292 SORGHUM. 



lime-water, which contains, at ordinary temperatures, about one part 

 of lime by weight to 730 parts of water. Its solution gives the ordin- 

 ary reactions for alkalies, viz.: it will turn reddened litmus paper blue, 

 and imjiarts a brownisli red color to yellow turmeric paper. These test 

 papers are invaluable to the sugar manufacturer, and they may be had 

 of any druggist at a few cents cost for enough to last during the 

 season. They are prepared by extracting with water the coloring 

 matter of the commercial litmus, which consists of little clay pellets 

 saturated with tlie coloring matter of this lichen, and then wetting 

 strips of white unsized paper with the solution and drying them. The 

 turmeric is prepared from the powdered curcuma root of the shops, 

 which, extracted with alcoliol, will give a yellow color to strips of 

 paper immersed in it, and then dried. These papers are best kept in a 

 stoppered bottle, and in the dark. 



Lime is generally used in defecating saccharine juices in the .form 

 of the milk or cream of lime, both being practically the same, except 

 that the latter ig the stronger. 



Cream or milk of lime is prepared by carefully selecting the best 

 specimens of Avell burned lime, and then slaking them with water, 

 precisely as though the preparation of a white wash fur the walls was 

 the object. After slaking, it would be well to pour the whole through 

 a sieve, in order to remove any lumps which had not perfectly slaked. 

 Water is added in quantity sufficient to make, when thoroughly stirred 

 up, a thin cream or thick milk in appearance and consistence ; hence 

 the name» 



It may be kept for almost any length of time, as only a small portion of 

 it will suffer change from the carbonic acid of the air, by which such 

 portion is converted into the carbonate of lime. It is well to make, in 

 advance of the season's work, a quantity sufficient to last through the 

 season, in order that a supply may be always at hand. 



The effect of the addition of lime to the juice of sorghum or cane, 

 is to neutralize the acidity which these juices have in their normal 

 state. This change may be known by the effect produced upon the 

 test papers, the normal juice being without effect upon the yellow tur- 

 meric paper, but turning the blue litmus paper red. (In thus testing 

 a sample of juice, a slip of the paper two inches long and one fourth inch 

 wide will suffice, and this should be moved about in the juice, in order 

 to bring it in contact with different portions, and allow a few seconds 

 lor the reaction lo manifest itself.) 



After adding the milk or cream of lime in quantity a little more 

 than sufficient to neutralize the acidity of the juice, it will be found 

 that the action upon the test paper's is to turn the yellow turmeric to a 



