186 



Louisiana, the proportion of sugar contained in the former 

 being from 2"o to 4% in excess of that found in the latter. 



Experiments with regard to the adaptability of cane to 

 soils of varying quality and character have almost invaria- 

 bly shown that light, easily drained soils produce a cane of 

 higher sugar content than rich alluvial or bottom lands ^ 

 though the latter soils give the larger yield in almost all cases. 

 While the lands throughout such a large portion of this 

 State are capable of producing cane with such a high sugar 

 content, there has been made, as yet, very little progress in 

 the employment of intelligent and improved methods in the 

 manufacture of syrup from sugar cane, and the processes at 

 present in use are extremely crude and in most cases quite 

 uneconomic. 



The process of manufacture, as carried out at present, 

 makes little if any provision for the clarification or purifi- 

 cation of the juice prior to evaporation, the only impurities 

 removed being those which come to the surface as froth or 

 scum during the process of evaporation, the skimmings 

 being removed by means of a small perforated ladle. 



As the cooking of the juice to syrup is commonly effected 

 in the ordinary shallow copper evaporator, the evaporation 

 is of course quite rapid, and in many cases considerable 

 proportions of the impurities escape the skimming ladle 

 and are boiled down along with the syrup, contaminating 

 the product and giving a darker color to the syrup. 



In ordinary practice, no appliance of value is employed 

 to ascertain when the syrup has reached the proper density, 

 and in most cases the evaporation is carried too far, a pro- 

 duct being obtained which permits the deposition or crys- 

 tallization of it's sugar within a comparatively short time. 



Owing to this tendency on the part of the thicker syrups 

 to crystallize, it is quite difficult to obtain the home-made 

 article for more than a few months after the period of man- 

 ufacture, while syrups that may have partially escaped 

 this defect will be"likely to ferment somewhat later in the 

 season. 



