Report of Society's Meetings. 215 
and I understand that the experiments were carefully carried out, with 
the following results ; that the per centage given out by the mill was 
quite as high, or I may say equal in both cases, showing that there was 
no advantage gained in decorticating the canes before entering the 
mill; from this practical trial, I base my opinion that a fourth roller 
which prepares the canes like the defebreaur is not the important adjunct 
to the sugar cane mill as some people suppose, and it certainly intro- 
duces an extra trash turner which is not commendable. 
Among the many ideas in connection with cane grinding a two roller 
mill has been suggested. As no design of this mill has come before the 
public, I take it was the intention of the promoters of this mill to have 
placed the two rollers vertically ; this would certainly dispense with the 
trash turner, so objectionable in most mills, but I can hardly conceive 
a worse designed mill for re-absorbing, and a reference to Diagram I 
will show the lower roller being admirably placed for carrying forward 
by its rotation the cane juice to be re-absorbed by the outgoing megass 
to a higher percentage than the ordinary three roller mill. 
The diminutive size of the model will prevent a whole cane being 
operated on at once, I have therefore split up the canes in sections, 
and the model is at your disposal for a trial. 
At the conclusion Mr. Skekel exhibited a fine working- 
model of the Machine, and proved by aftual experiment 
that the mill was capable of extracting 80 0/0 of juice from 
the cane. The experiment was witnessed by the 
members with great interest, and a vote of thanks 
accorded to Mr. Skekel ; discussion on the paper was 
postponed till the next General Meeting, the Machine 
being left at the Society's Rooms in the meanwhile. 
The Secretary mentioned that the new Catalogue of 
the Library was now ready, and could be obtained by the 
members at 4/ per copy. 
A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. G. B. Steele for 
a copy of Beckman's History of Inventions, in four 
volumes which he had presented to the Library. 
The Secretary read an extract from a letter from 
