298 ON THE JUICE OF THE SUGAR CANE. 
RESEARCHES ON THE JUICE OF THE SUGAR CANE IN 
MAURITIUS, AND THE MODIFICATIONS IT UNDERGOES 
DURING MANUFACTURE. 
BY DR. ICERY. 
President of the Chamber of Agriculture. 
Translated by James Morris, Esq., Eepresentative of the Chamber of Agriculture 
of Mauritius. 
(Continued from page 236.) 
Part I. — Extraction of the Juice. 
The cause of the greater part of the loss experienced for a length of 
time, in the Colony, in sugar manufacture has, without doubt, been the 
insufficient action of the machinery used to crush the cane. The first 
mills which were employed, consisted of three cast iron cylinders placed 
vertically, to which mules communicated motion by means of toothed 
wheels. The first improvement introduced into this system, as rude 
as it was defective, was the application of a power both more 
effective and regular, supplied by the action of wind or water. Shortly 
afterwards this, steam was applied to cane mills, and these machines in 
the meantime became more perfect, which necessarily allowed them to 
work with a precision and power hitherto unknown. Yet these first 
mills left much to be desired ; the irregularity and the too rapid move- 
ment of the machinery, as well as the insufficient resistance of the 
chief parts, did not allow a pressure to be exerted so as to obtain more 
cane juice than 45 to 50 per cent, of the weight of cane. 
In recent times machinery more perfect, and moved by a force equal 
to the resistance to be overcome, introduced a real progress. Thanks 
to the employment of these improved mills, the yield of cane juice ha 
increased about 25 per cent. 
Numerous experiments have been made elsewhere to determine the 
quantity of juice which could, on the average, be extracted from the 
cane by the different mills usually employed in sugar manufacture. It 
appears to me interesting to repeat these experiments, for too much im- 
portance cannot be given to the results furnished by this first part of 
the labour of our machines. 
Under this head might be predicted very notable differences, result- 
ing not only from the greater or less perfection of the machinery em- 
ployed, but also in the manner these are directed and the nature as well 
as the age of the canes which are used. 
Mills of large size, in order to produce an adequate pressure, require 
the cylinders fed with a considerable quantity of canes. They ought 
also to be the object of especial care, not always easy to attain. I have 
seen these powerful machines moved by a nominal force of sixty to eighty 
horse power, produce no more effect than a mill three or four times less 
powerful, and yield only in juice 55 per cent, of the weight of the 
canes. The return obtained, whatever may be the force employed, de- 
