MANUFACTURE IN FORMOSA. 



279 



Description of the Present Mode of Crude Stigar Manufacture. 



Cane-crushing is effected in quite a primitive manner with 

 granite rollers moved by buffaloes. The juice is collected into 

 the receiving pan through a bamboo pipe. In the manufactory 

 are eight or nine pans with wooden rims. The first of these 

 receives the juice. The second is the clarifying pan, while the 

 others serve for evaporation. After clarification with lime the 

 juice is conveyed into the setting tank which is placed between 

 the second and third pans, and is finally concentrated in the 

 other pans to which fire is directly applied. When suffici- 

 ently concentrated the juice is conveyed to a large wooden box, 

 about six feet and a half in length, six feet in width, and half a 

 foot in height and after about ten minutes' cooling it is stirred 

 with a kind of shovel, whereby the crystallisation is completed 

 in from forty to fifty minutes. 



On an average, about six or seven hundred pounds of sugar 

 are daily manufactured in one factory ; but only about six per 

 cent of sugar is obtained from the cane, showing the very poor 

 system still in vogue. 



Samples of brown or crude sugar from the northern part of 

 the country were examined with the following result : — 



Regions. 



Sucrose. 



Glucose. 







5.16 



Karioko (Shinchiku). 



77.57 



7.81 



Getsubi ( ,, ) 



78.57 



7.67 



Suikioto ( ,, ) 



70.63 



4.76 



Taiko (Bioritsu) 



60.86 



9.60 



Average. 



73-79 



7.00 



The manufacture of ivliite sugar is also carried on in an 

 exceedingly primitive way. The crude sugar juice is poured into 

 a conical percelain jar''' provided with small holes at the bottom 

 for the discharge of the molasses. 



After about four days moist clay'^' is spread on the surface of 

 the hardened syrup. After about ten days the clay becomes 



(1) IJach jar may contain about 120 lbs. of the crude sugar. 



(2) Sometimes mud from sewers (!) is employed. 



