Vol. XI r. No. 290. 



THE AGEICULTLTRAL NEWS. 



179 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



THE MANUFACTURE OI SYRUP. 



The present depressed condition of the .sugar market 

 has directed the attention of sugarcane growers in many 

 parts of the West Indies to the poasibilitios involved in the 

 manufacture of cane syrups in preference to muscovado sugar 

 and molasse.'. 



'I'lie question has recently received considerable attention 

 at Antigua and St. Kitts, where special papers on the subject 

 have been read by the Superintendent of Agriculture for the 

 Leeward Islands at meetings of the local Agricultural 

 Societies The [resent article is an abstract of a paper read 

 by the officer referred to above (Jlr H. A. Tempany, B Sc, 

 F.I.C ) at a special meeting held in Antigua. 



Consideration is given first in the report to the pecuniary 

 aspect of syrup making. From calculations based on the 

 composition as determined by analysis of a large number of 

 muscovado massecuites, it has been found that the etjuivalent 

 of 1 ton of mu«covado sugar and 60 gallons of molaste* in 

 terms of syrup of the standard density of 40' Beaume, is 273 

 Imperial gallons. Assuming the price of muscovado sugar 

 to be $[60 per 100 lb., f.o.b., Antigua, that of molas.ses to be 

 24c. per gallon including the cost of package, and that of 

 syrup also 24c. per gallon including package, then a simple 

 calculation will show that the manufacture of syrup as 

 against sugar and molasses on the above terms will yield 

 a profit amounting approximately to •?7'80 on each ton of 

 sugar made. As Mr. Tempany points out in the report, the 

 whole question resolves itself into that of the relation of the 

 prices of sugar and molasses. With muscovado sugar at 

 a low price, and molasses and syrup selling well, it pays to 

 make syrup; when the reverse is the case sugar making 

 seems likely to remain the more profitable undertaking 



in a paper published in the i\'est Indian JJuUetiu, 

 Vol. X, dealing with the subject of Central Factories, 

 Dr. Watts, Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the 

 West Indies put forward an interesting tabular statement of 

 relative actual values of syrup and sugar based on the 

 current market value of muscovado sugar. The table in 

 question has been calculated in terms of wine gallons of 

 syrup, the measure current in Barbados and the United 

 States of America. 



In order to facilitate reference as regards those interested 

 in the matter in the Leeward Islands, this table has been 

 recalculated in terms of Imperial gallons, the standard 

 measure in Antigua, and is included in the following: — 



Value of 1001b. of 



muscovado sugar, 



f.o.b., Antigua. 



Equivalent value of 1 gallon 

 of syrup in terms of the 

 price of muscovado sugar. 



Wine gallon. Imperial gallon. 



$1-60 13-9c. to 14-2c. 16 7c. to 17 Oc. 



§1-70 U-8c. „ 151c. 17 8c. „ 18 1c. 



$180 15 7c. „ 16 Oc. 18 8c. „ 19-2c. 



$1-90 16 5c. „16-9c. 19 8c. „20-3c. 



$200 17-4c. „ 17 8c. 20 9c. ,, 214c 



The advantage in favour of syrups is given by the 

 difference between the market price of syrup, f.o.b., and the 



value given in the third column, including in both cases the 

 cost of the package. 



Turning from the financi.il side of the subject to the 

 various matters of manufacture, Mr. Tempany points out 

 that the fundamental object in making syrup is to restrain 

 crystallization entirely. In order to secure this it is 

 necessary that a certain quantity of the cane sugar originally 

 present in the juice should be changed into invert sugar or 

 glucose The type of reagc nt which brings this change about 

 is an acid. Rapid inversion can be secured by using strong 

 mineral acids like sulphuric acid, but their use is precluded 

 on account of the American and Canadian Pure Food Laws. 

 Vegetable acids like lime juice might equally well be used 

 though the cost of doing so would be considerable. 



By far the best way of bringing about the inversion is 

 that commonly employed in Barbados, namely, by using sour 

 cane juice. As regards the quantity required, experiments 

 conducted recently in the Government Laboratory show that 

 in juices occurring in Antigua the amount of acidity devel- 

 oped in the first twenty four hours varies within relatively 

 narrow limits. Subsequently the rate of souring in the case of 

 different varieties would seem to be subject to variation of 

 some magnitude. From this it would appear that by 

 employing fixed quantitie.s of sour juice approximately 

 twenty-four hours old, to effect the necessary inversion, a 

 certain degree of control is capable of being established 

 with comparative ease. 



In Antigua, it seems that 80 gallons nf sour juice twenty- 

 four hours old, added to each 4-'0 gallons of fresh juice — i.e. 

 80 gallons of sour juice in each 500-gallon clarifier — will pro- 

 duce the required degree of inversion. 



Considerable attention is next given by the writer to 

 the question of Hming in syrup manufacture. Mr. Tempany 

 is of opinion that sour juice and lime have a similar effect as 

 regards clarification, namely they both assist the coagulation 

 of the albuminoids which rise to the surface as the familiar 

 black scum, and therefore, in the particular case under con- 

 sideration, it would seem unnecessary to add any lime, though 

 considerable diversity of opinion exists as to the desirability 

 of 'tempering' in the manufacture of syrup. 



The writer attaches great importance to the cleaning of 

 tayches during boiling, and to the removal of impurities. 

 The question of density or specific gravity is next considered. 

 It is pointed out that, in practice, the standard required of 

 the finished syrup is, that when it is cold it should have 

 a specific gravity of 40' Beaume This .syrup, at its boiling 

 point, corresponds to 35° Beaumi'^. 



The main requirements of the finished syrup are that it 

 should be of good colour, clear and bright, free from sediment, 

 and from salts of iron. The presence of the latter compounds 

 causes a darkening to take place when the .syrup is added to 

 an infusion of tea. Above all it is of importance that in keep- 

 ing it should not sour, nor should it deposit crystals of sugar. 

 As regards the commercial grades, the writer is of opinion 

 that the Barbados sugar producers' standard of 40° Beaume 

 and 40° polarization is the one that should be aimed at. 

 Mention is made of a demand that exists in Barbabos for 

 heavy fancy molasses of specific gravity of 41° Beaume: this 

 apparently may command a slightly higher price than the 

 normal article 



In concluding the report it is stated that the manufac- 

 ture of syrups cannot be regarded in any sense as a .satisfac- 

 tory substitute for the introduction of a Central Factory 

 system. On the other hand, it would seem a sound policy, 

 for those planters who are content to grind their own canes, 

 to manufacture syrup, providing the market prices are such as 

 to make it financially justifiable. 



