Report of Society's Meetings. 209 
the application of wrought iron bolts, it would almost amount to an 
impossibility to rupture the mill cheek, an accident we know of common 
occurrence to the ordinary mills in general use. I have now arrived at 
the most important feature regarding this improved mill — increased 
extraction of cane juice as compared with the mills in general use. In 
the ordinary Mill the final or crushing roller, also the front or Cane roller 
are placed considerably under the top roller, and makers of Sugar Mills 
have of late years placed the two lower rollers somewhat closer to- 
gether, a mechanical defect against good squeezing, with the view of 
throwing the strain more on the gland bolts thereby relieving the Mill 
cheeks of a considerable amount of strain and preserving the headstock 
from being fractured. In attempting to get over one difficulty they 
have thoughtlessly run into a greater, as I will illustrate to you. 
Although I have stated that the closing of the two lower rollers is a 
mechanical defect for obtaining a high extraction of juice, I must qualify 
the statement somewhat, for the closing of the two lower rollers looking 
at its advantageous side, reduces the width of the trash turner surface, 
in other words making it narrower ; this is undoubtedly an improve- 
ment as the friction surface on which the canes pass over is reduced. 
I have always looked on the trash turner as a mechanical brake as 
applied to the ordinary Sugar Mill absorbing a considerable amount of 
power, and one of the most troublesome adjuncts of the mill to keep in 
order necessitating frequent repairs and renewals ; and the engineer who 
invents an improved arrangement and thoroughly dispenses with its 
use will greatly improve the Sugar Mill. 
Two perfectly circular surfaces rolling one against the other, of the 
diameters of an ordinary Sugar Mill roller, at their point of contact is 
merely a line of surface and at this point the final extraction takes place, 
the larger percentage falling inwards, this quantity of juice being appar- 
ently the percentage that the Mill is capable of extracting, but a 
careful observer will see that the Mill had really extracted a higher 
percentage, which by a defect in construction and design is lost, and 
the closing of the two lower rollers, already alluded to in a former part 
of my discourse, considerably aggravates this evil, which I will now 
endeavour to make clear. As I have just stated, when the ordinary 
Sugar Cane Mill is at work the largest quantity of cane juice falls 
inwards, but a careful observation will convince the most sceptical that 
a thin film of cane juice is carried forward on the surface of the final 
crushing roller a little beyond the point of contact j this loss constitutes 
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