402 The Philippine Journal of Science 1920 
The use of bagasse to fill up the container often causes complaints 
from the buyers, and it is better to fill up with loose pieces of solidified 
molasses, 
Production cost..—The net weight per container is assumed to be 1.40 
piculs. The total cost, at 36.5 centavos per picul, comes to about 50 
centavos per container. 
Assuming that a factory has a capacity of 14,000 piculs of cane, or 
an average of 300 piculs of solidified molasses, and that there are needed 
one sugar boiler at 1.50 pesos per day; two helpers at 80 centavos per 
day; for the weighing, one capataz at 1.00 peso per day; and six men 
at 80 centavos per day, then the expense per day is 8.90 pesos, or roughly 
2.96 centavos per picul for wages, and therefore solidified molasses could 
be made at a cost of 39.46 centavos per picul. This figure does not 
include cost of fuel, maintenance, depreciation, and transportation to the 
harbor. 
Assuming the cost of fuel to be 5 centavos per picul, then the production 
cost comes to 44.46 centavos, exclusive of the other items mentioned above. 
Cost of transportation, especially, will vary for the different factories—it 
is less in the Philippine Islands than in Java. Nevertheless, at a market 
value of 60 centavos per picul, the manufacture of this product would 
still be profitable. 
I wish to call particular attention once more to the fact that good 
results can only be obtained with proper installation in which the most 
important factor is a vacuum of at least 69 centimeters. If such a 
vacuum cannot be obtained, it would be wiser not to make this product. 
This whole paper contains nothing new, but since troubles are contin- 
ually found with this manufacturing process, it may prove of value to 
those interested. 
An analysis of this material is as follows: 
Brix 104.9 
Solids 99.8 
Polarization 40.4 
Apparent purity 38.5 
From this analysis it will be seen that the resulting material 
is about one and a quarter times as compact as the original mo- 
lasses, which has a Brix of about 80°. 
At a value for molasses of, say, 5 centavos per gallon at the 
factory, the value per picul, or 12 gallons, would be 60 centavos ; 
due to concentration 15 gallons per picul would be required, 
which would bring the value up to 75 centavos per picul. This 
does not take into consideration the ease of handling and ship- 
ping, as compared with the unsolidified product. 
5. THE MANUFACTURE OF CATTLE FEED OR EASILY 
TRANSPORTABLE MOLASSES 
It is a well-recognized fact that molasses is a valuable cattle 
feed. Animals have to get used to it, but like it once they are 
* Adapted to Philippine Island methods.—H. J. C. 
