January, 1909.] 



Edible Products. 



ware pipes. It should not be allowed to 

 come in contact with metal. 



Works should be arranged so that the 

 mill house is on higher ground than the 

 boiling house. The juice on leaving the 

 mill then runs by gravitation to the 

 storage vats, from the vats to the still 

 and from the still to the copper tayches 

 where it is concentrated. It is then 

 placed in wooden or copper coolers, and 

 is finally run into hogsheads for ship- 

 ment. 



Concentration of lime juice in copper 

 or wooden vessels fitted with steam coils 

 has been recommended, and would no 

 doubt be an improvement on the present 

 system. It is not now likely that any 

 great effort will be made to improve the 

 present system of concentrating juice, 

 as the manufacture of concentrated jnice 

 may subsequently be superseded by the 

 manufacture of citrate of lime. 



The Dominica Planters' Association 

 when furnishing information for the 

 revision of the pamphlet entitled Hints 

 to Intending Settlers, Dominica, wrote 

 that "for lime cultivation a mill, mill 

 house, two tayches, battery, and boiling 

 house large enough for adequate storage 

 room would cost about =£300." The 

 above estimate includes a small copper 

 still. 



The detailed estimate is as 



follows : — 





£. 



1 Copper tayche (L0 gallons) 



25 



1 „ „ (80 „ ) 



35 



Handmill ... 



30 



Vats 



10 



Still (80 gallons) 



... 80 



Building ... 



... 125 



Total 



... £305 



The above is the minimum for a begin- 

 ner. Later, as the crop increases, the 

 works would need enlargement, and a 

 copper still and three tayches of a larger 

 size would be required. 



The above plant could deal satis- 

 factorily with the crop produced from 

 10 to 12 acres, but would after about 

 the first two crops be quite insufficient 

 to deal with the produce of 50 to (50 

 acres. 



The Hon. J. C. Macintyre states that 

 the requirements of a plantation of 50 

 to 60 acres, turning out from 100-12n 



hogshead would be as follows :— 



£ 



Three-roller horizontal mill (rollers 

 2 feet inches by 18-20 inches) say 300 



Power plant for same and installa- 

 tion (5 H. P. oil engine) ... 150 



Two storage tanks of 1,000 gallons 

 capacity ... ... ... 20 



Copper still '300 gallons) with cop- 

 per (rap and pewter worm ... 300 



Three copper tayches (120, 150 and 

 200 gallons) ... ... ... 150 



Buildings (boiling house, mill 

 house, and storage room) to- 

 gether with erection ... ... 600 



Total ... £1,520 



In many of the West India Islands, old 

 sugar mills can be bought at very much 

 less than the original cost, and the out- 

 lay may thus be reduced. 



Most of the machinery on lime planta- 

 tions in Dominica is driven by water 

 power, but it is doubtful whether this 

 source of power will be made use of 

 on new plantations, except on those 

 that are particularly favourably situated 

 for its installation. In most situ- 

 ations, the cost of building an aqueduct 

 would be considerable, and the cost of 

 even a moderate-sized wheel would cer- 

 tainly be greater than for an oil engine 

 or equal horse-power. 



It is thought that when circumstances 

 are favourable, a Pelton wheel would 

 probably be the cheapest form of power, 

 both in cost of installation and in cost 

 of running. 



For boiling down the juice very con- 

 siderable quantities of fuel are required- 

 It takes from one cord to 2| cords of 

 wood (according to the quality of the 

 fuel and the degree of concentration of 

 the juice) to boil down sufficient juice to 

 fill a hogshead. On some estates fuel is 

 very scarce and costs from 8s. to 10s. a 

 cord. On others, wood is plentiful and 

 costs from 3s. to 4s. a cord. 



When concentrated juice is selling at 

 normal prices, that is, from £12 to £12 

 10s. per hogshead testing 133 oz. to the 

 gallon, the cost of fuel together with the 

 cost of the packages and the high freight 

 that has to be paid on liquid produce 

 have to be seriously considered. The 

 industry under such conditions cannot 

 be said to be a particularly attractive 

 one. At present prices are high and 

 may remain so for several years. 



On estates where fuel is scarce, it has 

 been recommended that several pieces 

 of quick-growing eucalyptus might be 

 planted in odd corners of the estates. 



