CANE SUGAE. 



When a car is to be unloaded the frame is made to descend on to the load of 

 cane, and the revolution of the endless chain causes the rakes to drag forward 

 the cane on to the carrier. The cars are sometimes built with a drop side, 

 which being let down forms a platform continuous with the carrier, but this 

 is unnecessary as if the tramway is laid close enough to the carrier the canes 

 fall directly on to the latter, which is of course arranged below the level 

 of the ground. 



Another system shown in Fig. 101 (PLATE XV.) uses in place of the rakes 

 a single row of curved prongs ; to the pivoted beam on which these prongs are 

 fixed a simple to and fro motion is given ; the beam is also capable of 

 being raised and lowered ; this arrangement is independent of the dimensions 

 of the car so long as the latter is not so large as to be without the radius of 

 the beam's action, whereas with the system of the endless chain the dimensions 

 of the car and of the chain have to be correlated. 



These cane unloaders are amongst the most efficient labour-saving devices 

 that have ever been introduced into the sugar industry ; the capacity of an 

 Asiatic in throwing canes is rather under one ton per hour and these machines 

 with but one attendant will discharge up to 50 tons in the same time. 



Loss in Weight of and Deterioration in Cut Cane. In 



the modern system of central factories which receives canes from several out- 

 lying stations, the question of the loss in weight of canes between cutting and 

 milling is very serious, and very different results will be obtained in the 

 factory dependent on what is considered the weight of cane the weight at 

 the outlying balance or the weight in the factory yard. As an example, let 

 there be 100 tons of cane as weighed at an outlying station, containing 12 per 

 cent, fibre, and let these canes lose by evaporation 2 per cent, before milling ; 

 the percentage of fibre will now be, calculated on a weight of 98 tons, 

 12-24 per cent., and these canes will give if crushed to a fibre content of 

 42 per cent., 70*91 per cent of juice, or 68-49 tons from the 98 tons received at 

 the factory ; the 'crushing ' is then either 70-91 or 68-49 according to which 

 weight is used; the canes if crushed fresh would have given 71*43 tons of 

 juice. 



The average loss per day in fresh cut canes, exposed in heaps of about 

 50 Ibs., is from experiments made by the writer : 



Percentage loss in weight 



Mean 



168 



