Cottage Husbandry and Architecture. 151 



20 gallons of juice. Some, too, apply the sulphuric acid to the juice when 

 cold, instead of hot, viz. before the boiler-fire is lighted ; and one recom- 

 mends its being applied to the pulp before it goes into the boiler : but all 

 this practice will decide. 



" Concentration. — The next process is concentration of the juice, which 

 means nothing more than evaporating from it the water therein contained. 

 This is effected by flat pans, over a brisk fire, but not so as to burn the 

 syrup, which is the great danger in this operation. When reduced in pan 1 

 from 4 to 2 in. or so in depth, it is put into a smaller pan (2), and reduced to 

 the same depth, and afterwards into a third pan. These three removals are 

 the work of an hour and a half. If the syrup rises, and threatens to over- 

 flow the pan, put in a small lump of butter, which will make it subside. 



" Clarification. — This is the next operation, and may be carried on in 

 one of the pans used for concentration- Animal charcoal (some have even 

 used wood charcoal) is now applied, at the rate of half a pound for every 

 gallon of syrup, which renders it perfectly black and muddy. In this state, 

 add blood mixed with water (stirred up well with the syrup), in the propor- 

 tion of about l^pt. of blood to every 20 gals, of syrup. 



" Boil it a short time, after which it is filtered, and then boiled again, care 

 being taken not to burn the pan. Great care is necessary in examining the 

 state of the syrup from time to time. The thermometer ought to stand as 

 high as 234° ; on attaining which, the pan should be emptied: 18 gals, of 

 syrup will be deduced, by boiling, to 1 1 gals. The syrup is next cooled in a 

 suitable vessel to 182° or 190°; and then run into moulds, but the cooling 

 is very gradual. The pan is covered, and the heat kept in by closing the 

 edges with flannel. The syrup is then poured into large earthen moulds, 

 cone-shaped, and with a hole at bottom, through which the molasses drains. 

 This hole is temporarily stopped till the mould is full. A mould contains 

 iO or 12 gals., and requires a month to purge itself. As it cools, it crystal- 

 lises. The syrup, whilst filling, is at 67° to 77° ; but, in the course of 

 purging, it is raised to 120? and even 145°, which expedites the flow of the 

 molasses. Our next process is turning the moulds, i. e. setting the cones on 

 their bases, and taking them out of the moulds. The point of the cone is 

 moist and syrupy: this is cut off, and boiled over again with the molasses. 

 Thus far the process of making brown sugar ; refining is a different business, 

 and one which there is no occasion to particularise here. You will observe 

 that copper utensils are preferred to those of iron, the latter having a chemi- 

 cal effect on the sugar. 



" I have thus endeavoured to present you with the leading features of the 

 system of sugar-making adopted in France, though I am aware that much 

 yet remains to be told on this interesting subject-. In fact, the experience 

 of every year keeps adding to the general stock of knowledge thereon ; and 

 one main source of improvement consists in the application of steam to the 

 evaporating process. However, as this would be of no use to cottagers, I 

 have confined myself entirely to the plain common method by open fires. 



** From what has been said, you will perceive that the process is neither 

 very easy nor very simple. On the contrary, it requires great attention and 

 accurate discrimination. Still, I am of opinion that a clever intelligent cot- 

 tager, even without the aid of chemistry, may succeed in making sugar for 

 his own use, albeit not of the very first quality. — Samuel Taylor, jun. Lon- 

 don, 139. Fleet Street, Feb. 25. 1830." 



Cider, Perry, Wines, and Spirits. — No labourer who has a clever, cleanly, 

 industrious wife need be without these drinks, provided he has land enough 

 to grow two or three standard apples, as many standard pears, gooseberries, 

 currants, elder-berries, and mountain-ash berries. South of York we should 

 add vines, perhaps Miller's Burgundy and the common Muscadine; but, 

 north of the Trent, we should prefer covering the walls and roof of the cot- 

 tage with apple trees or currants. In choosing the standard apples and 



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