64 
SUGAR CANE. 
mills constructed for the purpose, and worked either 
by wind, water, or cattle. The juice which flows 
from these machines generally contains eight parts 
of water, one part of sugar, and one part of gross 
oil, or mucilaginous gum, with a portion of essential 
oil. These are the mean proportions, and are sub- 
ject to variation according to the different richness 
of the juice. 
The process for obtaining the sugar is thus con- 
ducted : the juice or liquor runs from the receivers 
to the boiling-house, along a wooden gutter lined 
with lead. In the boiling-house it is received into 
one of the copper pans or cauldrons provided for 
that purpose, and called clarifiers. Of these there 
are commonly three ; and their dimensions are ge- 
nerally determined by the power of supplying them 
with liquor. In these vessels the liquor, when cla- 
rified, is drawn off at once, and they are cleansed each 
time before they are used. Particular stress is laid 
upon the necessity of clarifying the cane-juice as 
soon as possible after it passes from the mill, since 
the purest will not remain twenty minutes in the 
receiver without fermenting. The great difficulty 
in sugar-making is to get rid of the superabundant 
acid ; and this is generally effected by alkali or lime, 
the quantity of which must be varied according to the 
quality of the liquor. The juice is not suffered to 
boil, and the requisite degree of heat is ascertained 
by the rising of the scum into blisters, which break 
out into a white froth ; and this generally happens 
when the liquor becomes within a few degrees of 
