AGRICULTURE. STATION, FARM, AND GARDEN. IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR MACHINERY.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1550, 10 June 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURE.

STATION, FARM, AND GARDEN.

IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR MACHINERY.

By Angus Mackay.

In a sentence it might be said that though Australia is the very youngest of sugar-producing countries, she stands already in the first rank in the all important matter of machinery. And the position is one from which, colonials may well derive confidence and satisfaction j for, to B*y nothing of the degree of enterprise and extent of capital nepesaary to keep pace with the rapidity of improvement going on oontinously with sugar machinery, the fact of investing in Mid using appliances of the kind, evince mechanical and chemical engineering skill of the first order. And those points— that the colonies, in this early stage of the sugar industry, have the •kill and the capital to already place Australian sugar makers in the first rank in an occupation of such magnitude, indicate at once the solid and profitable character of the business as an outlet for colonial enterprise. At the early stages of the sugar business in the colonies, the id«a got abroad that anything in the form of machinery, provided it were "simple 11 and cheap, would answer for sugar making ; and no email share of the disappointment and loisei which followed the firat efforts are traceable direotly to the impeifeot maohinery. employed. To oompare the position* ; it ii very well known in goldmining that if there is only a slight loss of the preoions metal, whioh is the end and Aim of the whole process in an otherwise reasonably good mint, the operation won't pay, and the mine may hate to be abandoned. Australia is dotted with instances, in the mining distriots, where mines that bad been abandoned have siuoe been made to pay well', from the better system of working trad the better maohinery employed. And, to some extent, it is timUar with ingar. Daring the last ten years improvements have been brought to bear in this industry whioh plaoe it amongst the butpaying and Sttfeit in the colonies. Improvement in the cultivation of the cane, and also in the varieties of oane planted, have had something to do in piaoing the sugar buii11688 on the batter and more reliable footing npon whioh it now stands, bat the greater improvement has been in the maohinery employed, and in the better nnderstanding of what applianoes really are necessary to make u flagar profitably. 4^ To understand the case plainly, and the vital importance to those interested in this "business, of having suitable machinery at the start, it may be assumed (and it is very near the fact) that sugar-cane contains juice averaging between 70 and 75 per cent, of its whole bulk. It xs from this juice that the BUgar has to be got. And if all the juice is not squeezed out of the cane, there must be a proportionate loss of sugar. The juice is got from the cane by passing it between iron rollers of great weight, and having more or less crushing power. This may be considered the first stage of the manufacturing process, and the difference between the capacity of crushing mills to extract juice is as much as onefourth of the whole weight. That is to say, the first-class machinery now in favour in the colonies and .coming into commpn use, crushes out of the can* between 10 and 25 per cent; more juice than was "usual with the run of BUgar mills first used in the colonies. So i much for overcoming a direct loss of juice. The next stage in manufacturing Bugar deals with getting all the impurities And other matters than sugar separated , from the juice. This is a most important stage, and the skill gained in connection ' with it during the laat ten years is nothing short of amazing. In the early days oi eugar making in the colonies, ie was not at all uncommon to find the sugar houses swimming with syrups in such a state from one cause or other that sugar could not he got from them. In some cases the agencies (chemical mostly) used for extracting the foreign substances from the juice, had acted in manner the opposite of that intended, and had fixed the whole mass in such a manner that nothing could be done with it. Immense masses of such stuff have ■ been shot into rivers, creek s, and holes, either with or without the knowledge of the owners, so as to get rid of it. Heavy as such losbes were, the bitter disappointment jas&ociated with them was still worse. It disheartened many good men, and ruined not a few. There jyexe other oanaes of loss during the early daya oi colonial sugar making, but the foregoing weretfce most serious, and reference to them will answer tho purpose of showing how important is the skill gaiuod in tho mauufaciuro of augar, and the capacity of tho maomnery for extraoting ail the J aides from the oane. Possibly the greatest mistakes in the early days were made from copying or following after the style of maahinery found suitable and sufficient by Amerioan sugar makers. " I would be amongst the last to underrate the great aßßisttmoß whioh wo are receiving oontinuouely from Ameiioa^ and espeoiajly in the arts of agrionlinni and meobanios. Bat augur ii aa exception to the rale. We have learnt very little, indeed, from the Amerioans in that department. Were they desirous, they oould see niuoh here that would be new and VHlaabie to them. Bat, aa a mailer of faut, the conditions under whioh engar is xaudo in Amorioa and in Australia are so swduiy different, that what would bo and tre&ijy hfcti been rainoas over here, snaweru voty well with them. Ono instance will puliico to uhow how this ia: In Amerioa, syiapd of ail kinds are marketable. From the coaraest molasses to the finest and richest ayrups (suoii as could be made without umoh trouble iroru ihts staff described that has been ehot into rivers and holes, are all saleable ia America, The people there of all giadee use syrups and sweets with nearly every meal, and we might, in Australia, follow them with advantage in thai. But it does hog pay to muke molasses in or syrups upon Australian plantations. There is no sufficient demand for them. Hence it it> that tiio light machinery and appliances for sugar making, which may answgi very wtiil, aio not suitable for colonial purposes. This opens up the broad question regarding tho separation of cane tanning (for it really is farming, and of the best type,) and sugar-making. The j/Vench colonists oi Martinique may be accepted as the firs! to adopt this system upon a large scale •Tkft writer visited • the great centra] factories there, three different time* during 1876, in order to report on th< suitability of the central factory system fei Australian sugar production. It was seei then that the French had perfectec their sugar ma-kinff appliances to a): extraordinary extent in comparison witt w£iat was seen in other old Bugai piouucing countries; and since that titu< tao te^demsy of the sugar business ir Australia &as been towards heavier anc more perfect machinery for manufacturing and the separation. °i omw growing f rone sugar making. TiiS belief of the writer ii that the adoption of ifte* central iactorj system will be proportionate v Tvith the pro grees and welfare of the sugar btuinessii the colonies. That system has beer thoroughly established by the ccJoni&l sugar company of Sydney, in New South Wales, and by various companies in Queensland. Thoae laotoriea purchase cane from the growers at ,an**verage oi about 10a per ton. The averagjrauJtivatioD of cane in fche colonies may* be taken, at giving returns fo crop at between' 25 and 25 tom of c»ue per Apte. Md gum whc

have land ■uitable for crops of the kind oannot farm anything to pay better. . Few farmers in any other part of the world can grow crops that pay as well. It may be added that, with very rare exceptions, it pays the cane grower better to Bell at the price stated than to attempt making sugar with what are termed simple and inexpensive appliances ; but which prove more frequently a delusion and a snare. In the central factory system, powerful machinery and the appliances best adapted for taking all the sugar from the cane juice are applied. Hence the manufacturers can afford to pay higher rates for the cane than it would be worth in the other case. There, are factories in the oolonies already where; machinery that cost more than is, at work, and by its aid sugars so nearly white are turned out that they require no ( refining. This is the tendency of the, business generally, and gradually but, surely the sugar refining, depending as it, does upon supplies of low grade and dirty sugars made by imperfect appliances, aregiving way, and the central factory is taking the place. The latter operates, directly upon the cane or cane juice, and has cleared away much of the unskilful" ness, dirt and slovenliness, which, until recently, were treated as though inseparable from the production of sugar.