278 SORGHUM. 



use of the ordinary mills for extracting the juice, and estimates the loss as be 

 ing equal to 40 per cent of the sugar present in the cane. 



When we consider the magnitude of this industry, this estimated loss assumes 

 immense proportions. 



Fully $300,000,000 worth of sugar is now annually produced from cane by 

 practically the same methods used in the production of sorghum sui^ar. Ac- 

 cording to the estimate of Prof Cook, then, it appears that there is annual y 

 lost in the bagasse two-thirds as much, or $200,000,000 worth ol susrar. It would 

 appear most desirable, that some method be devised hy which this enormous 

 waste may be prevented. 



The following analyses of bagasse from sugar-cane show results com- 

 parable with the above : 



A. B. a 



Per cent of juice expressed 60 70 80 



Per cent of water in bagasse 23 li 2 7 2 



Per cent of siisar in baijasse •> 3 8 18- 



Per cent of fiber, etc., in bagasse 110 110 110 



100 100 100 



The percentage composition of the bagasses is as follows : 



A. B. C. 



Water. '. 57 5 50 7 3() 



Siisar, etc • 15 12 7 9 



Fiber, etc 27 5 30 7 55 



100 100 1 100 



It will be seen that, when 60 per cent of the weight of the cane was 

 expressed as juice, there yet remained in the biigasse 15 per cent of 

 its weight as sugar, and an amount of water quite equal to that in 

 the unpressed cane. It appears also that even in the cane where the 

 percentage of juice was 80, the fresh bagasse contained 9 per cent of 

 its weight of sugar. 



The itnportauce, then, of a mill which shall express the greatest 

 amount of juice is obvious, provided the juice obtained by the increased 

 pressure is of equal purity with that obtained by less. 



Upon this point there exists a diversity of opinion, but the matter 

 does not appear to have been made the subject of such experimental 

 investigation as its importance demands. It seems rather, in many 

 cases, to serve as a convenient excuse for what would otherwise appear 

 as a wasteful method of manufacture; as also for the makers of mills, 

 who have found it practically impossible to surpass a certain limit in 

 the amount of juice expressed. 



In several experiments with a second-hand mill, as compared with 

 a new one, the following results were obtained : 



