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Lea ss REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 237 
leaves, or 240 tons of cane as it grows in the field, per day of twenty- 
four hours. Those who have given most attention to the subject 
think that a battery composed of 13-ton cells may be operated quite 
as successfully as a battery of 1-ton cells. Such a battery would 
have a capacity of 360 tons of field cane per day. 
THE CUTTING AND CLEANING APPARATUS. 
This consists of modifications of appliances which have long been 
used for other purposes. Simple as it is, and presenting only me- 
chanical problems, the cutting, cleaning, and elevating apparatus is 
likely to be the source of more delays and perplexities in the opera- 
tion of the sugar factory than any other part. . 
The diffusion battery in good hands works perfectly; the clarifica- 
tion of the juice causes no delays; the concentration to the condition 
of semi-sirup may be readily, rapidly, and surely effected in apparatus 
which has been brought to great perfection by long experience, and 
in many forms; the work at the strike-pan requires only to be placed 
in the hands of an expert; the mixer never fails to do its duty. There 
are various forms of centrifugal machines on the market, some of 
which are nearly perfect. If, then, the mechanical work of deliver- 
ing, cutting, cleaning, and elevating the cane can be accomplished 
with regularity and rapidity, the operation of a well-adjusted sugar 
factory should proceed without interruption or delay from Monday 
morning to Saturday night. 
The machines used at Fort Scott for these purposes have not been 
_described in detail. They need only to be made stronger and simpler. 
Their general plan is not far from that which is likely to be in general 
use in the near future. 
The methods of handling cane need some modifications as to details. 
The arrangement for making the factory engine unload the cane from 
the farmers’ wagons will probably never be abandoned, since it is 
much more rapid and leaves the cane in better shape than it can be 
left by hand. 
THE SCIENTIFIC WORK. 
The present favorable condition of the sorghum-sugar industry, 
like the immense development of the beet-sugar industry of Europe, 
is indebted for its existence largely to long-continued scientific work; 
and while much of the scientific manipulation which it was once 
feared would be necessary tosuccess has been eliminated in practice, 
yet the scientist has not been able to so far simplify the subject as to 
enable the manufacturer to dispense with his services. I shall try 
here to make a plain statement of the scientific work necessary in a 
sugar factory under-developments so far made. 
WHERE THE SCIENTIFIC WORK IS NEEDED. 
It has already been shown that it is only on reaching maturity that 
sorghum is a profitable sugar plant. To determine when most farm 
products are ripe is asimple matter of inspection. But it is astonish- 
ing to note how greatly different will be the views of, say, a dozen 
practical farmers as to when a given field of wheat is ripe. Experi- 
ence in judging of the ripeness of sorghum is far less extended than 
in the case of wheat. Indeed, the varying conditions of the weather 
so greatly affect the appearance of ripeness, 7. e., the hardness of the 
