METHOD PRACTISED IN THE WEST INDIES. 137 



of air over the surface of the sugar contained in them, 

 which being thrown into each cooler in alternate strikes, 

 has in each instance become hard before the next strike is 

 thrown upon it. If it should not granulate and harden 

 rapidly, it is repeatedly stirred with a turn stick to favour 

 and hasten this condition. This stirring produces a con- 

 fused and irregular granulation, the sugar being prevented 

 from crystallizing by the .agitation and rapid change of 

 temperature. 



After remaining in the coolers till sufficiently solid, the 

 sugar is dug up with cutters and shovels, and carried in 

 pails to the cask, into which it is thrown without any 

 regard to temperature, but as is most convenient for 

 expediting the operations of the boiling-house. It is 

 generally very warm when casked, and, in consequence, 

 much sugar which would have crystallized on cooling is 

 drained off with the melasses, and some of it is deposited 

 on the stancheons and in the cisterns as it cools. 



The wooden stancheons upon which the hogsheads are 

 placed to drain, are saturated with old melasses and acid 

 ferment, and communicate the taint to all the fresh melasses 

 which flows upon them, and the fermentation which is 

 constantly going on in the cisterns speedily renders the 

 melasses very unfit for profitably reboiling. The drainage 

 of the sugar is also very imperfect, being much impeded 

 by the irregularity of the crystallization, the injury caused 

 by the rude manner of breaking it up in the coolers, and 

 the rapid fall of temperature when exposed to the cold 



