.194 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 27, 1908, 



and relating to tlie work of ninety-six mills during the 

 season of 190(3, show that, on the average, the first mill 

 juice remaining in the megass amo\inted to no more 

 than G2T ]ier 100 parts of fibre, the riverage quantity 

 of maceration water used being ]4 per cent. In the 

 work of five Governnjent siigar mills in Queensland 

 during 1906, the mill juice left in the mega.ss varied 

 from 53-4 to 94-3 per 100 paits of fibre. In the first 

 case 35'0 per cent, of maceration water was used, and 

 •in the second case, only 10'9 per cent. 



These figures afford an immediate and direct 

 means of comparing the efficiency of the work in 

 different parts of the world under diverse conditions. 

 From this, the improvement effected in 10O7 in the 

 -\vork done at Gunthorpe's, Antigua, can be measured, 

 and the general etficiency of the mill can be compared 

 with others. In this manner its work is found to be 

 ■ somewhat less perfect than the average work done in 

 ■Java, and it is also less perfect than the work of three 

 ■of the Queensland mills, but better than two. 



As Gunthorpe's mill lost SO-4 parts of juice per 



100 parts of fibre, while the Java mills lost 02-7, a dif- 

 -ference of 17-7, and as the average canes dealt with at 



Antigua contained 1-5 per cent, of fibre, it follows that 

 •Gunthorpe's mill will be req\iired to give 2-9 parts more 



juice per 100 of cane to ensure its work being up to 



the Java average. 



Attempts were made to ascertain the efficiency of 

 Bendal's mill, where there is a cane shredder followed 

 by a, three-roller mill, and also to ascertain the efficiency 

 of single mills in mu.scovado work.s. 



Considerable difficulty was experienced in obtain- 

 ing representative figures from muscovado works, for it 

 -was found that the work of the mills varied very 

 ■greatly according to the manner in which the canes 

 are fed to the mill, and as work of an experimental 

 .nature usually attracted particular attention, the work 

 done at tlie time when samples of megass were being 

 taken was usually far better tliaii the average work of 

 ■the mills day by day. 



At Bendal's the result of a number of trials showed 

 that the megass contained from 120 tii I V) parts of 

 jiiice per 100 of fibre, and averaged 131. 



The figures from the muscavado estates were 

 irregular, ranging from 113 to 174, and the opinion 

 is exfii'essed that most ef the figures ai'e bel.iw wliai 

 «iav be expected on avi/rage work, d;iy by day. 



The view is strongly held that analyses of sam- 

 ples of cane fail to give correct ideas as to the average 



composition of the canes dealt with throughout the 

 season by a factory. It is shown that good results can 

 be calculated from the analyses of the juice and of the 

 megass, and it is claimed that these represent much 

 more accurately the composition of the canes than can 

 be ascertained by analyses of samples of the latter. 



Working with the figures available fur Gunthorpe's 

 Factory, it is shown that the canes during the three last 

 Seasons have contained: — 



1905. 1906. 1907. 

 Sucrose per 100 i^arts of cane 1.5'2.5 1413 1439 

 Fibre „ „ „ ., „ 15-0.5 15-20 1507 



The amount of juice in the canes and in the 

 sutrars during the three seasons was as follows: — 



1905. 1900. 1907. 



Averagejuice per 100 parts] ^q.^, ,,q..^ ^g.^ 

 of cane I 



Average juice expressed j ^...^ g^.^ g^.j 

 by the mills | 



Averagejuice left in megass 155 161 125 



Figures are put forward to show that the megass 

 from mills where iniiceration is employed contains 

 a ct'rtain amount of water in excess of the normal 

 amount proper to dry crushed megass, and it is calcula- 

 ted that at Gunthorpe's this amount is equal a|)proxi- 

 mately to 5 per cent, of the weight of the mega.ss. In 

 calculating the composition of the cane, as given 

 above, allowance is made for this, (but alternative 

 calculations arc also given wherein this correction is not 

 made). 



Attention is directed to the existence in the cane 

 of water other than juice,' and a conventional method 

 is adopted for ascertaining the composition of the so- 

 called ' average' juice and of estimating the amount 

 which is [)resent in the <-ane. 



One point -.vhich appears to be clearly brought 

 out is that the average canes dealt with at Gunthorpe's, 

 Antigua, taking into account .ill the canes that are 

 crushed, contain a large proportion of fibre (15 per 



cent.), and a relatively small (piantity of juice (SO jier 

 cent.). Vet it is noted, fnnu figures given iu an appendix 

 to the paper, that 1 ton of 9(_) crystals was made from 

 9 (12 tons of cane, taking the average of the work of 

 the season 1907. 



It would be extremely interostitig and useful if 

 similar information could be compiled in respect to the 

 i:uies and the sugar industry of other West Indian 

 Islands. 



