By-Products 183 



these troubles. The disagreeable odor that accompanies 

 most sugar-factory by-products makes them nauseating to 

 handle. Its bulky nature makes its use uneconomical at 

 great distances from the factory. 



In addition to lime, a small amount of potassium and 

 ammonium fertilizer is made from by-products of the 

 manufacturing process in factories equipped with the 

 Steffen process. After all possible sugar is extracted from 

 the molasses, there remains a slop containing compara- 

 tively large quantities of inorganic salts and organic com- 

 pounds that may be utilized for making fertilizer. The 

 slop must be evaporated to dryness to obtain the fertilizer. 

 This is profitable only when potassium brings a high price. 

 Under normal conditions the slop can best be used on 

 local farms with the irrigation water. Under more in- 

 tensified farming, it may become profitable to evaporate 

 and return it to the land from which it came; but at 

 present it seems improbable that this material can compete 

 commercially with the cheaper sources of fertilizer. 



Besides the products mentioned, there are a number of 

 others, such as filter cloth and rubber belting, that are 

 sometimes made of use for various purposes by the local 

 community. 



