THE CUBA REVIEW 



33 



In the foregoing nothing has been said as to 

 the refining of raw sugar in a rawsugarfactory, 

 meaning by refining, the treatment of the raw 

 sugar by a distinct process from that by which 

 it was made. Up to recently the only way 

 of doing this has been to decolorize the melted 

 sugar by means of animal charcoal. For 

 a tropical sugar factory this is placed outside 

 practical politics on account of the cost of 

 freight of the animal charcoal, or char, as it is 

 called. Even for high-class raw sugars, a ton 

 of this is required for every ton of sugar, and 

 the freight of this would form an imenter- 

 tainable item in the cost of manufacture. 

 The introduction into the sugar world, 

 however, of Xorite, which belongs to the class 

 of bodies called decolorising carbons, puts an 

 altogether diffeient aspect on the case. This 

 body, which is prepared by the carbonizing 

 of wood, is in an extremely fine state of sub- 

 division, and a small quantity, varj-ing from 

 2 per cent, to 5 per cent., according to the 

 color of the sugar treated is said to be 

 sufficient for the purpose. It can also be 

 manufactured on the spot, and the cost of 

 freight thus saved. 



Were a Norite refining plant attached to a 

 raw sugar factory, a raw sugar of a rather 

 higher standard than the ordinary 16 D.S. 96° 

 polarization would have to be made by the 

 latter. The position in relation to directly 

 produced plantation white sugar would be as 

 follows : 



The manufacture of the raw sugar would 

 mean less cost of chemicals and fuel, less wear 

 and tear of machinery where the comparison 

 is made with a sulphitation sugar, and, what 

 is important, at least 1 per cent, more sugar 

 extracted from the sugar in the juice. .\s 

 against this, there would be cost of the Norite 

 refining, with a rather higher cost for fuel 

 than in a home refinery, but with no super- 

 vision expenses. The sugar turned out 

 should be of first class quality and constant 

 in character, which plantation white sugar 

 is not. 



Unfortunately, at the present moment there 

 is no e\ddence on a working scale of what 

 Norite vnW do by itself in the direction of 

 decolorizing raw sugars. It is, it is true, used 

 by some of the sugar-using trades in this 

 counl^y, and as an adjunct to existing "char" 

 plants in some refineries, but its adaptability 

 to the entire work of a refinery has yet to be 

 demonstrated. The complete adaptability 



of Norite for refining purposes is, therefore, 

 still sub judice. Attempts have been made to 

 adapt it to raw cane juice, but, as might be 

 exi)ected when the amount of color to be 

 dealt with and the considerable impurities 

 of an organic character to be associated with 

 are considered, up to now the working has 

 not l^een a success. 



In conclusion, it must be borne in iinnd that 

 the character of the juice to be dealt with is 

 an important factor in the choice of a process. 

 Some juice will yield leadily to a sulphitation 

 process; others may recjuire the more strenu- 

 ous double carbonatation pioces,s. But what- 

 ever be the character of the juice, the economic 

 production of white sugar for direct consimip- 

 tion is ^vithin the reach of every cane sugar 

 producing concern. For success, however, 

 every department of the factory must be 

 thoroughly well equipped. The clarification 

 plant must be on a scale to deal with the worst 

 class of juice it is required to handle — not with 

 the average, as is usually the case in a raw 

 sugar factory. The vacuum pan power must 

 be ample, and there must be no question of 

 hot boiling from faulty vacua or structural 

 defects. The centrifugal plant, also, must 

 be of full capacity, and, of course, the boiler 

 power, so as to place out of the question any 

 dragging or inefficient work for want of steam. 

 And the work must be thoroughly supervised 

 by a proper scientific staff. The treatment 

 of the juices in clarification requiies constant 

 skilled watching, and the boiling of the various 

 massecuites equally skilled observation as to 

 quotients. 



With the manufacture of ordinary raw 

 sugars, a slight variation in color does not 

 affect the price. With the manufacture of 

 white sugar, it does not take much to bring 

 about a depreciation of £2 per ton in pi ice. 

 But the reward for thoroughness is high 

 quality of sugar, big extraction from the canes, 

 and a substantial balance in the bank. 

 ■ — -The West India Committee Circular. 



INCORPORATED. N. Y. 



Sugar Planters' Corp., sugar and other 

 plantations, sugar centrals, factories, re- 

 fineries, 7,500 shares, $100 each, 7,500 shares 

 no par value, carry on business with .S787,500; 

 D. Bailey, L. J. Francke, J. S. Fiske, 27 

 WiUiam Street. 



