49 



IMPERFECT SEPARATION. 



At present we are able to separate only a portion of the cane sugar 

 from the other constituents of the juice. It is believed to be impossible 

 by methods at present used to separate more than the difference between 

 the cane sugar and the grape sugar. Thus the sorghum of 1883 could 

 have yielded not more than 162.773.44=89.26 pounds per ton, while 

 that of 1884 should, by the same computation have yielded 264.922.32 

 =242.58 pounds per ton. The available sugar in the sorghum crop of 

 1887, by the same method, was 171.860=111.8 pounds, and the av- 

 erage available sugar in the sorghum for the five years was 193.1 

 53.55=139.55 pounds. This is supposing that the juice is all obtained 

 from the cane, and that there is no waste in the subsequent processes. 

 At Fort Scott, however, only a little more thin 92 per cent, of the sugar 

 was obtained from the cane, so that the above figures should be multi- 

 plied by .92, making the mean available sugar with this extraction 128.38 

 pounds, and the available sugar of 1887, 102.8 pounds per ton of cleaned 

 cane. 



THE YIELD OBTAINED AT FORT SCOTT. 



The actual yield obtained was 234,607 pounds of first sugar, from 

 2,501 cells. If, now, the cell be taken as a ton, the yield of first sugar 

 was 234,607-4-2,501 =93.8 pounds. Enough of the molasses was reboiled 

 fora second crop of crystals, and the sugar separated to ascertain that 

 15 to 20 pounds, per ton of cane represented, could be obtained. Call- 

 ing it 15, we have for the entire yield 93.8+15=108.8 pounds per ton of 

 cleaned cane. This is a larger yield than is obtainable according to the 

 heretofore accepted theory. There is some uncertainty about the weight 

 of a cell, which may account for the discrepancy between the theoretical 

 and the actual results. It is possible, however, that the theory may 

 need reconstruction. In any case the yield actually obtained is most 

 gratifying. 



I have made no mention in the above of the exceptionally large yields 

 of some special strikes made during the season. One strike gave 109 

 pounds of merchantable sugar for each cellful of chips. The seconds 

 from this would doubtless have brought the yield up to 130 pounds. 

 But the general reader and the prospective manufacturer are more in- 

 terested in average than in special results. It seems safe to assume 

 that a mean of 100 pounds of sugar and 12 gallons of molasses can be 

 made from each ton of cleaned sorghum cane of average richness. 



Science suggests several methods for the complete separation of the 

 cane sugar from the grape sugar and the " not sugar'," and further ex- 

 periments in this direction should be the work of the near future. As 

 yet almost nothing has been done towards the development of methods 

 of separating the grape sugar from the not sugar. This subject pre- 

 sents a most inviting field for the chemist. 

 15449 No. 17 4 



