694 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 18^4. 



SUGAR FROM BAGASSE. 

 Some experiments have been made by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in order to see how much sugar 

 might be obtained from bagasae. A series of barrels 

 were so arranged that, having been filled with bagasse, 

 water was allowed to flow in at the top until the bar- 

 rel was full, and then by means of a pipe leading 

 from the bottom of the barrel tlie water flowed into a 

 second, and thence to a Ihiid, and so on. The over- 

 flow from the suocfssive barnds was taken when it 

 first ran off, and the result was tiiat the w-ater as it 

 gradually passed throngh each baiiel of bagasse, in- 

 creased very regularly in density and its contents of 

 sugar, and it was found that after four barrels of 

 water had passed through the bagasse, the water, after- 

 ward parsed through, took up no sugar, the bagasse 

 having been exhausted of it. It was found as the 

 average of nine experiments that it was possible to 

 recover 8'1'2 per cent of the weight of tlio bagasse 

 taken in sugars, and that finally, by these successive 

 leachings, lihere was obtained a juice as rich in sugar 

 as was the juice expressed from the cane by the mill. 

 — Indian Mercury. 



SUGAR CANE. 



The following shortlsketch of the history of the Sugar 

 Cane is iiublished in the Louisiana Sugar Bend : — " The 

 cultivation of tlie sugar cane and the manufacture of 

 sugar were introduced into Europe from the East, by 

 the Saracens, soon after their conquest in the ninth 

 century. It is stated by the Venetian historians that 

 their countrymen imported sugar from Sicily, in the 

 twelfth century, at a cheaper rate than they could 

 obtain it from Egypt, where it was then extensively 

 made. The first plantations in Spain were at Venetia, 

 but they were extended to Granada, Murcia, Portugal, 

 Maderia, and the Canary Islands, as early as the begin- 

 ning nf the fifteenth century. Krom Comera, ono of these 

 islands, the sugar cane was introduced into West Indies, 

 by Columbus in his second voj age to America in 1493. 

 It was cultivated to some extent in St. Domingo in 

 lijOG, where it succeeded better than in any of the 

 other islands. In 15)8, there were twenty-eight plant- 

 ations in th;it colony, established by the Spaniards, 

 where an abundance of sugar was made, which, for 

 a long period, formed the principal part of the European 

 sui)plles. Biirliadoes, the oldest English settlement in 

 the West Indies, began to export sugar in 1046, and 

 as far back as the year lt>76, the trade required four 

 hundred vessels, averaging one hundred and fifty tons 

 burden." 



♦ 



THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY OK THE UNITED 



STATES. 



This industry is now of large dimensions, for it 

 appears that there .are 7154 establishments engaged in 

 the manufacture of tobaco in its various ferms. Of 

 these 477 arc engaged in the manufacture of chewing 

 and cigarette tobacco, and 52 in stemming toliaooo. 

 The total number of persons employed, according to 

 the census returns, is 85,597, of whom 20,480 are fe- 

 males. The total amount of money paid annually in 

 wages is 25,0.54,000 dols., or about 300 dels, each per 

 year. The value of the materi;il used in manufactures 

 is 05, ."584,407 dols ; the lot.il value "f produce 108,660,166 

 dols. The l.irgest amount of material consumed is for 

 chewing and smoking tobacco, and snuff. The amount of 

 taxes paid on tobacco of all kinds, including all 

 special taxes for manufacturing, dealing, etc., for the 

 two years ending - eptember 188.3, was 89 406,238 dols. 

 Smoking and chewing tohaoc.n paid the heaviest tax, 

 viz,, 47.170,144 d lis,; cigars and cioarettos paid 

 l!5, 141,076 iluls. The cultivation of tha [ibint (Inys an 

 important part in the industry. In 1883 there were 



646,232 acres planted, which produced 449,880,014 lb. of 

 tobacco, of the value of 43,374,360 dols. Kentucky 

 produced the largest porportion, Virginia coming next. 

 South Carolina was the lowest. The total exports of 

 the leaf for the statistical year ending June 30, 1883, 

 were 235,628, .360 lb., as compared with 223,665,9801b. 

 for 1882, and 19,438,066 dols. in value, against 19,067,721 

 dols iu 1882. The exports of cigars for the last 

 statistical year amounted in value to 96,901 dols., 

 against 113,717 dols. in 1882. Iu manufactured to- 

 bacco, however, there w.as an increase in the exports 

 which amounted to 2,555,677 dols. in value, as com- 

 pared with 2,246,692 dols. for the year 1882. — Indian 

 Mercury. 



♦ 



PRESERVATION OF WOOD. 



Dr. Joseph Jones, of New Orleans, has, after an ex- 

 tended series of experiments, in.auguratcd eighteen 

 years ago, iu 1864, succeeded in developing a method 

 of preserving wood from decay for great periods of 

 time, and even for centuries. The first series of ex- 

 periments related to the preservation of animal struct- 

 ures ; and iu the Museum of the Medical Department 

 of the University of Louisiana are preserved in the open 

 air, the most delicate and destruotible animal tissues, 

 and entire animals, apparently as fresh as at the moment 

 of death. 



The second series of experiments related to the arrest 

 of decomposition in diseased and gangrenous ulcers, 

 cancers and gunshot wounds, and the results were 

 none the less striking and satisfactory. 



The third series of experiments related to the pre- 

 servation of wood from decay and the destructive action 

 of marine animals. 



The process, as finally developed and perfected by 

 Prof. Jones, consists in saturating wood with certain 

 bituminous, resinous and antiseptic substances .and 

 compounds. The sap and moisture of the wood are 

 transformed into steam, and the albuminous constituents: 

 coagulated by heat, and the wood thus treated is im- 

 mediately plunged into a boiling solution, the most 

 important ingredients of which are asphalt or solid 

 bitumen and cai'bolio acid. Tlie combination may be 

 varied according to the age and density of the wood. 

 As the preservative liquid and wood cools the vapor 

 is condensed, and the solution of asphalt is driven 

 into the pores and also permeates the wood by imbib- 

 ition. The solvent of the asphalt rapidly evaporates 

 from the surface of the wood after it is removed from 

 the preservative fluid, leaving a smooth, polished sur- 

 face, impervious to moistur- and water. The antisept- 

 ic substances are thus locked up within the fibres of 

 the wood. Thus, if it be desired to subject a railroad 

 bridge to this process, the iudividual portions, after 

 they have been completed, are first heated, iu order 

 to drive out all the moisture, and then plunged into 

 the solution of asphalt ; and after remaining trom *vo 

 to twelve hours, are removed, and each individual 

 part is protected by a complete coating of asphalt, 

 impervious to water, and itself one of the most power- 

 ful of wood preservers. When the bridge is erected 

 every portion of it presents a coated surface, and the 

 whole structure presents the appearance of having been 

 care'ully painted hy hand with durable black varnish. 



The saving of expense alone, in this mode of paint- 

 ing an entire bridge simply by plunging its component 

 parts into a preserv.ative fluid, it is claimed, will 

 more than equal the expense of the materials used. 

 Wood maybe subjected to the hot solution of asph.alt 

 without pi'eliminary heating. 



- A dryini; room for the wood, and a taidc heat-d by 

 steam for the preservative liquid, are the only forms 

 of appar.atus needed. Solid bitnnien, or asphalt, is 

 founrl in mo-t countries of the glob > ; but it is to the 

 West Indies that the United States must look for 

 inexhaustible supplies.— A^cw Orleans Democrat. 



