MR. WRAY’S PROCESS. 187 
have from time to time been made 10 filter the raw juice 
of the sugar cane, before applying heat thereto, and 
small quantities of lime have been put into the said raw 
juice, before filtration, in order to prevent the, acidifica- 
tion and fermentation of the juice during filtration, and 
before it could reach the Lozlers and be boiled; but my 
distinct and well proved method, is that of adding lime, 
or cream of lime, to the raw juice until it loses all traces 
of acidity, and it becomes sufficiently alkaline to affect 
slightly the color of turmeric paper, or other equally sen- 
sitive alkaline test paper. The chemical principle in- 
volved in this process, I will now explain, so as to 
demonstrate the very peculiar and distinctive character 
of my treatment; distinguishing it, therefore, from all 
other methods. 
The juice as it comes from the mill, I have always 
found to be palpably acid; the first effect of the lime, 
therefore, is to neutralize the juice; secondly, to regulate 
(by a further addition of lime) as large a quantity of the 
feculencies as possible, by saturating the acids which 
hold them dissolved in the juice. When the lime has in 
this manner combined with the acids, and liberated the 
feculencies, whatever lime may be in excess, tends to 
make the juice alkaline, which the turmeric paper imme- 
diately denotes, showing the necessity of instant filtration, 
which yields a beautiful clean, clear bright juice, without 
any heat having been used, leaving in the filtered juice, 
besides the sugar and water, only a little deatrine, caseine 
and saline matter. By this simple process, a host of 
troublesome albuminous, glutinous, gummy, waxy, and 
mucilaginous matters combined under the general head 
