44 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



DIFFUSION OF CANE. 



M. Riffard also reports some experiments of diffusion applied to cane, 

 from which I will make a few quotations : 



The canes wore cut into rondelles, having a thickness of 2 or 3 millimeters. In 

 the first experiment 725 kilograms of rondelles were subjected to diffusion. 



The volume of juice obtained was 4.40 hectoliters, specific gravity 1.056: of wash 

 water, 4.00 hectoliters, specific gravity 1.025 ; equal to 2 hectoliters, specific gravity 

 1.05G; total volume of juice, 6.40 hectoliters. 



Calculated for normal mill juice, this gave a yield of 84.9 per cent. 



Two other experiments wt*re made. 



A comparison of these with the product obtained from milling the same cane is seen 

 In the following table. The diffusion juice is calculated iD terms of normal mill 



juice : 



Comparison of juices of diffusion and milling. 



Mill juices. 





Diffusion juicos. 



First 



niill.ng. 



Second 

 milling. 



IT eon 



i A. 



B. 



C. 





1.063 



1.04G 



1.056 



' 1.086 



1. 064 



1.064 





14.74 



10. 97 



13. HO 



1 15.82 



14. 38 



15. 10 



UncrystaUizHlile a ugar 



1.04 



0. G7 



0. 89 



! 0.85 



0.92 



1.09 





87. 6 



87.3 



87.4 



88.43 



88. 29 



87. 00 



It is seon by 1 lie above that the process of diffusion has notably in- 

 creased the yield of sugar, although it is evident that -the extraction was 

 not complete. Only 84.9 per cent, of juice was obtained, and 132 — 84.9= 

 7.1 per cent, remained in pulp. 



FURTHER EXPERIMENTS AT ASKA. 



Riffanl, somctbing further of the success of 

 the Minchiu works, already; mentioned, at Aska, was learned. 



From the report of Mr 



ANALYSIS OF ASKA CANES. 



A mean of the analysis of various parts of the cane gives the follow- 

 ing as the composition of the entire stalk: 



Cellulose 8. 20 



Water 7G.94 



Sugar and soluble matters 14. SS 



The canes show a considerable difference in composition in the upper, 

 lower, and middle thirds. This is shown in the following analysis: 



An average Jot of canes. 





.608 meter 



.608 meter 



.608n>etet 



Constituents. 



of the 



of t he 



of the 





top. 



center. 



butt 





7. 63 

 10. 63 



2. 64 



3. 07 

 78. 334 



0. 459 



8. 47 

 13. 31 



1.51 



0. 259 

 75.612 



0. 839 



8.30 

 13. 37 



1.54 



0. 233 

 76. J 22 



0. 455 







Salts 



Water 







