284 SORGHUM. 



an inch in thickness. These slices are packed in appropriate recep- 

 tacles, which are arranged iu a train in such a manner that, after fill- 

 iug the first with water, it may, after a certain time, be discharged 

 into the second, the third, fourth, and so on, until the water has be- 

 come as rich in sugar, approximately, as the juice of the stalks or 

 beets. So soon as the water is discharged from the first receptacle to 

 the second, fresh water is again added to the contents, and this is in 

 succession delivered into the second, third, fourth, etc. By this means, 

 the sliced cane or beet is successively treated with fresh portions of 

 water, until at last the sugar has been entirely removed. The diffusion 

 water being necessarily used upon portions increasing in tlieir content 

 of sugar, until the water contains sufficient to be profitably treated for 

 sugar. 



In order to render insoluble certain constituents of the juice, it has 

 been the practice to first steam the fresh slices, or treat them with hot 

 water ; and, to remove from the diffused liquor other impurities, it has 

 been advised to sjirinkle lime over the slices in filling the receptacles. 

 It would appear desirable to use for this pr.rpose a mixture of lime and 

 sulphite of lime, in order to avoid any tendency to fermentation. 



Tlie following results are recorded in "Sugar Growing and Refining," 

 p. 190 — the juice from the canes giving 7J" B. The water had, in suc- 

 cession, been passed through the series, until seven vessels, each con- 

 taining 120 cubic feet, and holding 4,200 pounds of cane chips, and 

 3,250 pounds of water, w'ere filled with the diffusion liquor : 



No. of Temperature Specific Per cent Density, 



vessels. of juice. gravity. sucrose. Beaume. 



1 21°C.= 70^F. 100030 08 0.048 



2 29^C.= 85^F. 100310 0.80 44 



3 S2'C.= 90^F. 1.00554 1.40 0.80 



4 4'PC.= 120°F. 1.01134 2.90 1,6 



5 93^C.= 200'F. 1-01G18 4 12 2.3 



6 87^C.= 189^F. 1.02,537 6.45 3.6 



7 9PC.-=19(;°F. 1,04599 11,40 63 



It Avill be observed, that, if the diffusion liquor in vessel 7 be re- 

 garded at the maximum of saturation with such cane chips as were used 

 in this experiment, that the following represents the per cent of the 

 total sugar removed from the successive vessels : 



No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. No. 6. No. 7. 



Perceiit. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. 



99 74 93 87 3 74 6 63 5 42 9 



The complete extraction of the sugar by this process, appears, then, 

 to be easy of accomplishment. 



An analysis of the mill juice and diffusion liquor of the cane, shows 

 their relative composition : 



