FERMENTATION 569 



buted between three or four tanks, holding each about 500 gallons of wash of 

 density I 10, and, 12 hours after fermentation has started here, one of these 

 is used to " pitch " a tank of about 8,000 gallons capacity. A few gallons are 

 left in the pitching tanks which are again filled up with wash of density i-i, 

 and the process repeated until the attenuations fall off, when a fresh start is 

 made. This process is very similar to what obtains in grain distilleries, 

 save that the initial fermentation is adventitious. 



Java. 2 * In Java and the East generally, a very different procedure is 

 followed. In the first place a material known as Java or Chinese yeast is pre- 

 pared from native formulae. In Java, pieces of sugar cane are crushed 

 along with certain aromatic herbs, amongst which galanga and garlic are 

 always present, and the resulting extract made into a paste with rice meal ; 

 the paste is formed into strips, allowed to dry in the sun, and then macerated 

 with water and lemon juice. The pulpy mass obtained after standing for 

 three days is separated from the water and made into small balls, rolled in 

 rice straw and allowed to dry, these balls being known as raggi or Java 

 yeast. In the next step rice is boiled and spread out in a layer on plantain 

 leaves and sprinkled over with raggi, then packed in earthenware pots and 

 left to stand for two days, at the end of which period the rice is converted 

 into a semi-liquid mass. This material is termed tapej, and is used to 

 incite fermentation in molasses wash. The wash is set up at a density of 25 

 Brix, and afterwards the process is as usual. In this proceeding the starch 

 in the rice is converted by means of certain micro-organisms, Chlamydomucor 

 oryzce, into sugar, and then forms a suitable habitat for the reproduction of 

 yeasts, which are probably present in the raggi, but may find their way into 

 the tapej from other sources. About 100 Ibs. of rice are used to pitch 

 1,000 gallons of wash. 



Jamaica. Allan 25 gives the following outline of the process followed in 

 making flavoured spirit : " The wash is set up from skimmings, dunder, 

 molasses, acid and flavoui. Acid is made by fermenting rum cane juice 

 which has been warmed in the coppers. To this juice is added dunder and 

 perhaps a little skimmings. When fermentation is about over, the fermenting 

 liquor is pumped on to cane trash in cisterns and here it gets sour. Into 

 these cisterns sludge settling from the fermented wash is from time to time 

 put. This acid when fit for use smells like sour beer. Flavour is prepared 

 by running fermented rum cane juice into cisterns outside the fermenting 

 house, along with cane trash and dunder that has been stored from a previous 

 crop. Generally a proportion of liquid from what is called the ' muck hole ' 

 is also added to this cistern. The components of the ' muck hole ' are the 

 thicker portion of the dunder from the still, the lees from the retorts, and cane 

 trash and other adventitious matter which from time to time finds its way 

 into this receptacle. From this cistern the incipient flavouring material 

 passes on to a second and third cistern filled with cane trash, and to which 

 sludge from fermenting wash has been added. From the third cistern it is 

 added to the wash. Skimmings are run from the boiling house into cisterns 

 half filled with cane trash. This is allowed to remain four, five, or six 

 days. When the skimmings are considered ripe, wash is set up with 

 them. Fermentation lasts seven to eight days. The time which elapses 

 between setting up the wash and distillation is from thirteen to fourteen 

 days.'* 



