THE WEST INDIAN LIME. ' 181 



and boiled to one-tenth of its bulk, 10 gallons of "raw juice" being 

 required to make 1 gallon of " concentrated." When the juice is reduced 

 to this stage it is of the consistency of molasses and black in colour. It 

 is then shipped to England in hogsheads — 52 gallons — for the manu- 

 facture of citric acid. One gallon of concentrated juice of this consis- 

 tency contains about 100 ounces of citric acid. 



CiTEATE OF Lime. 



There is little doubt but that it would be a distinct advantage to all 

 parties concerned if the exporters of concentrated juice would convert their 

 "raw juice " into citrate of lime. Citrate of lime is the first step in the 

 manufacture of citric acid ; and although the operation itself is a little 

 more difficult it is not so complex that a man of average intelligence 

 cannot successfully perform it. Briefly described the process consists of, 

 first, neutralising the raw juice with fine chalk, care being taken to avoid 

 an excess of chalk, which would precipitate constituents of the juice that 

 cause the fermentation of the citrate and the production of calcium acetate 

 and butyrate. The mixture should then be heated gently, until the 

 "citrate" becomes crystalline, when it rapidly subsides, lea\dng a clear 

 liquid above, which should be siphoned off. The citrate, which is in- 

 soluble in hot water, but soluble in cold, should be freely washed with hot 

 water, to remove impurities, and then strained. When draining is com- 

 plete it should be subjected to pressure in linen bags, to remove as much 

 water as possible, and then thoroughly dried in some suitable apparatus. 

 This drying is one of the most important points ; should the citrate not 

 be thoroughly dried it will ferment, thus losing its citric acid and leaving 

 only carbonate of lime. 



The manufacture of citrate of lime instead of concentrated juice is 

 bound to pay the planter in the long run. Although it means the laying 

 out of a little capital in the initial stages, to adapt his present works 

 to this later manufacture, he will soon be repaid by the saving in the loss 

 of citric acid during the preparation of concentrated juice, and greatly 

 reduced freight on less bulky and expensive packages. 



Since writing the foregoing the manufacture of citrate of lime has 

 been taken up by the proprietors of the Bath and Emsall Estates. The 

 initial experiments were attended with such marked success that the firm 

 felt justified in erecting a suitable plant for the manufacture of this pro- 

 duct on a commercial scale. 



During the last few months forty-four tons of this product have been 

 shipped, the test obtained being 69 per cent, of pure citric acid 

 against the Sicilian standard test of 64. In view of the decided prefer- 

 ence for this article by the manufacturers of citric acid there is little doubt 

 that in a few years this product will be the only form in which lime 

 juice will be exported for this purpose. 



Green Limes. 



Green limes are now becoming better known in England, and the 

 superiority of the lime squash to the lemon squash is being appreciated ; 

 and as a result the demand for fresh limes is rapidly increasing. 



