Vol. X. No. 2:34. 



THK AGKICULTUJIAL NKWfe. 



115 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



THE MANFACTURE OF SUGAR 



FROM MAIZE. 



An article originally pnbli.shed in the Chetaiker Zeitumj, 

 Vol. XXXIV, p. l."330, which is stated to have been widely 

 noted by the technical press of Euroiie, has been translated 

 by Dr. O. W. Willco.x, lor the Ainerivan Sugar Indiistrt/ and 

 Beet Sugar (ia'.elte, and appears in the issue of that journal 

 for February 1911. from which the following particulars are 

 taken. 



The original article is by Dr. G. Doljy, who has conduct- 

 ed an investigation in Hungary to determine if Professor 

 F. L. Stewart's method for obtaining .sugar from the maize 

 stem is suitable tor introduction into that country. It is 

 stated that this method depends upon the fact that if the 

 unripe ear is removed from maize, the .sugar content of the 

 stem rises to a proportion which renders economically possi- 

 ble the manufacture of cane sugar from its juice. The increase 

 in sugar content is given as amounting to 12 to 1-1 per cent. 

 of the weight of the green stem. Sugar is not the only prod- 

 uct, however, as the mola.sses obtained, together with the fer- 

 mentable matters in the green ear and the husks may be used 

 for making alcohal. This is not the limit of the usefulness 

 of the plant, in this special connexion, as the fibrous residue 

 can be employed for manufacturing paper or cellulose, and 

 the slop from the distillation of alcohol may be converted into 

 food for stock. 



For the experiments, the corn was ]ilanted closelj', as is 

 done when it is raised for producing green stock food; and 

 while the grains were still in the milk, the heads were remov- 

 ed. The fact that there was no mill available for extracting 

 the juice made it necessary for the investigator to analyze 

 the plant itself, instead of juice expressed Irom it. A table 

 is given which shows that, in the case of the different kinds 

 of maize employed, the total sugar varied from 12'U to 3'5 

 per cent, the amount of glucose in the respective cases being 

 4'4 and 20 per cent. The tests were made at different 

 stages of development of the corn, and it is stated that the 

 results show that the total sugar in the corn stem, even under 

 different methods of cultivation, is nearly uniform for each 

 stage. The factor which influences the cane sugar content to 

 the greatest degree is the ratio of this sugar to the reducing 

 sugars — a relation which depends on the kind of corn 

 grown, and on the method of cultivation employed. 



The results aie illustrated by means of curves which 

 shew plainly that, ignoring individual variation-^, there is 

 a gradual decrease in the cane sugar content after the 

 maximum proportion has been attained, probably because, 

 while the dead leaves have ceased to a.ssimilate, there is 

 a certain amount of destruction of sugar through respiration 

 in the still living stem. When again, nn notice is taken of 

 individual variations, it is seen that the amount of reducing 

 sugars present remains the same after the removal nf the 

 ear. Returning to the cane sugar, it is evident from the 

 figures given above that the proportion of this is not as great 

 as has been stated to have been obtained in the United 

 States. The reasons for this circumstance are given as the 

 retardation of the development of the plants, on account of 

 unfavourable weather, and the fact that the approach of 

 winter stopped their growth. 



Dr. Doby was able to prepare sugar crystals from the 



maize easily and quickly by the employment of Schulze's 

 method (described in the Zeitschri/t far Physiologische 

 Chemie, Vol. XX, p. 5o0), and the product a|ipeared 

 to possess all the typical properties of cane sugar. The 

 opinion is given that the preparation of sugar from corn on 

 a large scale, by a similar method, will meet with little diffi- 

 culty. The conclusion is further reached that additional 

 experimentation is necessary before the practicability of the 

 method can be decided upon, and that this will have to 

 take accotmt of the influence of variety, climate, cultivation, 

 manuring and improved seed. Attention is also drawn to the 

 desirability of ascertaining what variety will give the stand 

 from which the largest yield of sugar per acre can be obtained. 

 The foregoing serves to give some idea of the extent and 

 results of the investigation undertaken by Dr. Doby. On 

 another page of the issue of the American Sugar Industry 

 and Beet Sugar Gazette, to which reference has been made, 

 a quotation from the Sugar Beet with relation to the 

 above work is given, in which regret is expressed that time 

 and money are still spent in attempting to prepare sugar from 

 corn stalks. The opinion is brought forward that the matter 

 has no value in practice, and .support of this idea is adduced 

 by comparing the yield from sugar beets with that from corn, 

 in the following way. The claim is made that where condi- 

 tions are favourable to corn-growing, the yield is 22 tons to 

 the acre, which gives 13 tons of stalks, from which over 

 1,000 lb. of sugar can be obtained; whereas with sugar beets 

 yielding 10 tons per acre, with an extraction of 13 per cent, 

 of sugar, the return would be over 2,800 Ib.^ or nearly three 

 times as much sugar as that from the corn stalk. Further 

 evidence is given, concerning other matters in relation to the 

 by-products in the two ca.ses, which appears to support the 

 argument that corn will never be able to compete with beet 

 as a sugar producer. 



MOLASSES PRODUCTS IN THE 



NETHERLANDS. 



'}^\\Q Louisiana Planter for .January 7,1911, contains 

 information that has been obtained from a report by the 

 United States Consul-General at Rotterdam, which deals with 

 the demand for molasses in the Netherlands. Although the 

 product is not employed to any extent as human food, the 

 importations at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Flushing are of 

 no little concern; they are made in connexion with the manu- 

 facture of alcohol, both beet molasses and cane molasses being 

 employed, the former selling at !?16 to §18, and the latter at 

 •'?20 to 824 per metric ton. 



In the Dutch Customs, the classification of molasses 

 products is lis 'syrup, melado and molasses'; the imports of 

 this from various countries during 1909 were as follows: 

 Great Britain, 1,220 tons; Belgium, 2,62-5; Cuba, 19,981; 

 Germany, 23,282; Roumania, 1,711; United States, 2,.507; 

 Sweden, 1,192 tons;forminga total of nearly 53,000 tons. The 

 suggestion is made that, as this molasses is mainly used for 

 manufacturing alcohol, and is therefore required in large 

 quantities, protitalile importations from the United States can 

 only be made in tank steamers, which would discharge directly 

 into the tank lighters owned by the purchasing companie.s. 



Attention is drawn to the circumstance that stock foods 

 containing molasses have been little used so far in the Nether- 

 lands, and it is suggested that trade could only be developed 

 in this direction, as a sub.sidiary industry to the provision of 

 molasses for alcohol-making — a provision which would pro- 

 bably be required to the extent of 10,000 to 15,000 tons of 

 molasses, annually. 



