MISCELLA NEO US CROPS. 2 1 7 



Therefore we have a large cast iron retort weighing several hun- 

 dred pounds, and into this we put sulphuric acid and finely pow- 

 dered charcoal. Set the retort in a fire arch, and heat it up with 

 fire as soon or before you put in the acid, in order that the acid 

 will not destroy the retort. The sulphur fumes will very soon 

 escape, much stronger than those obtained from burning the com- 

 mon sulphur. We conduct these fumes by means of lead pipes 

 through a series of water casks, four in number, all filled to 

 near the top with good pure water. The water will soon be- 

 come charged with the sulphur smoke, and after a short time 

 that in the first two or three casks will fail to absorb any 

 more, and its density will then be from three to four by the 

 saccharometer test. This fluid then can be drawn off into 

 other tight casks, and kept any length of time for daily use, 

 and is then what Professor Stewart calls solution B, although 

 the name has no significance whatever. It is simply sulphur 

 fumes confined in water, or sulphurous acid, and is perfectly 

 harmless, and exactly what has to be used by all tropical cane 

 sugar makers in some form or other. 



We then take this solution B, and add enough of it to our 

 limed juice until it will turn a blue chemical litmus paper a 

 slight scarlet. We continue the heat by steam pipes, as before 

 mentioned, and the juice will then become clear and a bright 

 straw color. When it can be boiled by steam or open fire it 

 passes directly into beautiful sugar or molasses, and the skimmer 

 must be kept going lively all the time until it approaches good 

 thick molasses. 



When defecation of the juice is completed in the second pan 

 it -can then be drawn hot from that pan to others, as many in 

 number as your business requires, and the evaporation made as 

 rapid as possible into molasses or sugar, taking care not to cook 

 too large batches at a time, because it injures the color and 

 flavor of the molasses or sugar. Once a day have all your ves- 

 sels and crusher thoroughly cleaned, and made so nothing will 

 become sour; rinsing with lime-water will leave the crusher 

 sweet and clean. Never crush out more juice than you can boil 

 up each day; or, better still, if you have business enough, run 



