40 



advantageously be made on the lines of the well known Taylor- 

 bag filters commonly used in sugar manufacture. The clear fil- 

 tered juice is then used for the preparation of citrate in the man- 

 ner previously described. 



Another useful suggestion, for which I am indebted to the same 

 gentleman, is that the juice can be readily and economically 

 heated by blowing naked steam into it, and that, by using a suit- 

 ably perforated pipe, the steam so agitates the juice as to obviate 

 the use of a mechanical stirrer. It is preferable to let the steam 

 into the juice on one side of the mixing vat so as to cause a 

 regular circulation. If the juice is brought into the mixing vat as 

 soon as possible after leaving the still, so as to retain a good 

 deal of heat, the dilution caused by the naked steam is reduced, 

 and therefore the filters should be arranged to retain the heat as 

 much as possible. Mixing vats of wood answer the purpose ad- 

 mirably, 



The best forms of drier appear to be those in 'which warm air 

 is drawn over the citrate deposited on shelves ; these driers are 

 of the type of cacao driers described in the West Indian Bulletin, 

 Vol. II., p. 1 73* 



As regards the relative advantages of making citrate or con- 

 centrated juice, I have nothing to add to what I said in the Wes 

 Indian Bulletin, Vol. III., p. 152. The question appears to me to 

 be still an undecided one. 



In order that those interested in the subject may form some 

 idea of the appliances required for the manufacture of citrate, I 

 append here plan for a citrate factory capable of dealing with a 

 crop of about 12,000 barrels of limes, equivalent to a crop of about 

 100 casks of concentrated juice. 



Considerable improvements maybe effected in the manufucture 

 of concentrated juice. In the first place, the juice should be freed 

 from pulp and suspended impurities before concentrating. This 

 is now found to be a comparatively simple matter. It is usual to 

 heat the juice in a still in order to recover the essential oil. 

 When the distillation is finished and the hot juice discharged 

 from the still, it is readily clarified either by allowing it to stand 

 in vats to permit the suspended impurities to subside, or prefer- 

 ably, it may be passed through bag filters in the manner mention- 

 ed above. 



Concentrated juice prepared from clarified lime juice is com- 

 paratively free from suspended impurities, and is a superior arti- 

 cle to much of the concentrated juice now commonly placed on 

 the market. Some suspended impurities are present, however, 

 these result from the action of heat on the juice in the process of 

 concentrating. 



It is important that the concentration should be controlled by 

 means of the citrometer in the manner described in the West In- 



°Driers of this kind are made by the Blackmail Export Co., Ltd., 70 Finsbury 

 Pavement, London, E.C. 



