Vol. VIII. Xo. 



THE AGIIICULTUIIAL XEWS, 



355 





i^-eyt- 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The Ferm3nta!.ion of Hawaiian Molasses. 



Bnlletiii 2.S of the Divisidii of Agriculture arA 

 Ciicini.stiy Dt'the Hawaiian Sugar Planter.^' As.sociatioii 

 gives the result.s of work that has been iindertiken in 

 a creneral way for tlie purpose of g.'iining information in 

 rL-^'ard to the possibilities of Hawaiian ni'ila=ses as 

 a source of alcohol. The follow iiig ari? the i-.,nrliision.s 

 reached, arid in considering thuni. regard must be hail 

 to the fact that the product in Haw.aii comams ninch 

 less fermentdjie lUiitter than niol.isses fi'jai most other 

 countries : — 



(1) The average content of sii'i'^r.s of twciity-fivc 

 Hxwaiian m <lassus tor the ciop of IOJS w.is olOS per 



CLllt. 



(2) Of the sugrtr,*, 83 per cent, can be cnnvcrteil by 

 fcnntntatioa into :dtoIiol. 



(.3) An uufermciitablc body, >vliich lias the same reibic- 

 in<' |:owor on onpjier solutions as gliico-e, is present to the 

 e.xtont of (5 1 J per cent, of the siii;.iis, or 3 17 per cent, of the 

 mobisses. 



(4) The United States levenue regulation governing 

 molasses distilleries is based on un estimated ueld of frnm 

 80 to 95 per cent, of proof spirit from the molasses. The 

 yields of Hawaiian molasses vary from fi2 to 93 per cent., the 

 averages being 77 per cent. A modification of the legula- 

 tion W(iuld be necessary before a molas.ses-distilling enterprise 

 could be profitably installed in these islands. 



(.i) Jfolasses contains a sufficiency of nutrients for the 

 development and action of yeast. 



(()) Mineral stimulants give no apparent increase in the 

 yield. 



(7) The raolasses contain no non-sugars which have 

 a deleterious action on the fermentation. 



(8) Aeration shortens the time of fermentation, without 

 any increase in alcohol yield. 



(9) Attenuation 13 not as great in molasses of ELawaii as 

 in those of most countries where molasses is fermented, on 

 account of the smaller quantities of sugars therein. 



(10) Fei mental ion under pure culture increased the 

 yield in alcohol 22 per cent, over that when working under 

 the usual factory conditions with adventitious fermentation. 



(11) The lees or residue from fermentation gives 

 a fertilizer containing potash, nitrogen, and a small ipiantity 

 of phosphoric acid. 



(12) Molasses as a source of alcohol and fertilizer has 

 a value of about 8-3c. per gallon, exclusive of freight 

 and interest. 



(13) Of the yeasts from various countries where the 

 molasses is fermented, most are budding yeasts of the type 

 •Saccfiaromi/c/'i Vorderiiinnvii; that from Peru, however, is 

 a fission yeast. 



(14) Most of the yeasts worked well in sugar concentra- 

 tions up to 1-1'6 grams per 100 i.e., the fermented wash 

 containing up to 7 '85 per cent, alcohol by volume. 



(15) A Monilia was isolated from the yeast from Xatal 

 which gives an aroma resembling that of the best Jamaica 

 rum. 



Sugar r»iaiiufacturo in St. Croix. 



The island of Sr. Croi.x. ])^\^f., has a total area of 

 51,000 acres, only 1G,47'.J of which are in cultivation. 

 The sngar-iane lias lieen grovv'ii in this inland for many year.s, 

 in fact it is OIK.' lit ilie princi|ial ^^'e.it Indian i.slands wdiich 

 grow cane. W'iicn the latter was introduced into Louisiana, 

 the sipiply came from this islaid and Santo Domingo. 



'J'he island is ili\ided u,i into plantations of about 300 

 acres each, and up to a lew \ears ago each place had its owa 

 set of muscovado works, and groun 1 its own c.me. At the 

 present time, only seven of these places are still in existence; 

 all the other plantations deliver their cane to a central 

 factor}'. 



Lower Love factory has a cajiacity of 600 tons of cane 

 per day. Its grinding [ilant is composed of a Krajew.ski 

 crusher and two 3-roller nulls (size of mills, 28 inches by G6 

 inches, and 30 iijchcs by CU inches). It turns out about 

 4,000 tons of sugar yearly. This factory is one of the few 

 sugar factoiies in existence today that burns no other fuel 

 than megass ; this fact is contributed to by the fine steaming 

 qualities of the liabcock and Wilcox boilers, also to the green 

 mega.ss furnaces designed by Cajit. A. F. Blackwood and his 

 chief engineer, L F. Hansen. 



fjelhhheni factory has a capacity of 500 tons of cane 

 per day. Its gii;:diiig plant is made up of three 3-roller 

 mills (size of mills, 30 inches by GO inches), ft has an 

 output of about 3,500 tons of sugar annually. 



Central factory has a capacitj' of (iCO tons of cane per 

 day. It has two grinding sets, one being a 9-roller mill and 

 crusher (size, 24 inches b}' 48 inches), and the other three 

 3 roller mills and crusher (.size of mills, 30 inches by GO 

 inches;. It turns out about 3,000 tons of sugar per year. ■ 



La Grange factory handles about 350 tons of cane per 

 daj'. Its giinding plant is composed of three 3-rolIer mills 

 and crusher (>ize of niilLs, 26 inches by 42 inchest Its out- 

 put is about 1,200 tons of .sugar per year. 



These factories are up-to-date in every sense of the word, 

 and are doiiiL.' just is good work as any other factory in tlie 

 world. 



The island of St. Croix has pa.ssed through a period of 

 seven years' dry weather, and, together with the high duties 

 and low price of sugar, it has been a trying time for the 

 planters. 



The' outlook for the coming year is very promising as 

 there have been fine rains for the month of August, aad. 

 everything points to a large crop. (The Fovto Rico Ilorti- 

 cii/final 35'»'.s ) 



The Seeding of Spathodea campanulata. — 



The statement is made, on page 332 of the current volume of 

 the Agricultural News, that one of the trees of Sjjatliodea 

 ciiinpauu/ata at the Botanic Station, Grenada, has, during 

 this year, set viable seed for the first time, although the 

 plants have flowered for several years, and the question is 

 asked as to whether specimens of the plant at other Botanic 

 Stations in the West Indies have produced seeds. In reply 

 to thks, the Curator of the Botanic Station, Dominica, writes 

 that the trees of this species which are established at that 

 Station produce good seed annually. It is interesting to 

 note, in connexion with this, that Dr. H. Trimsn, F.R.S., 

 late Director of the Royal Botanic Stati.,n, Ceylon, states in 

 his Handbook to the Flora of Ceij'^n (1895) that this plant 

 has been much employed in that island as an ornamental quick- 

 growing tree, and that he had known it to fruit once only, in 

 1892, in Kandy. This function would thus appear to be 

 dependent on climatic conditions. 



