266 



THE FARMEKS' CABINET. 



VOL. r. 



ter is commonly used, but tallow, lard, &z.c. 

 •will answer tlie same purpose. It not only 

 causes an immediate subsidence, but hastens 

 evaporation. 



CLARIFICATION. 



After being defecated and evaporated, the 

 juice is yet in a degree impure, and the ob- 

 ject of tlie next process is to separate it from 

 Its remaining impurities, and hence is called 

 claritication. Tins consists in tiltering it 

 through animal charcoal granulated [burnt 

 bones broken to grains,] and is performed in 

 the following manner. Tubs, or vats in tiie 

 form of those used for leaching ashes, are 

 made of wood or metal, and furnished with a 

 cock inserted near the bottom. The size of 

 the vats is immaterial; but those of the fol- 

 lowing dimensions will be found most conve- 

 nient— 2 feet 8 inches deep — 1 foot 8 inches 

 in diameter at the top and 11 inches at tiie 

 bottom. They may be four sided or round ; 

 but those made of staves and hooped witli iron 

 hoops we should think the cheapest, and on 

 some accounts the best. 



A strainer standing on legs, and covered 

 with coarse cloth, must tirst be placed in the 

 bottom of the vat and tilled with the charc»al 

 — about 100 pounds will be necessary for a 

 vat of the above dimensions. The charcoal 

 must then be covered with another strainer 

 and cloth, and the vat filled with evaporated 

 juice, or as it is then called syrup. After 

 standing long enough to leach through the 

 charcoal, the cock .must be turned and the 

 Byrup be slowly drawn oft", and tiie vat re- 

 filled as fast as it is emptied. The charcoal 

 must be changed twice a day, but it may be 

 washed and reburnt, and thus prepared, it 

 will answer for another filtration — may be 

 repeated until it is censumed. 



CONCENTBATION. 



The next process is to solidify the syrup, 

 and hence is called concentration. To ac- 

 complish this it must be again evaporated un- 

 til it is brought into a proper state for chrys- 

 talization. As it is important that evapora- 

 tion should cease as soon as it arrives at this 

 point, Chaptal gives the following rules for 

 ascertaining the fact. — " 1. Plunge a skim- 

 mer into the syrup, and upon withdrawing it 

 pass the thumb of the right hand over its sur- 

 face, mould the syrup which adheres to the 

 thumb, between that and the fore-finger, till 

 the temperature be the same as that of the 

 skin — then separate the thumb and finger 

 suddenly— if the boiling be not completed, 

 no thread will bo formed between the two ; 

 if there be a filament the boiling is well ad- 

 vanced ; and the process is completed as soon 

 after as the filament breaks short, and the up- 

 per part, having ihc semi-transparency of 

 horn, curls itself into a spiral. 2. The second 



mode of judging of the completion of the pro- 

 cess is by observing the time when the syrup 

 ceases to moisten the sides of the boiler, and 

 then blowing forcibly into a skimmer which 

 has just been immersed in it — if bubbles es- 

 cape through the the holes of the skimmer 

 which ascend into the air in the same manner 

 as soap bubbles do, the liquor is considered to 

 be sulficiently boiled." 



Wiien the concentration arrives at this 

 point, the syrup must be taken from the boil- 

 er and poured into large pans, for the purpose 

 of cooling. The pans must be placed in the 

 air and the syrup occasionally stirred during 

 the process of cooling, which will be com- 

 pleted in about two hours. On examination, 

 the bottom and sides of the pan will be found 

 covered with a tiiick bed of chrystals, having 

 but little consistence; on the surface of the 

 syrup, a crust will also be formed. To pro- 

 mote chrystalization, or, as it is more properly 

 called, graining, a thin bed of brown sugar is 

 sometimes put upon the bottom of the cooling 

 pan in order to make a nucleus about which 

 the chrystalized matter may gather. 



After the syrup is cooled and chrystalized, 

 or grained, all that remains is to separate the 

 sugar from the molasses, and it is fit for do- 

 mestic consumption or market. To effect 

 this separation, moulds, as they are called, 

 must be prepared in the form of defecating 

 vats, with the lower end drawn to a point, or 

 so near a point as to leave a hole of three 

 fourths of an inch in diameter. These may 

 be made of wood, metal or earthen ware, and 

 their capacity may be regulated according ta 

 the convenience of the manufacturer. Those 

 used in the sugar factories in P^'rance, usually, 

 are large enough to contain five or six gal- 

 lons. They are also used in the refining 

 process. Before using them, if of wood, they 

 must be soaked several hours in water, and 

 dried a short time belbre they are filled with 

 syrup. Thus prepared, and with a cork in 

 the hole at the point, they must be filled, or 

 nearly filled with chrystalized syrup, and se- 

 cured in an upright position, over a pan or 

 tub of sufllcient size to receive the quantity 

 of molasses it contains. After standing from 

 12 to 20 hours, according to circumstances, 

 the cork is withdrawn and the molasses per- 

 mitted to drain off. It will at first drain off 

 rapidly ; but soon cease to flow in any consi- 

 derable quantity. To hasten its separation 

 from the sugar, which takes place slowly, 

 the mass must be pierced with an iron spear, 

 by thrusting it in the hole at the point, which 

 will give it vent and cause it to drain off. — 

 This operation must bo repeated as often as 

 is necessary, and until the molasses is ex- 

 tracted. 



Atler having remained long enough to 

 have the molasses run off, the sugar is de- 



