Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-10-13

the first Of December to the first Of
October. The fields are so planted in
the first place that each month Of the
grinding season produces its own
crop Of mature cane. Here is group
Of fields where the new crop has just
sprouted; over yonder another group
where the cane is half grown; and
on farther is a group where harvest
ing operations are in full swing
How the Crop is Harvested.
In harvesting, the cane-cutters first
strip the blades from the stalk; then
they cut off the upper part Of the
latter, which is worthless except for
replanting, since what juice it con-
tains possesses very little sugar. One
of the strange things about sugar-cane
is that the sap of the growing plant
has little sugar, while in the mature
stalk the juice is rich in sucrose. The
action of the SUMS, rays seems to
transform glucose into sucrose-a
transformation that cannot be accom-
plished by human means. If man
knew how to do that, every cornfield
would be sugar field.
The main body of the stalk is cut
down and loaded into the ox-carts.
In these it is hauled to the field sta
ton and placed in the waiting cars.
Each car contains about twenty tons
and each train is made up Of thirty
cars. This makes 600 tons of cane
to the TRINIDAD, and eight to ten
trainloads a day are required to keep
one of the bigger centrals In opera
ton for "a hours. The big United
Fruit central at Preston requires the
crop from $50 acres every day to
keep 1t busy. Imagine field three
fifths of mile square being harvest
ed between sunup and shutdown to
keep one central going!
At the mills the cars of cane are
dumped on an endless belt which car
ries 1t to the crushing rolls. Each
set of rolls the cane passes through
presses it harder than the one before.
The last set may exert pressure Of
million pounds, and when the
"bagasse," as the crushed cane is
called, issues from them 1t is almost
MS dry as finder. 1t Is carried by con-
veyors to the fire-boxes of the boilers,
where 1t is used as fuel in generating
the steam that drives the big mills
and boils the cane Juice. The stream
of crushed cane flows through the
last set of rolls at speed of seven
miles day. '~ &.
Making the Sugar.
After the Juice is freed Of sediment
1t is pumped in the evaporators where
about half of the water is boiled out
of 1t. sF r.
The next step in the making OF
sugar is to draw the thick juice into
the vacuum pans. Here 1t comes into
contact with hot steam coils and boils
at very low temperature because Of
the absence of atmospheric pressure.
AS the boiling proceeds, the sugar
crystallizes into small grains.
4 The sugar and the adhering strip
are finally removed to centrifugal
machine that acts somewhat on the
principle Of cream separator
Placed inside a perforated basket
and whirled around at from 1000 tc
400 revolutions minute, all Of the
VI sirup is forced out through the per
forations, while the crystallized sugar
remains behind.
This strip is boiled again and thu
process is repeated until all the avail
able, sweetness has been extracted
The remaining liquor is the "black
strap, molasses Of commerce.
A ton Of sugar-cane yields four ant
one.half gallons of blackstrap mo
;. lasses, and one gets good impress
sion OF the immensely Of the industr!
when. on single days rail journey
he meets a dozen solid trains of SOM
forty big tank cars each, every ca
full to the dome with blackstrap.
After sugar has come from tn
] centrifugals 1t goes TO the baggin
], room where It Is put into bags tina
III hold 1926 pounds each. These Or
hauled In traiploads 70 she docks m
) shipped to the United States wher
I. the big rennertes remove the impul
|, titles and transform the sugar froI
! dirty yellow 70 immaculate white.