80 MANUFACTURE. 



soil admits. It is not planted annually, but the roots of a part being 

 left, fresh canes (rattoons) spring up as large the first year as plant- 

 ed canes. But these deteriorate annually ; and the removal of the 

 plants is therefore resorted to once in a few years, or in spots where 

 they are thin. Sometimes, by careful culture, the roots have afforded 

 good rattoons for 20 years. A plantation lasts from six to ten years. 

 In India great care is taken in the cultivation ; but scientific skill fails 

 there to produce as good sugar as here. They suffer no innovation on 

 old practices. If at a trifling expense, the improvements of machine- 

 ry were introduced, India might supply all the markets of Europe 

 with sugar. 



The manufacture of sugar in this country, where art is probably 

 most perfect, requires much labor and skill. The processes are too 

 long for details in this place, we thererore give only outlines. 



The reeds, when ripe, are cut off at a joint near the roots, and lie 

 a few days to ferment ; the leaves are cleared and the stems tied in 

 bundles and conveyed by mules to the mill. This consists of three 

 iron fluted cylinders placed horizontally or perpendicularly, closely 

 matched, through which the reeds are passed twice, in order to express 

 all their juice. This runs into a cistern and is drained from thence 

 into the boiler and immediately submitted to heat, with the addition of 

 lime which imbibes the acid ; it otherwise becomes acid in a few 

 minutes. The lime assists the separation of the feculent matter in 

 the juice, and the heat is just sufficient to cause the impurities to col- 

 lect on the surface to be skimmed off. It is then conveyed into other 

 boilers and a rapid boiling is produced, to evaporate the water and 

 reduce the juice to a consistency for granulation on cooling. It is then 

 transferred to a wooden cooler or shallow trays where a part concretes 

 into a crystalized mass and the molasses is conducted oft'. It is then 

 put into hogsheads with the lower head perforated with holes, and 

 placed over a cistern, so that the molasses may run through. The 

 casks are then filled up with sugar and exported, under the name of 

 muscovado, or raw sugar. 



This is the state in which it is exported, but it is often ground over 

 by grocers and better fitted for sale. On some plantations the sugar 

 is submitted to another process called claying, which is to place it, 

 when cool in funnel-shaped moulds, as done in our sugar refineries, 

 with the small end downwards and the upper one covered with wet 

 clay, the water of which soaks through the sugar and removes any 

 remaining molasses. This is then called clayed sugar, and is common- 

 ly divided, when taken from the mould, into three parts, the upper 

 paits being relatively the whitest and best. 



The quantity of juice obtained in some mills is 10,000 gals, per day ; 

 but this and the amount of sugar varies with the season, soil, quality 

 of cane, &c. Commonly every five gals, of juice yield five or six Ibs. 



