tion goes on in the clarifier till the juice is drawn, and
continues in the grande so long as there are feculencies left. This
decomposition greatly increases the quantity of coloring matter, so
that, as the juice is being clarified, it loses in color what it gains
in purity. And here let me show the relative value of the "grande" and
of clarifiers as agents of clarification. In the grande, if it is well
attended to, the scummings are taken up as soon as they rise. A
portion of them is removed before they begin to decompose, and the
process goes on, so that before the juice reaches the boiling point
nearly all the feculencies are removed, and the source of coloring
matter is removed with them. Clarifiers reach the boiling point much
quicker, and cannot easily be scummed. The general practice is to
bring them to that point without scumming, to let the feculencies
separate from the juice by cooling and by rest, and to wash out the
clarifiers every second or third time they are filled. Heat and
alkalies acting in them upon the accumulated feculencies of one, two,
or three charges, dissolve a much larger portion of those feculencies
than they can possibly do in the grande. The formation of coloring
matter continues during the time of rest, and accordingly planters,
after repeated trials, generally agree that juice well clarified in
the grande, has a lighter and brighter color, and makes better sugar
than that obtained from clarifiers.

The first object of research should be to find means of clarifying the
juice without creating coloring matter. It is said that presses
something like those used to press cotton, have lately been
successfully employed in the West Indies, instead of rollers; that the
juice obtained is much purer, and that a much larger quantity of it is
extracted from the cane. If so, this will be a great improvement, and
the first step of the process I should recommend. From juice thus
obtained, I have no doubt that all impurities less soluble than itself
may be separated by mechanical means before heat and alkalies are
applied, or at least with a very small quantity of alkalies. All other
liquids, all fatty substances and oils, except cotton seed oil, are
clarified by a very rapid process. Cane juice can no doubt be
clarified by similar means, and if this were accomplished the process
of sugar making would be very much simplified.

The clarified juice might then be placed in an evaporator, heated by
the was