MANUAL FOR SUGAR GROWERS. 123 



both on the quality of the juice and on the skill of 

 the sugar-manufacturer. 



The production of molasses or uncrystallizable 

 syrup is due to the fact that glucose, mineral mat- 

 ters, and organic impurities other than sugar, prevent 

 the crystallisation of cane sugar. Hence the quan- 

 tity of molasses will be greater in proportion to the 

 quantity of these substances present in the juice. 

 But by far the most important agent is the glucose 

 formed by inversion during the process of boiling ; 

 so that it is at once seen that, not only does the for- 

 mation of glucose mean the loss of so much cane 

 sugar by inversion, but also the further loss of 

 another portion by preventing its crystallising. In 

 careful working with vacuum pans it is found that 

 one part of glucose prevents the crystallisation of an 

 equal weight of cane sugar. In the molasses of the 

 muscovado process the proportion of cane sugar to 

 glucose is much greater than this. 



The quantity of molasses produced in the musco- 

 vado process is largely dependent on the manner 

 in which the process is conducted. It varies from 

 30 to 50 gallons, or more, per hogshead of 2,000 

 pounds. There are two points by attention to 

 which the quantity of molasses can be kept low, — 

 care in tempering, and brisk boiling in the steam- 

 pan ; long-continued boiling of concentrated syrup 

 is one of the greatest producers of molasses. 



In the vacuum-pan process the yield of molasses 

 depends chiefly on the amount of impurities in the 

 juice, inversion during manufacture in this case 

 being but slight. Where only first and second 



