398 The Philippine Journal of Science 1928 
gallons of alcohol, the quantity necessary to plow one crop in 
Negros. 
Taking the value of gasoline at 10 pesos per 10 gallons, the 
value of the alcohol per gallon would be 61.79 centavos. At the 
present market price of gasoline, 14 pesos per case, the value 
of the alcohol would be 86.5 centavos per gallon. 
Obviously, plowing will not require the consumption of the 
total yearly yield of 2,777,777 gallons of alcohol; but harrowing 
and cultivating can also be done by power developed from alcohol, 
except when the cane gets too tall, when such work will have to 
be done by man and animal power or, possibly, by a specially 
designed machine. The amount of alcohol available is at least 
four times that required for plowing. Even if two plowings 
and one harrowing should require three fimes the quantity 
(517,771 gallons) the total consumption would amount to 
1,553,313 gallons and there would still be a surplus of 1,224,464 
gallons of residual alcohol. : 
On a plantation where tractors are used the alcohol left after 
plowing and harrowing might be utilized in motor-driven pumps 
for irrigating, for conducting water to the factory, and, where 
practicable, also for fluming the cane. These operations would 
surely consume the entire alcohol output. Should there still 
be a surplus some of it could be used in the manufacture of 
ether, which is now imported into the Islands. Moreover, the 
residual alcohol could be marketed at a profit for other purposes. 
Apart from the production of alcohol, carbon dioxide can be 
produced, which is of value, both as a commercial product and 
aS a necessary reagent in the manufacture of white sugar. The 
weight of carbon dioxide produced is much less than the quantity 
of alcohol made, but it is sufficient to care for overliming in 
the manufacture of white sugar. The recovery of carbon diox- 
ide necessitates extra expenditure and will be of value to the 
sugar manufacturer only if he wishes to make “plantation white 
sugar” for the immediate market. The waste from the alcohol 
manufacture, when evaporated either in the sun or by special 
devices, is valuable as a fertilizer. However, this waste, because 
of its potash content, might more profitably be returned to the 
soil from which it was taken. 
4. THE SOLIDIFICATION OF MOLASSES 
In solidification, the molasses is evaporated in a specially con- 
structed pan to such a density that it will solidify after discharge. 
There are several ways of handling this hardened product. 
Formerly it was discharged into special gunny sacks which 
