45 



alcohol and run through the filter presses. Owing to the large amount of mud that 

 was precipitated by the alcohol and the small space for cake in the twin presses it 

 was found that they soon filled. 



This caused great delay in filtering and a considerable loss of sirup, both in press 

 cakes and unavoidable wastage. In order not to stop the strike pan the last por- 

 tions of the sirup were drawn into the still without filtering, and thus a large quan- 

 tity of niud was mixed with the sirup, but not enough to appreciably alter its qual- 

 ity. 



The still was operated by opening the alcohol chambers above and allowing the 

 alcohol to pass through the goose without condensation. This delivered an alcohol 

 of about 130 to 140 proof. This was afterward concentrated in the still in the 

 usual way to approximately 190 proof. It was found that there was no loss oi 

 alcohol in the sirup, the losses being due to the unavoidable loss in starting and 

 stopping the still, and this loss would be wholly obviated in regular and continuous 

 running. The sirup, however, is considerably diluted in passing through the still- 

 its Brix being reduced from 53 to 36. This can be avoided by a different arrange, 

 menf of the still, allowing the alcohol of about proof strength to be obtained at 



first run. 



During Friday the half of the alcohol-treated sirup from the Coleman cane was 

 boiled, making beautiful grain and very stiif masse cuite which broke off in chunks as 

 it ran from the pan. This masse cuite was sent directly to the centrifugal and yielded 

 59.3 per cent, of sugar on its weight. The first strike of it yielded about 56 per cent, 

 and the second strike which was boiled much stiffer, nearly 64 per cent. The first 

 strike of masse cuite was of a Brix of 91.0 and the second strike was still more dense. 

 The masse cuite worked beautifully in the machine, the machine taking full charges, 

 and yielded from 150 to 170 pounds of dry sugar per charge. The time of running for 

 each charge was from 3 to 5 minutes only. The sugar was of a fine texture, of a 

 beautiful yellow color, and of a most excellent quality. No wash of any kind was 

 used in the machine. The yield of masse cuite was 2,242 pounds and the yield of 

 dry sugar 1,330. 



The total weight of cane delivered, the cane being topped in the field, was 4.489 

 pounds and the area on which the cane was grown was 1.879 acres. The weight of trash 

 weighed back after passing the fans was 8,860 pounds, and the weight of cleaned 

 cane 36,230. One cell of juice was lost on account of a failure to close cell door, 

 equivalent to 330 pounds of chips. Eighteen buckets of chips were taken for analy- 

 sis, weighing 270 pounds. Total weight of chips to be deducted, 600 pounds. The 

 skimmings which were rejected at the end amounted to 89 gallons, equivalent to 

 2.1 cells of chips, viz, 690 pounds. The juice from the total amount of cleaned 

 cane entering the pans was therefore from 34,940 pounds of cane. One-half of this 

 was boiled to string and the other half to grain. 



The other half of the sirup, representing 8. 79 tons of cleaned cane, was treated with 

 alcohol. There was lost in the press cake and by the necessity of opening the sirup 

 pump several times an amount of sirup equal to .29 ton of cleaned chips, making the 

 total weight of cane represented in the strike of massecuite obtained, 8.5 tons. 



The expectation of fair weather for Saturday, in order to enable us to finish variety 

 No. 160, was disappointed. 



During Friday night and Saturday morning a severe northwest rain storm set in, 

 with high winds and rapidly falling temperature, making it impossible for the men 

 to enter the field. It was, therefore, determined to work that part of plot 160 which 

 had been lying on the yard since Wednesday, inasmuch as it would not be fit for 

 anything if held until the rest of it could be reached. Accordingly, the cutters were 

 started Saturday morning, and the amount of cane of variety No. 160 lying on the 

 yard was run through the mill. 



During the whole of the week vexatious delays occurred from the failure of pumps 

 in various parts of the house to work. The whole pump system here is faulty and 



