Vol, IV ii. Ho. 430. 



THE A.QRICULTL'KA;. NEWi 



'The heavy crushiug of modern milling carries into the 

 juices a finely subdivided fibre, nearly pure cellulose, known 

 as bagacilir>, which is always maintained in suspension in the 

 cleared juices. This bagaciilo absorbs and reflects light, so 

 its presence i.s not suspected - even in the brightest Juices-in 

 a sample test tube. It cannot be removed by any form of 

 settling, but is partially removed by passing the settled 

 juices quickly over a fine perforated screen placed nearly 

 hon/ontal. It can only be removed by the restraining action 

 of .some filtering medium, using cloth as a backing. 



'I'uring the process of ^lanulation the bagaciUo becomes 

 discoloured by the molasses, and its presence is noticeable 

 in a dissolved sugar solution within a test tube. It is re- 

 tained in the sugar, not washed out with the molasses. 

 It furnishes the necessary binder for the formation of scale 

 upon all the healing tubes. It is uniform in its distribution 

 throughout the sack of sugar; it bulks up the sugar, causing 

 air spaces; it absorbs moisture from the air, which it com- 

 municates to the surface of the grains of sugar. This mois- 

 ture induces a ferment, which continues increasingly in action 

 so long as conditions are favourable. Its injurious effect is 

 greater than that of all other suspended matters found in the 

 pleaced juices, and it si ould be removed. Any form of filter 

 removing ibis bagaciilo will also remove all other suspended 

 matter. 



'There is at present no piocess of clarification that gives 

 uniformly satisfactory results. The removal of all precipitate 

 pos.-ible by settling will be unsatisfactory if the bagaciilo 

 still remains.' 



The writer claims to have given twenty-five years of 

 service to juice-handling devices, on which he has many 

 machine and process patents. He is quite convinced of the 

 hopelessness of looking for further improvements in existing 

 systems or processes, except one that is based upon a filtra- 

 tion of the entire juice output - otherwise the bagaciilo must 

 be reckoned with He points out that the juice from, say 

 1 ton of cane, contains at the most 30 B). of filter cake of 

 50 per cent, moisture — a very ^mall amount. To filter 

 these juices coming direct from the heater with this I ~> 

 per cent, of mud, each gallon carrying its own proportion 

 of mud, would require a considerable time (even if the 

 filtered juices were perfect) before there was secured a filter- 

 ing medium on the cloth, .so that pressure could be used and 

 quantity work begun. Clarified juices present the same 

 objections to filtering them •separately, and they contain less 

 solids than accompany the juices as they leave the heater. 

 To filter volumes, there mu.st be large surfaces, a pressure at 

 all times, and no cloth used as a. restraining medium (no 

 matter how heavy) can be depended upon as a filtering 

 medium under the action of pres.-fuve. 'Not until a filtering 

 is .-seourcd can we obtain in voliuue goixl filtered iuices 

 working under pressure.' 



Sugar-Oane in Costa Rica.— The L'nited states 



iJOBsul, resident at Sar. Jose, t osta Rica, in his report in 

 May last, according to the f.oitisuxna Plantrr, August 10, 

 1918, gave some interesting data concerning sugar in that 

 country. For many years Costa lUca has been noted for the 

 excellence of its colfee, and C'osta Rica coffee generally com- 

 manils considerably high'v price- than coffee coming from 

 Brazil. Attention is now being given to the sugar industry, 

 and at the prevailing jirices it is probable that this industry 

 will receive considerable expansion. It is reported that the 

 production for 191(s was .W,0()0,i)( /U B)., or ir.,(iO(» short tons, 

 «s against 62,0O0,0O<» Bv, or .■?! OoO short tons for the year 



before. The area under" cultivation in 1917 w-^s •21,ii:!(^ 

 acres. Planting is reported to be done at the beginning 

 of the wet season, which varies .somewhat, and the- 

 growing time for the first crop e.xtends for two wet season* 

 and one intervening dry season, thus approximating eighteem 

 months, after which the cutting is done annually. The 

 small crop of 191 S, while based on common refwrt on various 

 local causes, is most likely the result of the general drought 

 throughout the world, and insufficient rainfall to prod>ice 

 a normal crop. The loc;il consumption of sugars in CosU 

 Rica is reported as about 6,000,000 Bt. , and the national 

 liquor factory took 1'; miUim lb. of molasses. It is estimated 

 that il million &. of sugar or molasses was fed to animals 



FEEDING VELVET BEANS TO PIGS 



The Expffimm/ Siafinii Reainh for June 19 1«, records 

 the results of experiments comparing'the use of velvet beans 

 with corn and dried blood for fattening hogs. The farmers 

 of Alabama are using the velvet lieans in two ways with 

 hogs. The more common method is to sow the beano along 

 with corn, and to gather the corn after frost has killed the 

 velvet bean vines growing over it, and then turn the pigs 

 in the field The other method is to gather the ripe beano 

 and feed as a concentr.ite. 



An experiment wa~ made with three lots of pigs of five 

 each with corn and dried blood, 10:1, as concentrates. 

 Lot 1 was fed a full ration alone, lot 2 a half ration (2 lb. 

 to each 100 &. live weight* with the pigs on velvet bean- 

 pasture, and lot .3 a one-fourth ration (1 %. to I0<i lb. live 

 weight) on velvet bean pasture 



^■aluing the corn at ^1 per bushel, the dried bhxxi at 

 $60 per ton, and the velvet bean pasture at •$2-83 per acre,, 

 it cost !?6-J9 to produce 100 It), increase in lot 1, .*t 91 in 

 lot 2, and -54 02 in lot .!. 



In another experiment, lot 1 was fed corn meal, and 

 lot 2 corn meal and velvet bean meal without the {X)di. 1:1. 

 It took -183-.J7 B>. of the corn meal to produce 100 tb. ijain, 

 and .">37-64 BE), of the mixture. A'aluing the corn at $1 

 per bushel and the velvet beans at .-^Si per ton, it co-st 

 8-64c. per lb of gain with the corn meal, and 9 37c. with 

 the rai.\-ture 



The melting point of the lard from the curnfed lot was 

 •l60i'C., and from the corn meal velvet-bean meal lot 

 44-3.5 . The carcasses of the latter were slightly darkened. 

 All carcasses were firm 



Tliese experiments .seem clearly to demonstrat',- the- 

 advantage to be derive-! from feeding velvet beans lo pigs (U) 

 a ration in combination with corn and other feeding .stuffs. 



Pig raising in the West ladies on ;i commercial scale 

 has from time to time been advocated in various nnmbers of 

 the Agnciiltural yr.v^, and the possibilities of an industry 

 established on proper lines foreshadowed The great acarcitV 

 and the high prices demanded and rea'ized for m,»rket;tble 

 pigs at the present time should provo an incentivw to the 

 establishment of pig raising farms in those colonies pf.s,ses*- 

 ing lands well adapted for the purpose. The results of the- 

 ex^ieriments mentioned alKive should supply a further euooor- 

 agement. showing as they do the advantage of using velret. 

 beans in the ration for pigs, and indicating an additional 

 and easily procurable feeding stuH'; for the velvet betin gr ''.vs 

 readily in these West Indian colonies, and i»uld without 

 difticulty and at small expense be establishiM in jmsture for 

 pur[Ki.se8 of pig. raising. 



It may l>e well M remember that the foregoing re.suit.-< 

 aiiply itls" to Kengil lfe*iw, md other species of Sti/olobiums. 



