CANE-JUICE CLARIFICATION. 55 



is that it is expensive and should not be attempted except on a 

 large scale, since the initial expense of installation, as well as the 

 cost of running, is very great. The writer is sometimes asked 

 by managers of small factories, turning out plantation yellow 

 clarified sugars, if it would not pay them to employ bone-char 

 filters to use in connection with the remainder of their factory, 

 in order to be able to work up an industry with the low-grade 

 open-kettle sugars, during the intercampaign. Most assuredly 

 such a combination of small plantation factory and refinery 

 would not be a paying affair. It takes men of experience and 

 special training to carry out successfully the more detailed work 

 in any technical line. One thing, however, can be very success- 

 fully done by these factories, and that is to make a first-class 

 plantation white sugar which will command a ready price in the 

 local markets, or even suffice for export, if the proper manu- 

 facturing methods are used. 



It is not presumed that any one planter will use all of the 

 clarifying reagents mentioned above, but he should choose the 

 ones to fit his individual needs, and secure his supply early, since 

 a great deal of time is required to transport supplies from the 

 place of manufacture to these Islands. This is especially the case 

 when the place of manufacture happens to be in Europe, as is 

 true with a number of the patented clarifying reagents. 



Then, again, a suitable place should be selected for the stor- 

 age of reagents, where they may be protected from dampness. 

 The quick-lime and sulphites are especially susceptible to moist- 

 ure, while the greatest danger of loss, when phosphoric acid 

 compounds are stored, will result from leakage. This is on 

 account of the great oxydizing effect of the acid on the iron loops 

 surrounding the barrels, whereby a great quantity may be lost 

 within a very short time. The writer observed this needless 

 waste in one of the small factories here, when twenty barrels 

 of a high-priced acid were stored on the damp ground of the 

 factory, and a great percentage of it wasted. 



There are a number of clarifying agents offered on the market 

 under fancy names. Planters are advised to be cautious about 

 the purchasing of such supplies until they have been thoroughly 

 tried out and proven a success. Even then, it is better to ex- 

 periment only on a small scale until it is known that they will 

 meet their individual needs. 



Some of these are not only deficient in clarifying power, but 

 actually act as an absolute detriment by introducing impurities 

 which lower the value of the juice as well as increasing the sub- 

 sequent work of boiling and after working of the sugar. 



