DR MITCHELLS EXPERIMENTS ON HEATING CANES. 101 



the act of crushing, renders the juice more dense, and 

 reduces the amount of subsequent evaporation. It is 

 therefore a question, whether the mechanical arrangement 

 for heating the canes can be sufficiently simplified so as 

 to present no inconvenience more formidable than the 

 arrangement of the clarifying vessels, and complex method 

 necessary for separating the impurities, after expressing the 

 juice in the ordinary way. I am of opinion, that the 

 heating of the canes before grinding would not prove an 

 insuperable difficulty, particularly if the agency of steam 

 could be employed. Exposing the canes for a few minutes 

 to a high degree of heat in a steam chest or tube, would 

 probably be attended with more decided advantage, and 

 could be more rapidly and economically effected, than by 

 immersion in a boiling liquid. From some conversation I 

 have had with an experienced engineer in this country, I 

 am inclined to think this could be done without difficulty ; 

 and in Demerara, where the canes are conveyed to the 

 mill in iron punts, which could be fitted with covers suffi- 

 ciently steam-tight, it would be easy to effect this object, 

 by a steam pipe from the boiler, which could be affixed to 

 the punt, and disconnected at pleasure. 



The subject presents matter for serious consideration to 

 those who are interested in it, and I have no doubt, if the 

 system were carried into effect, it would realize all the advan- 

 tages proposed by its adoption, being based on sonnd reason- 

 ing, and the results of the experiments already made, having 

 proved successful, even under unfavourable circumstances. 



