well-acknowledged principle in sugar manufacture* 

 being, that every equivalent of impurities, whatever 

 it may be, will prevent an equal amount of crys- 

 tals from forming.f Such, in reality, is one of the 

 principles generally overlooked by those interested 

 in sorghum sugar. Many contend that the sugar 

 is there, and, consequently it may be extracted, but 

 by what method we know not. On the other hand 

 a well-known writer and chemist admits that these 

 impurities are disadvantages to contend with, but 

 when they are removed, the problem will be solved. 

 But what solution is to be given to the chemico- 

 mechanical difficulty is not stated. It is true that any 

 sugar solution will in time crystallize ; but if two, three 

 or four months are required for it to take place, the 



* It has long since been admitted that impurities includ- 

 ing glucose will prevent four to five times their weight 

 of sugar from crystallizing. In the Comptes Rendus de 

 I Academic des Sciences of 1 873 ice read a note by E. Mon- 

 nier regarding the refining of crude sugar. He says : "To 

 estimate the quantity of imcrystallized or inverted sugar 

 that is produced in the operation of refining, it is suffi- 

 cient to ascertain exactly the amount of salts or ash 

 the molasses contains, and to multiply this by a proper 

 coefficient varying from four to five." In reference to the 

 above we would say : For years past in France the taxa- 

 tion of refined sugars has been estimated upon a basis 

 that salts prevent the sugar from crystallizing to an amount 

 equal to four or five times their weight. The crystallization 

 will not take place when the sugar is four times that of 

 the salts. No allowance has been made .for the action of 

 organic substances. Some salts crystallize simultaneously 

 with the sugar, and become then even more objectionable 

 than if they had simply a mechanical action. 



f The above is a mimimum limit. 



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