Edible Products^ 



444 



[May 1908. 



It takes from 1} to 2 cords of woods, 

 according to the degree of concentra- 

 tion, to boil down sufficient juice to 

 fill a hogshead. On some estates, fuel 

 costs as much as from 8 to 10s. a cord 

 while on others, where wood is plenti- 

 ful, the cost is not more than 3s. to 

 4s ; This question of fuel, combined 

 with the cost of packages, and the high 

 freight that has been paid on liquid 

 produce, is of great importance, and 

 when concentrated juice is selling at 

 normal prices, i. e., from £12, £12 10s. per 

 hogshed, testing 133 oz, to the gallon, 

 this < industry cannot be said to be 

 particularly attractive. At present, 

 prices are high, and may remain so for 

 sometime. 



Citrate op Lime. 

 In the manufacture of citrate of lime 

 the lime juice, on leaving the mill, 

 s .carefully strained, then distilled 

 to obtain the oil, and afterwards, 

 while still hot. it is run into a wooden 

 vat to be neutralized with chalk. Be- 

 fore running into the mixing vat, the 

 juice should be passed through filter 

 bags ( West Indina Bulletin Vol. VIII, p. 

 167). The neutralizing vats are fitted 

 with perforated steam coils to keep the 

 juice hot, and to act as agitators dur- 

 ing the time the chalk is being added. 



A sufficient quantity of chalk is made 

 with water into a cream. The mixture is 

 poured cautiously into the juice 

 until the whole of the acid is neutra- 

 lized. To determine when neutraliza- 

 tion has been accomplished, samples are 

 taken from the mixing vat periodically 

 and tested as follows : — To a small quan- 

 tity of the mixture, some of the chalk 

 and water cream is added, and if 

 this produces an effervescence, more 

 chalk must be added to the main quan- 

 tity and further tests made. This is 

 continued until the addition of chalk to a 

 small quantity of juice produces no 

 effervescence. When this occurs, the 

 reverse test is carried out, viz,— a little 

 of the supposed neutralized mixture is 

 withdrawn and heated until all bub- 

 bles of gas are given off. A few drops 

 of acid— fresh limejuice will answer— are 

 added. A slight effervescence will take 

 place if the requisite quantity of chalk 

 has been added, but if there is too 

 much chalk present, a brisk effer- 

 vescence will be produced. 



Buyers of citrate of lime penalize any- 

 thing containing over 2 per cent, of 

 chalk, and therefore, care must be taken 

 in the neutralizing process not to add 

 excess of the chalk. 



After neutralization the citrate is 

 allowed to subside, and the mother 



liquor is then run off through a tap fit- 

 ted in the side of the vat. Hot water is 

 then run in and steam turned or to 

 thoroughly wash the citrate. The cit- 

 rate is washed several times and finally 

 it is agitated and run through a lower 

 tap into the filter bags to drain. It is 

 then placed in a press and finally con- 

 veyed to the drier. Recent experiments 

 by the Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., show 

 that the use of centrifugals is to be re- 

 commended for removing the water 

 from citrate in place of the press, and 

 it can be conveniently washed with a 

 small quantity of hot water while in the 

 centrifugal. When thoroughly dried 

 the citrate should be placed in a room 

 to cool before being tightly packed in 

 barrels, hogsheads, or puncheons, for 

 export. 



Citrate of lime is twice as bulky as 

 concentrated lime juice but it is not 

 expected that freight on citrate will be 

 higher than on concentrated juice, as 

 the shipping companies give a preference 

 to the dry over the liquid product. 



At present, the greatest requirement 

 in citrate manufacture is a drying 

 machine that will dry the citrate in a 

 few hours without any loss of acid. 

 The driers chiefly in use are modelled 

 after the pattern of the cacao drier 

 described in the West Indian Bulletin, 

 Vol. II, p. 173. The process of drying 

 in this class of machine takes too long, 

 and the consumption of fuel is too great 

 for economical production of citrate. 

 Citrate from which moisture has been 

 removed by centrifugal can be dried in 

 a much shorter time than the ordinary 

 pressed product, If centrifugals were 

 generally adopted and an improved 

 drier brought into use, the manufacture 

 of citrate of lime would be considerably 

 simplified.— Agricultural Neios, Vol. No. 

 151, February, 1908. 



TEA CULTIVATION IN THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



By George F. Mitchell. 



Scientific Assistant in Tea Culture 

 Investigations. 



A little more than 100 years ago the 

 French botanist Michaux successfully 

 planted the first tea in the United States. 

 This was at Middletoa Barony, on the 

 Ashly River, about 15 miles from Char- 

 leston, S.C. 



In 1848, Dr. Junius Smith retired from 

 an active life in London to ruralise and 

 plant tea on his estate near Greenville, 

 S.C. Both plants and seed were im- 



