150 THE CHINESE SUGAR CANE. 
forty hectolitres (eight hundred and eighty gallons), the 
bagasse, or crushed canes, still retaining a considerable 
quantity ofjuice, are steeped in hot water. Nine hundred 
and fifty kilogrammes (two thousand six hundred Ibs.) 
of these yield twenty hectolitres (four hundred and forty 
gallons) of juice and water at 3° Beaumé, while the juice 
first expressed stands 10° Beaumé. 
On finding it was going to cost him too much to cut 
and gather the grain from his sorgho, he determined not 
to do so, but after choosing sufficient of the best seed for 
next year, he left the grain attached to the stalks, and 
crushed all together. 
When he came to macerate with hot water, the heat 
immediately acted upon the starch of the corn, and deter- 
mined its transformation to sugar. He thus obtained, 
by the same operation, both the saccharine of the grain 
and the residue of the juice from the canes. 
The juice, on leaving the steeping vats at 8° B., must be 
enriched with pure juice till it marks 5° B. Eight hecto- 
litres of this (one hundred and seventy-six gallons), at a 
temperature of 30° centigrade (86° I.) are mixed in a fer- 
menting vat with five litres (one and one eighth gallons) 
brewers’ yeast ; this he calls the foot. In an hour it is ina 
high state of fermentation, and he then fills up the vat with 
twenty-two hectolitres (four hundred and eighty-four 
gallons) also at 830° cent. (86° F.) ; in another hour the whole 
is fermenting. He states the above from his own expe- 
rience, and remarks that the fermentation proceeds 
regularly, requires no attention, is never too rapid, and 
always falls to zero on the areometer in twenty, or at 
most twenty-four hours. It isthen ready for distillation, 
