95 



One thing it would be well to impress upon tbe sorghum grower, and 

 that is the necessity of growing small or medium sized canes. From 

 numerous trials of comparative samples the highest sucrose and lowest 

 glucose were always found in the smaller canes. Fields also where the 

 small and slender canes predominated were always of superior quality. 

 The best cane analyzed at Douglass was a sample from a field sowed for 

 fodder, in which the seed had been scattered broadcast on the land, and 

 as a consequence grew very small. Of course I do not mean to advo- 

 cate the sowing of sorghum seed to grow a product for the sugar-house, 

 as then too large an amount of sheath and leaves would be obtained, 

 but it is necessary to avoid large rank stalks if the desire is to obtain a 

 high content of sucrose. 



SUGAR-HOUSE. 



The house was designed to work 100 tons of field cane daily. The 

 Hughes cutter and shredder were used. The trap-door just befoie 

 the cutter, through which it was intended to pass the seed heads, 

 failed to work satisfactorily. This was due, in part at least, to the 

 heavy feed which it was necessary to keep on the narrow carriers in 

 order to supply the battery with chips. The shredder when properly 

 adjusted did excellent work, tearing the chips into a pulp if required. 



The main feature of the house was the diffusion battery. This is 

 known as the Hughes system of diffusion, and is described in Bulletin 17, 

 chemical division, Department of Agriculture. The one at Douglass 

 differed slightly, however, from the one described there. The main bat- 

 tery contained ten cells, with the baskets for holding chips used in his 

 process, and in addition to these an outside cell was placed so that 

 the arm from the large crane could reach the basket while immersed 

 in it. 



An extra crane was necessary to raise and lower the baskets in this 

 cell, as it had to be worked without connection with the main battery. 



The object of the cell was to give a dense diffusion juice and thus 

 save evaporation. As the battery progressed the heaviest juice from 

 two cells were drawn into the outside cell, and there received two 

 baskets of fresh chips before being discharged. This, as far as I was 

 able to see, did not attain the object claimed for it, as no fresh chips 

 ever reached the main battery, and consequently the juices were more 

 dilute and needed the addition of two baskets of fresh chips to bring 

 them to a normal diffusion juice. It is certain at least that the extra 

 steam-power required to run the outside cell would a great deal more 

 than suffice to evaporate any less dense juice that might be obtained. 



Before passing to the work done by the battery, as a whole it is but 

 Just to say that there were mechanical defects in the construction which 

 if they could have been remedied this season would have materially 

 assisted the quality of the work. The bottom of the baskets, instead 

 of being single and swinging to one side, were double and hinged to a 



