The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1922-02-15

October. The fields are so planted in
the first place that each month Of the
grinding season produces it's 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 fol-
replanting, since what juice it con
tains possesses very little sugar. One
of the strange things about sugarcane
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 suns 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 cornfeld
| would be a 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 trainload, and eight to ten
trainoads 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 it busy. Imagine field three
fifths Of a 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 it 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 it Is almost
as dry as finder. 1t is carried by con.
veyors to the fi"e-boyes of the boilers
where 1t Is used as fuel in generating
the steam that drives the big mills
and boils tie cane Juice. The stream
of crushed cane flows through the
last set Of rolls at a speed of sever
miles day.
Making ths Sugar.
after the juice is freed of sediment
1t Is pumped in the evaporators, where
about half of the water is boiled out
Of it.
The next step In the making of
sugar Is to draw the thick Juice into
the vacuum pans. Here :. comes into
contact with hot steam coils and bolts
at very low temperature because Of
the absence of atmospheric pressure
AS the boiling proceeds, the suya,
crystallizes into small grains.
The sugar and the adhering siru,
are finally removed to n centrifugal
machine that acts somewhat on the
principle Of cream separator
Placed inside perforated baske,
and whlrled around at from 1000 m
1,4OO revolutions minute, all of thu
strip Is forced out through the ner
forations. while the crystallized suga,
remains behind.
This sirup Is boiled again and fine
process Is repeated until all the ayau.
able sweetness has been extracted
The remaining liquor is the "blsck.
strap" molnsses of commerce,
A ton of sugar-cane yields four md
one-half gallons of blackstran mo
'asses, and one gets good impras
sion OF the immensely Of the industr,
when on single days rail iournev
ne meets dozen solid trains of som.
forty big tank cars each, every 90,
ro'l 7" the dome with blackstrap,
After sugar has come from t,a
centrifugal" 1t goes to the bagyin.
room wi ere It Is put ilro bags tb,,
hold "'' pounds each. These or.
""'''"' " fra'n'oNds to the dock, ond
.' '" ~" Tinted States whor.
@ remove the impur.
~ the suucr