234 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



July 15, 1916. 



THE PRODUCTION OF CLEAN CONCEN- 

 TRATED LIME JUICE. 



Mr. A. S. Burleigh, of Dominica, has lorwarded 

 through the Agricultural Superintendent and Curator 

 at Dominica, the following note on the production of 

 clean concentrated lime juice by the open-ta3'che 

 method. While the concentration of juice by means of 

 steam coils is to be advocated, the following shows 

 nevertheless what can be accomplished by exercising 

 care in conducting concentration b}' the cruder method. 

 In juices prepared in the following manner the sediment 

 has not been i'ound to amount to over .'lO units, and in 

 onc' case examined it was nil. A juice containing not 

 more than 30 units could almost be guaranteed. In 

 the ordinary way I)ominica juices give a sediment test 

 of 100 to 120 units, and in some cases it goes up to 

 150. It is of interest to compare these figures with 

 the average sediment figure for concentrateil juice 

 prepai-ed by steam coil heating at the Government liine 

 Juice Factory in St. Lucia, which amounts to only 2 5 

 units.* Mr. Burleigh's results, therefore, indicate that 

 great care must have been taken in their achieve- 

 ment: — 



In order to produce clean concentrated juice, it is highly 

 iiiiji'irtant that the raw juice sliduld be reasonably free fruui 

 matter in suspension. It is impossible to turn out a high 

 dt^gree juice from material containing pulp and sludge. 



To this end the juice should be allowed to settle in the 

 vats. The pulp will then rise to the top and the sludge is 

 precipitated. The vat should be provided with two taps; 

 one about a foot from the bottom for drawing oil' the clear 

 juice, the other in the bottom for running off the settlings. 

 The position of the clear juice tap will vary somewhat 

 according to size of vat and degree of extraction obtained 

 from the mill. A foot is about right for an 800-gallon 

 vat with good extraction. 



In order to catch any stray pulp which may be drawn 

 out with the clear juice, it is advantageous to run it through 

 some straining cloth on its way to the tayches, ordinary 

 cheese-cloth answering the purpose verj* well. 



During the process of concentration the main points to 

 be observed are: frequent skimming, stirring to prevent 

 stagnation at bottom of tayche and conse<iuent chairing, and 

 slow boiling when the juice begins to thicken. 



With regard to the skimming, an immense amount of 

 imparities can be removed in this manner. The greatest 

 opportunity for this will be found just before the juice com- 

 mences to boil after charging with raw juice, a large (juantity 

 of scum generally rising at that time. Another good time 

 will be found just after stirring, which causes the impurities 

 to rise. The man in charge of the boiling .should be trained 

 to skim whenever he sees an opportunity. A good way of 

 dealing with the skinunings is to have a tub vi^ith a piece of 

 thick straining cloth tied over the top in such a manner as to 

 form a depression. The skinuner is emptied into this, and 

 the dear juice percolates through into the tub below. Other- 

 wi.-i' if iniiy be treated with the .settlings. 



"^ A (Inscription of the seduuent test for lime juice will be 

 found in the AiirknUnralNews for November 6, 191.5 (Vol. XIV, 

 No. :i.5:i. p. :cl6). 



Stirring need only be done occasionally until the juice 

 begins to thicken, when it should be done frequently, taking 

 care to work well down to the bottom of the tayche. The 

 stirring is best done with an instrument formed of a piece 

 of board about 18 inches long, rounded oil' on one side 

 to fit the contour of the tayche, and attached to a long handle. 



As the juice thickens the fire should be gradually 

 damped down until when near the striking point, the juice 

 is only just boiling sufficiently for the citrometer to record 

 accurately. 



It is advisable when the desired degree of concentration 

 is attained to regulate the fire so that there is just .suflicient 

 left in the furnace for starting up again, or, if there is no 

 more juice to be treated, to draw the fire altogether, as other- 

 wise the latter part of the strike is apt to be burned before 

 it can be taken out owing to the tayche becoming overheated. 



The juice should always be .struck in the last tayche 

 from the fire, as otherwise it is almost impossible to avoid 

 excessive charring. The strike should always be withdrawn 

 from the tayche as quickly as possible. 



The settlings may advantageously be employed in cooling 

 the tayches. When treated cold, it is difficult to filter owing 

 to gum and oil clogging the bags, but if previously heated, and 

 put into the bags whole, still hot, it will be found to filter 

 very readily. 



To sum up, the e.'isentials for the production of clean 

 juice are — 



Clean raw juice. 



Careful boiling, paying due attention to skimming and 

 stirring, and the avoidance of overheating in the final stages. 



If these points are taken due notice of, there is no reason 

 why clean juice .should not be turned out. 



With regard lo the unavoidable loss in concentration by 

 the open-fire method, while this system cannot compare with 

 steam concentration in this respect, with careful working the 

 loss can be greatly' reduced, the writer having brought 

 his down to 8'5 per cent. 



Pigs in Cuba. — Cuba is an ideal country for the 

 raising of hogs. The royal palm trees, of which there are 

 millions in the island, furnish a food which is very much 

 liked by the hogs, and which is very nutritious. Guavas, 

 mangoes, and other fruits grow in profusion, anil serve very 

 well as feed. Moreover, the ' market for pork and all of its 

 products, is always very good. Unfortunately, hog cholera 

 is always epidemic, and causes such a high death-rate among 

 the hogs as to make the business of hog-raising exceedingly 

 precarious. \o extensive statistics are at hand to show 

 either the total number of hogs in Cuba or the number that 

 die annually of cholera, but in many cases herds have been 

 completely destroyed by this disease. There is no remedy 

 known, but hog-cholera serum is a preventive, and the 

 Experiment Station began preparing the serum about a year 

 ago. and to date has prepared about 500,000 cubic ceiiti- 

 metre.s, and used it with the greatest .success. 



We have met with a number of difficulties in the prepa- 

 ration of the serum which has prevented the working of the 

 plant to full capacity, but at present we can see no reason 

 why the difficulties'should not be overcome, as they have been 

 overcome in the I'nited States. The importations of lard, 

 hams and live hogs during the year 1912-13, amounted to 

 $8,983,884, and during the year 1913-11 to §9,3.-)7,7in. 

 From these figures it will be seen what the placing of the 

 industry in the condition to supply all the local consumption 

 would mean to the Cuban farmers. {Modern Cuba.) 



