordinary washtub but deeper and
stronger. The scum and casein are then
removed TO the pig pen, and the watts are
ready for another consignment of whey.
Before removing the liquid from which
the fat and casein has been separated to
the tubs 1t boils down to about one
fifteenth OF its original bulk into saline
mas OF brown color. The evaporating or
boiling process prepares 1t for crystaliiz-
ing.
As fast as the tubs are filled with the
sugar of milk in liquid form they are re-
moved to another department and allow
ed to stand for at least two days, and
sometimes for several weeks. This
apartment will be found to contain hun
dreds CT these tubs piled up one one top
of another. The rule is not TO disturb
their contents until the tubs In their turn
are again needed in emptying the watts.
wngonioads of Crystals.
When the time comes for the removal
OF the contents Of the tubs a small amount
Of liquid of very dark color still re-
mains. This is poured back into one OF
the watts to be boiled again. Around the
sides of the tubs and about any cord
or stick that may have been placed
within there will be found hard yellow
crystals. These are broken into s1eall
pieces by the aid of a hatchet, and are
then carried to the second floor of the
factory, where they are heaped up against
the side of the building. The liquid which
has been emptied from the tubs back into
the watts, after being boiled again, is al
lowed to crystalline, but this time the
crystals are a deep brown in color in
stead of yellow. These crystals are kept
separate from the others and go to make
a slightly different quality Of finished
sugar.
All the crystals have a peculiar and a
somewhat disagreeable odor-an odor
which permeates the whole factory and
air about. The taste is by no means sweet
when sugar Of milk is in crystal form.
The refining process at another branch of
the factory. perhaps three or four miles
away, is necessary in making il odorless
and slightly sweet. To this factory the
crystals are hauled in ordinary farm
wagons. They are shovelcd up just like
en- Fafu
From 200 to 400 pounds Of crystals are
produced per day at one factory. A 300
gallon vat OF whey will produce sevenfs
pounds OF crystals. But two men are
required to operate such factory during
the greater part OF the year, and never
more than three men. The factories op
cate every month In the year in which
they can secure sufficient whey, but usual
ly not the year round.
A herd of fifty hogs can be nicely sup
ported on the casein and scum from one
factory. These animals seem TO thrive on
this diet as on nothing else. 1t Is said
that a poor hog can be brought to the
factory yards and fattened in few
weeks and be fed nothing else than the
refuse OF the watts. The keeping Of swine,
therefore. adds considerable annually to
the profits of the sugar of milk industry.
Where sugar Of milk factories do not ex-
ist the whey as 1t comes from the cheese
factories is fed to the hogs.
At the refinery the crystals again enter
watts and by repeated boilings and crys-
taliZations are decolorized and made
ready for the process of grinding and final
preparation for the market. The finished
poduct is in powder form of a very fine
grade. II then goes TO the physician, the
druggist or the medicine making firm.
Universal Vehicle
Sugar of milk has long been manufac-
tured in Germany and Switzerland and.
more particularly in the Bavarian Alps
Sometimes it is made from milk, OF
which IL comprises per cent, but usually
even in foreign countries. it is produced
from whey. Both in this and other couu-
tries sugar Of milk is used as an impor-
tant part OF infant foods. Sugar Of milk
In itself has no medicinal qualities. Aside
from its uses as a food for the young, it
is known to the medical profession prin-
cipally as a vehicle. Homeopathic ply
sicians naturally use IL more than the
allopaths. but both allopaths and hom-
eopaths NOWADAYS are giving medicine in
tablet form TO a great extent, and tablets
are In most cases made palatable by su-
gar of milk.
Sugar of milk also forms the bulk OF tri-
tnrations, more commonly known to pa