He discussed a subject of very great interest to me—the need to investigate the foundations of scientific research. They show similar relationships between the average sucrose content of the individual varieties with the general average of all varieties as in the previous season;.
EXTRACTION AND RECOVERY FIGURES, 1931/1942
APPENDIX
SUGARCANE STATISTICS, 1941/42 CROP, BASED ON THE DEPARTMENT OF CENSUS
34;SPECIAL CENSUS OF SUGARCANE PLANTATIONS (EUROPEAN ONLY)."
We mentioned before that it is difficult to arrive at the average age of the cane of each crop when it is harvested. Thus during the five seasons ending 1931, when practically no varieties other than Uba were harvested, the average proportion annually harvested of the total area under cane was 4o.l per cent, while for the ten years ending 1041, during which the proportion of Uba in the harvest decreased from 90.007 percent to 8.7 percent., the average proportion of the crop harvested each season was 48.1 percent., and was 48.7 percent, over the last three years.
SHORT REPORT ON 1942 SEASON'S WORK AT DOORNKOP
DU TIOT pointed out that the effect of fiber on extraction gradually decreased as the extraction increased. DODDS said that Mr. Kault pointed out that there had been no significant increase in sucrose content of canes since the introduction of new varieties. However, this must be due to the general conditions in recent years that have not favored a high sucrose.
Co.281 now accounted for more than half the crop, and the high average fiber content of cane for the year was probably largely due to this high-. Dodds, said that one of the reasons that such a wide difference exists between the purities of final molasses in this country is due to the fact that brix determinations of final molasses have not been done in any standard way. RAULT mentioned the remarkable fact that low sucrose content of sugar cane this year is associated with an unusually low reducing sugar ratio.
SURVEY OF LABOUR-SAVING AND COST-SAVING DEVICES
There are human examples in this country where each of the three or four trunk engines is controlled by separate directors. Finally, automatic control of a mill motor can be controlled based on the thickness of the blanket entering the mill. Either the type of labor or the layout of the factory must have been advantageous compared to our normal Natal conditions.
So far there are no full details, but it is clear that here is a fruitful area for capital expenditure. Added to the enormous work done in some of our factories is the complicated system of cane testing. The committee feels that because of the high wages in effect, it is time to review the whole subject of chemical control and cane testing requirements.
INDEX OF LABOUR-SAVING AND COST-SAVING DEVICES FOUND IN THE LITERATURE
Centrifugals
Effect of cane trash on first mill extraction and C C S. Reports Assoc, of Hawaiian Sugar Tech., 171.
LABOUR-SAVING DEVICES
WICKS CANE UNLOADER
In the event that a number of planters use the same siding, the question may arise regarding the maintenance and ongoing repairs of the tap. Removing the stick from these platforms to the stick bearer is done by manual labor, while this operation could be performed by mechanical means, such as the mechanical arm that can be operated by one boy. Furthermore, automatic control of a mill motor can be arranged depending on the thickness of the blanket entering the mill.
At the Natal Estates mill, one of the few in this country with individual engines at each mill, the automatic steering was certainly very successful. In this country he thought that the slat carrier was preferable to the drag carrier because of its more efficient supply to the factories. The drive shaft was driven from the pintle of one of the first rollers.
SURVEY OF PAN BOILING PRACTICE IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY
One factory remelts almost all the sugar from the last massecuite to increase the proportion of the first massecuite. It is preferable to reduce the purity of the syrup by boiling back a certain amount of rinse water from mixed magma. Eight of them do not use circulation or moving water; Three factories are apparently unaware of this practice.
Water-cooled crystallizers, with their lower viscosity, have been useful in the case of higher-grade inassecuits, thus increasing the capacity of the crystallizer. Water (through sprinklers and otherwise) and molasses of approximately the same purity as the mother liquor are used. Jelly Tanks.- Twelve of the 17 factories cook molasses jelly from low grade granulates.
ADDENDUM
Destruction of crystals and undersaturation occur, the extent of which depends largely on the pot operator and the design of the pot itself. The forehead thermometer only shows the average temperature, which is the result of the balance between the temperatures from the explosions. Another point follows, namely, the system and arrangement of the condensing plants, the air line, the water line, and the steam supply.
These points are contributed to Mr. Bechard's paper, because the best way to recognize its importance is to enlarge the scope of the work. He would like to see a record of cubic feet of individual pulp cutters cooked per ton cane or per hour. Ours was one of the few countries that still stuck to this inefficient crystallization method that could not be controlled and depended on cooling time and luck for results.
CLARIFICATION OF NATAL JUICES WITHOUT THE AID OF SULPHUR
SOME FACTORY AND LABORATORY TRIALS
It was found that by passing carbon dioxide through the milk of lime used to temper the juice, a much faster settling rate is achieved. In this process, carbon dioxide from flue gases was dissolved and later regenerated from alkali carbonate liquor in the presence of ammonia. Only part of the carbon dioxide from the flue gases must therefore be recovered for double carbonation and even less for single carbonation.
The concentration of carbon dioxide from the sauce would probably be at least double that of the original in the flue. The carbon dioxide from the bagasse furnaces was not only purer, but must have a higher concentration than that in the flue gases from coal. Natal Estates, with double carbonation, used about double, 30 per cent, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the flue.
ANALYSES OF BOILER-FEED (MAKE-UP) WATER IN NATAL
Corrosion.2 Of the many causes of corrosion, only those that are caused or affected by the water components given in the tables will be briefly discussed. In one of the factories it was found that the glass of the meter had worn out too quickly and an incrustation had formed around a leak. Although calcium salt is the predominant component of scale, water analysis shows that magnesium is actually present in greater concentration.
There was a significant increase in total solids, hardness and chlorides in the water used at Darnall compared to Doornkop, but he did not necessarily want to attribute that to contamination of the water supply at Doornkop. RAULT said that when analyzing the water of several mussels, it also showed that the sodium chloride content of the water increased as it approached the sea. In the column with the integer t, find the digit at the intersection of the line of "decimals of P-P1" (at the foot of the table).
RED ROT IN SUGARCANE IN NATAL
It has been found that F. moniliforme can be grown in culture longer than C. falcatum and remains capable of rotting cuttings; Also, in one case, canes inoculated with both fungi from pure cultures produced more typical symptoms of red rot, as found in the field, than those produced in canes inoculated with these two fungi separately. Furthermore, close examination of the varieties at the Experimental Station has shown that sometimes, before typical cases of red rot were encountered in some varieties, the first or so branch found dead showed no discolouration. It seemed like conditions were not very favorable for the spread of red rot in the Mount Edgecombe area.
There was a focus of infection at the Experiment Station, yet only a few stems of Co.290 and P.O.J.2725 had so far been found with red rot. He had found Fusarium but no Colletotrichum present in certain cases of sugarcane dying of what appeared to be red rot. However, field results were difficult to compare, because P.O.J.2725) was not planted to the same extent in the existing red rot areas.
HABITATION WASTES AND COMPOSTING IN THE SUGAR BELT
Start small and continue with the 40 centuries of China ahead of you. Mound temperatures naturally varied with atmospheric temperatures, but a drop of 10T'\ was very rarely experienced. However, properly controlled experiments and statistical analyzes of the results were needed and it was hoped that such results would soon be forthcoming from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The disappearance of the streak in these cases certainly cannot be attributed to compost applications. Dyniond may have been convinced of the effectiveness of these age-old treatments, but he thought it would be very difficult to convince farmers and doctors. It may be the result of fermentation, but some of the roses actually died.
A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF RECENT FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS FOR SUGARCANE
63 The recent results of the nitrogen experiments confirm the conclusions drawn by the writer last year, namely, that a reaction to nitrogenous manures may be expected from practically all light soils and from heavy soils which have not recently been exposed to severe drought. after application of the fertilizer. It is obvious that the sucrose content of sugar cane in the vast majority of cases in this country is not significantly affected by the application of fertilizers. In other countries with less favorable conditions than ours for maturing the cane, it is often found that nitrogenous fertilizers reduce the sucrose content of the cane by delaying maturity.
This is not necessarily indicative of a significant reduction in the growth rate of ratoons, but is due in part to the fact that many ratoon experiments have been cut after only one season of growth rather than the full two seasons normally allotted to the plant's cane crop. In the case of ratoon results of phosphate fertilizer trials, it must be clearly understood that the increased yield from the phosphate-treated plots is in many cases due to the residual effect of only the fertilizer given to the tuber crop, as no additional phosphate fertilizer has been applied. . It is recognized that this paper deals only with concentrated sources of the principal fertilizing elements, and that in this country in any case there are other important aspects of soil fertility.
TWO NEW INSECT PESTS OF SUGARCANE IN NATAL
NINTH PROGRESS REPORT ON EXPERIMENTS AT UMFOLOZI
One of the things to note is the very level playing field rightly maintained by P.O.J.2878. As before, there is a slightly greater yield from the narrower spacings, but the difference between 4 feet and 7 feet is just under 4 percent., which is not enough to be significant under the conditions of this experiment. However, it is considered necessary to point out that Co.281 does not appear to be the best variety to grow on the alluvial lands, and where it is desired to change from P.O.J.2725 due to borer or for any other reason , P.O.J. 2878 is probably a better variety than Co.281 for Umfolozi flats.
The 6 percent advantage gained by M.P.R.28 is not enough to be statistically significant provided; of this experiment. It is to be hoped that this time the reeds will grow and that reliable data will be obtained. It does not seem likely that any other rod in this experiment would have proved good enough to be omitted.
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
