NEW PROCESS FOR CLAYING SUGARS. 45 



fountains of the twenty-fix forms which each of my cafes con- Let, crufton the 

 tains, the quantity of the fugar of thefe fame fountains remains ur ace * 

 therefore in the mafs. This mafs alfo fuffers a much fmaller 

 lofs in the claying operation, than it would have done if this 

 operation had been performed upon twenty-fix feparate forms. 



SECOND ADVANTAGE. 



With Refpecl to the Regularity and Uniformity of the Grain. 



When fugar is made to cryftallize in our forms, the cryftals The grain very 

 that are fucceffively precipitated from it, diminifh alfo fuccef- orra * 

 fively in volume in rifing towards the top of the form which, 

 in its pofition, then reprefents an inverted cone. In order to 

 avoid this inconvenience, it is cuftomary to ftir the fugar as 

 foon as its cruft becomes folid. Neverthelefs, a fountain is 

 almoft always formed, and for this reafon : when the mafs 

 contained in our large forms begins to cool, the confidence 

 which its ftill liquid part afiumes, in proportion as it lofes the 

 caloric by which it was liquefied, refitting the force of attrac- 

 tion which tends to unite the cryftalline particles fymmetrically 

 together, in order to conftitute regular cryftals, thefe particles 

 are precipitated, and apply themfelves confufedly together, 

 fo as to produce the folid cruft which conftitutes this fountain. 



The greater uniformity of cryftallization in the mafs which Caufe why the 

 my cafes contain, (though I have difturbed it by agitating it£ rain is bctter * 

 feveral times), compared with what happens in the forms 

 which have not been moved, and even in thofe which have 

 been, with equal care and dexterity, is obtained at the mo- 

 ment when I cafe my fugar. The confidence which it has ac- 

 quired no longer permits its cryftals to obey the laws of ftatics ; 

 but the fmaller being confounded with the larger, the whole 

 prefents a perfect uniformity, not to be found in thofe forms 

 which have been moved. For in them this operation is per- 

 formed at a moment when there ftill exifis a fufficient degree 

 of liquidity to permit the larger cryftals to obey the fame laws. 



The reafon why no fyrup is collected above the fugar depo-^ofyrup col- 

 fited in my cafes, depends on the feparation of the cryftals, 'c&edat the top. 

 which being not at all agglutinated together, leave intervals 

 fufficiently large to receive it. But as this fyrup ftill retains 

 much of its heat when the fugar is cafed, it depofits a fuffi- 

 cient number of cryftalline particles in cooling to agglutinate 

 the cryftals, and to caufc the whole mafs to fettle by its own ' 



weight 



