THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



Cane being lifted from cars at mill 



envelop the mineral particles. The greater part of the insoluble organic impurities, 

 being lighter than the juice, is driven to the top by the act of boiling, forming a 

 blanket of scum which rests on the body of juice. 



The clear juice now lies between two layers of impurities; one at the bottom and 

 one at the top, and is drawn off by means of cocks until the two layers meet. Then 

 entire mass of impurities, called "cachaza" is washed with water into the scum tanks 

 below where it is heated and settled, and the clear juice drawn off while the cachaza 

 remaining is sent to the mud or filter presses. Here some of the juice is extracted 

 by about eighty pounds pressure, and the impure mass, called "filter press cake" has 

 still about 45% or 50% moisture. This cake is dumped from the presses into a con- 

 veyor loaded into dump cars and sent to the fields where after a period of several 

 months it is valuable as a fertilizer. 



The juice, which has been referred to previously as being drawn off from the 

 settlers by cocks, is clear juice, and together with the juice from the scum tanks and 

 that from the presses, flows to the supply tanks of the evaporators. This clear juice 

 is evaporated in a series of vessels, or "multiple effects", usually four in number and 

 called "Quadruple Effects", from a water content of 80% to 85% to about 49% and 

 is then called syrup or "meladura." This meladura flows into a tank on the ground 

 floor and from there it is pumped continuously to the storage tanks on the pan floor 

 to be used in the vacuum pans as needed. 



The meladura is drawn into pans by means of vacuum force, and is boiled under 

 a vacuum of 26° to 27°. When the meladura boils down to proper density, grains 

 begin to form, and the quantity of grains and the building up of the grain is regulated 

 by a well-trained man who is called the "sugar master", or "sugar boiler". When 

 making first sugar, meladura is added as required until the pan is about seven-eighths 

 full and then it is finished with first molasses to reduce the average purity, and to 

 give color to the sugar. This pan full of grains and extracted liquor is called "masse- 

 cuite", and it is dropped at a density of 92° to 94° Brix into a "mixer" above the 



