CANE SUGAR MANUFACTURE. 461 



The usual method of harvesting is to strip the canes and 

 cut them off close to the ground with a knife. Machines for 

 harvesting have been devised, but they have not proven 

 satisfactory. As the canes begin to lose their sugar rapidly 

 within 24 hours after cutting, they are usually hauled from 

 the field to the mill as soon as cut. Numerous methods 

 of transportation are in use, including boats, wagons, and 

 tramways. One of the most common methods in large fields 

 is the use of a light, movable track with cars drawn by a 

 small steam engine. The cane is usually loaded upon wagons 

 by hand; it is then loaded into the cars by the use of a 

 derrick and is unloaded in the same way at the mill. 



607. Removing the Juice. The juice is removed from 

 the stalks by means of heavy rollers. The stalks are first 

 shredded by revolving cylinders set with numerous pegs or 

 spikes, and then pass between rollers which crush out about 

 75 per cent of the juice. They then pass on to another set 

 of rollers, on the way to which they are sprayed with the 

 heated juice from the third and last set. The second set of 

 rollers removes about 10 per cent of the juice, and the stalks 

 then pass to the third set; on the way, the canes are sprayed 

 with hot water. The third set of rollers crushes out about 

 5 per cent of the total juice. The crushed stalks (bagasse) 

 are then carried on a conveyer to the furnaces. Ordinarily, 

 the bagasse supplies sufficient fuel to run the mill. 



608. Making the Sugar. The methods of manufacturing 

 cane sugar are not very different from those already described 

 for beet sugar. The juice is first heated and then purified 

 by the addition of milk of lime, after which it is skimmed and 

 filtered to remove the solids which have united with the lime. 

 This refuse is returned to the fields as fertilizer, as it contains 

 a large part of the phosphorus and pet ash removed by the 

 crop. After it has been purified, the juice is concentrated 



