Vol XVI. No. 401. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



279 



IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE 

 OF LIME PRODUCTS. 



The Report ot the Agricultural Department, Dominica, 

 1916-17, a review of which appeared in a recent issue of the 

 Agricultural News, No. 399, deals with several subjects of 

 more than local value. Improvement in the manufacture of 

 lime products, for instance, is doubtless a matter of interest 

 in o'her islands, where the lime industry is being extended. 

 The report of Mr. J. Jones, Superintendent of Agriculture 

 in Dominica, dealing with this subject, is worth quoting. 

 He say=: 'During the year under review, citrate of lime was 

 sold on the basis of about £27 per pipe. During the same 

 period concentrated lime juice was quoted at £"22 per pipe. 

 'Whilst many planters received this latter price and 

 found .lifficulty in disposing of their product, a number of 

 others received £28 and over per pipe, and found a ready 

 market. 



'The difference in price was due entirely to the difference 

 in the quality of the juice manufactured. Those who took 

 the slight additional trouble of preparing a clean sample of 

 concentrated juice were rewarded to the extent of £6 

 per pipe and over. Now that the trade has differentiated 

 between clean and dirty juices, and does not value the 

 product on the acid content alone, a rapid improvement 

 should soon be observable in the quality of the bulk of the 

 juice leaving the island, and the shipment of thick dirty 

 juice, should be a thing of the past. 



'There is an idea abroad that clean juice cannot be 

 prepared by the open-lire process. This of course is a fallacy, 

 as some of the best juice leaving the island today is 

 manufactured by the open-fire method. The writer has seen 

 juice prepared by steam concentration having a sediment test 

 of close on 100 units. The essential condition in the 

 preparation of clean concentrated juice is that the raw juice 

 should be as free as possible from pulp. To attain this end 

 several different mothods are practised. First the raw juice 

 as it comes from the mill is kept for several days in vats to 

 settle and only the clear juice drawn out for concentration; 

 or the whole is passed through the still, and after boiling is 

 run into settling vats and allowed to remain there for twelve 

 to twenty-four hours. It is well known that boiled juice 

 settles quicker and more thoroughly than raw juice. In 

 some cases planters use both the above methods, that is they 

 settle the raw juice as much as is convenient, withdrawing 

 the clear juice directl)- into the concentrating vessel, and 

 distilling only the cloudy juice. No doubt the cleaner juice 

 is obtained by heating the bulk to boiling for some time, and 

 then fettling the juice, finally withdrawing the clear juice. 



'The chief difficulty in preparing clean juice is the 

 treatment of the sediment. It contains a very considerable 

 amount of acid which must be recovered. Filter- presses — 

 familiar objects in sugar factories— are not used in lime juice 

 factories. Two processes are adopted to obtain the last of 

 the acid out of the sludge. The latter is placed in bags 

 made of cloth and allowed to drain, or still better, placed 

 in a specially made filter-bag consisting of two bags, one, the 

 larger placed within a second, the smaller, the smaller of the 

 two having no bottom. The other method is to allow the 

 sediment to run into a separate vat, stirring it up 

 with a quantity of water, allowing it to settle, and 

 drawing off the clear liquid. The second process appears 



the more practicable when large volumes of juice are 

 being dealt with. In this .second process it becomes a 

 matter of some importance to determine the number of 

 times It is economically sound to continue the washina. 



'With this end in view experiments have been conducted 

 in this laboratory, and it would appear that if time is an 

 imporUnt factor, the best way to treat the sludge is to add 

 water to the extent of 2 parts to 1 of sludge. In a few 

 hours— six to ten— the pulp settles, and the clear liquid may 

 be drawn off and concentrated. It is not economically sound 

 at the present value of citric acid to further treat the residue. 

 'If however the element of time is not pressing, then 

 the most efficient way of dealing with the sludge is to add 

 equal parts of water, allow it to settle eighteen to twenty- 

 four hours, draw off the clear liquid, and again add 

 water in equal parts. From data supplied to this Department 

 as to the cost of concentrating a gallon of juice, which is 

 given at 1 cent per gallon, it would appear that at the 

 present value of citric acid, the washing described may be 

 repeated three times, but that a fourth washing is not 

 profitable. 



'By the first method 66-6 per cent, of the acid is 

 recovered from the sludge, and by the second process, 

 provided the washing is repeated twice, 75 per cent. If, 

 however, the washing is repeated three times, then 87 '5 per 

 cent, of the acid will be recovered.' 



Mr. Jones refers also to the successful employment of 

 steam for concentrating lime juice, which is now being 

 generally used. 



AGRICULTURAL CREDIT SOCIETIES IN 

 ST. LUOIA. 



An Agricultural Credit Societies Ordinance was passed 

 in St. Lucia in 1915, coming into force on January 1, 1916. 

 The first annual report, submitted by Mr. M. A. Beaubiun, 

 Government Inspector of Agricultural Credit Societies, is 

 included in the Report on the Agricultural Department, 

 St. Lucia, 1916-17. During the period reported on, six 

 societies were registered, with a total number of 151 

 members. The first year's working has proved an unqualified 

 success, witnessed by the fact that arrangements have been 

 made with the Colonial Bank to make advances to these 

 societies under the St. Lucia Agricultural Credit Societies 

 Ordinance up to £3,000 at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum. 

 The Inspector records his sense of the gratitude that is due 

 to the office-bearers of each society, as well as to the 

 clergymen in the districts where the societies have been 

 established, for their valuable assistance in every case 

 without pecuniary reward. 



It is not sufficient, however, the Inspector thinks, that 

 the societies should exist only for the purpose of granting 

 loans to members. Each society should arrange to handle 

 and ship the produce of its members, so that they may 

 receive full market value, and not be at the mercy of local 

 speculators. Such co-operation creates confidence amongst 

 the members. 



It can safely be said that the coming into operation of 

 this Ordinance has sounded the death- knell of the usurer, 

 whose method was to extort interest from the peasant at the 

 rate of 2s. in the £ per month. The Agricultural Credit 

 Societies Ordinance, worked along the present lines, will 

 eventually lead to the financial emancipation of the small 

 planter, and conduce to the general agricultural development 

 of the island; and for this reason it deserves support of all 

 who have the welfare of the island at heart. 



