128 KEfORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Witli slight changes in the battery it will be an easy matter to redui-v^ 



this to $20, and if the cells are made twice as large the cost will be still 

 less. With apparatus properly arrauged tlie cost of diflfusiiig a ton of 

 cane will not be greater than 30 cents. Good inacliiiiists estiniated tliat 

 about 15 horse-power was nsed in driving the machinery and heating 

 the liquor in the experiments made. 



A study of the table of diffusions reveals some curious l';icts relating 

 to the variations in the composition of the cane. Beginning with (In-, 

 jburth dilfusion and ending with the eleventh, eight cells in all, the fol- 

 lowing facts a])pear: The mean specific gravity of the dih'usion juice at 

 150c. was 1.045, corresponding to 11.2 per cent, total solids. The weight 

 of juice drawn off was 10 per cent, greater than the weight of cant- 

 diffused; 11.2 total solids in 110 pounds would be equal to 12.33 total 

 solids in 100 pounds. Add to this the .30 sugar lost in chij)S in w;iter 

 of diffusion and .15 sobds not sugar, we obtain 12.77 as the total sulid.s 

 in cane diffused, calculated from the diffusion data. This would corre- 

 spond to 14.05 total solids in the Juice as ex])ressed by mill. 



i^fter the eleventh diffusion the cane rapidly deteriorated. The mean 

 specific gravity from the eleventh to the thirty-third diffusion was 10.30 

 (circa) at 15° C, corresponiliug to 0.75 per ceiit. total solids. Proceed- 

 ing as above, the following numbers are obtained: Total solids in cane 

 diffused, 11.18 per cent. This would give for mill juice 12.35 ])er cent. 



After the thirty-second diffusion the weight of juice drawn off" was 

 5 per cent, less than weight of cane diflhsed. The specific gravity of 

 the diffusion juice at 15° was 1.044 (circa), corresponding to 11.00 per 

 cent, total solids. Diminishing this by 5 per cent, and adding .45 we 

 obtain 11.00 per cent, as total solids in cane, or 12.10 per cent, total 

 solids in expressed j uice. 



Unfortunately the carbonatation pump broke after about one-third of 

 the juice had been defecated. A careful estimate of the number of 

 tons of cane which was worked showed that 15 had been carbonated. 



This yielded 4,320 pounds of masse cuiic, containing 76.9 per cent, solid 

 matter, or 11 per cent, (nearly) on weight of cane worked. 



The comi}Osition of this Diasse cuiie is shown by the following analysis: 



This mass€-Kiuite was allowed to stand in cars (it was not boiled to 

 grain) one week and was then swung out, yielding 1,420 pouuths of sugar, 

 (.-r about 30 per cent, of worked and dried sugar, or 95 pounds per ton 

 of cane worked. 



Allowing 12 pounds per gallon for the masse cuite, the number of 

 gallons per ton of cane was 234. 



The sugar was of fine quality, the molasses of much better quality 

 than that obtained in the usual way, and the whole product was in 

 every respect satisfactory. 



