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- The, machinery consists of a cleaning and shreding apparatus, a 
_. diffusion battery, an open evaporator, vacuum pan. hot rocm, wagons, 
» and-centrifugaL ~~ 
The cane is eut into sections, freed from leaves, sheatlis, and seed | 
tops, and passed in at once to the shreding knives. The leaves and 
seed tops are also separated and collected into different receptacles. 
All this machinery is automatic, and the capacity of the cleaning | 
apparatus was proved to be equal to the cleaning of 44 tons in twenty- — 
two hours.. It worked without delay or repairs of any description. | 
andthe wear and tear was so slight that at fhe close of the season its , 
~ condition ed ameie to be as good as when first started. All this ap- 
paratus had been thoroughly tested during the season of 1886. 
_ The shreded cane is packed into perforated baskets and it is then 
' ready for the diffusion battery. 
ot This battery differs radically from those in ordinary use, and was: 
planned in 1886. During this season its work was not perfectly sat- 
__ isfactory, concentration of juice being gained only at a serious loss 
of sugar in the waste products; but after the close of the season and 
when the battery was properly managed it was proven and the tests 
- recorded, which have shown that it can extract practically all of the 
sugar in the cane at an expense for evaporation of 10 per cent. only 
in excess‘of that for mill juice; this result is satisfactory, and is be- 
_ lieved to be better than that given by any other battery. The diffu- 
gion juice from this battery was evaporated in an open pan until 
_ one-half of its water was removed; it was then drawn into the vac- 
uum, still further concentrated, grained into the same pan, and struck 
into sugar wagons in the hot room. The dentxifngal mackie sepa- 
rated the crude molasses from the raw sugar, leaving it in a condi- 
-tion suitable for refiners’ uses. Storage tanks, settling tanks, filter — 
’ presses, defecators, clarifiers, and chemicals of any kind were not 
+ ‘used. The vacuum pan and centrifugal machine do not differ from 
~ well-known forms. 
THE CROP. 
Eighty acres of cane were planted for the use of the mill, and of 
this 7 acres were grown by neighboring farmers and the balance by 
the company. Varieties planted were Amber, White African, Kan- 
sas Orange, and Late Orange, from which 910 pounds of sugar and 
80 gallons of molasses per acre were made. In this account is in- 
cluded the unripe cane used in breaking in the house and all damaged ° 
cane. The tonnage far exceeded our greatest expectations. This 
was oceasioned by carefully plantitg the hills closer and giving it 
good attention, together with favorable rains. The cost of raising 
_ the cane was $11.62 peracre. This includes the hauling out of fertil- 
_ -izers and placing them upon the land, which consisted of 150 pounds 
'  muriate of potash per acre, and rotten chips from previous seasons, 
_ together with a little stable manure in spots. The cost of potash 
-and chips are not ineluded in the above. The cost of cutting the 
cane and bringing it to the factory was 45 cents per ton. We paid 
| $3 per day for the use of teams and farm hands, and laborers were 
>) paid $1.25 per day. 
‘i The average yield was 164 tons per acre. All the farmers’ cane 
was worked and 27.38 acres of that raised by the company. Over 47 
acres were left in the fields. One tract (8.43 acres) averaged 25 tons 
of cane per acre, from which 1,400 pounds of raw sugar and 120 gal- 
lons of molasses per, acre were extracted. 
> REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. ean ae 
