52 TiMEHRI. 



of the canes : in ordinary work, over a crop of say some 

 4,000 tons 1st sugars, the same mills gave an average 

 extra6lion of only 68*5 per cent, juice on the weight of 

 canes, and I am of opinion that it is much easier to 

 keep the extra6lion up to the mark with diffusion, than 

 with any number of mills. The quality of diffusion work 

 is alwa3's open to immediate examination, and a falling- 

 off in good results can be stopped at once, and good 

 work promptly re-established without checking the work 

 of the fa6lory. With mills this is not the case. 



I feel sure I should also adopt diffusion in preference 

 to Triple Crushing ; but I trust Mr. President, that before 

 your term of office has expired, you may be able to 

 arrange for a paper to be read in reference to Triple 

 Extra6lion, by one of our Colonial experts in this method, 

 so that the comparative merits of such a system may be 

 better understood. 



Now, gentlemen, in conclusion I have, as briefly as 

 possible, to touch upon another question, and in doing 

 so am treading on dangerous ground, and am laying 

 myself open to the charge of trying to deal with details 

 somewhat out of the range of my professional experiences. 

 But this matter should not be passed over in silence, and 

 I regret there is no time to deal with it more fully than 

 can be the case to-day. 



Is it a fa6l, that, in accordance with theory, we are now 

 getting, in a6lual pra6tice, as pure a juice by Diffusion 

 as we possibly imagine we are securing? Is it juice, 

 which though it may be purer, is at the same time similar 

 to or totally different from mill juice? Are our present 

 methods of clarification corre6l ? or ought we to seek to 

 substitute a more suitable agent than lime, and cease to 



