1868 The complete Practical Distiller

DISTILLING MOLASSES.

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gallons of water more to each gallon of molasses set ; and in Ireland the same ; consequently, tkey work their wash one-fifth stronger in Great Britain than in Ireland : and when they wish to evade the duty of excise, they work their wash still stronger, but this materially hurts the quality of the produce. In the winter time, the water added to the backs should be heated to a degree below blood warm, that the backs are raised with, which may be done by heating some water scalding hot, not boiling it, in one of the stills, and drawing as much in the filling-can as will heat the re- mainder of the cold water to the degree wanted. When the intended portion of water is added to each back, the same proportion of barm is to be added as at setting, and all blended together with the broom; this is termed raising. The same, or rather more, attention must be paid after setting, and barm added, if necessary. The third stage of fermentation is cutting, which is performed four, five, or even six days after raising, but is seldom deferred so long. It is done by adding about 1 ounce of jalap-root, in fine powder, to every 800 or 1000 weight of molasses in summer, and half as much more to the same quantities in winter, with the same proportion of barm, or yeast, as at setting and raising, which must be blended together with the yeast. This is called cutting the backs, which, indeed, it very effectually does — cutting down the head or crest of the flowers or barm which the intestine motion of the fermentation threw up, and communicating a very ef- fectual ferment-essence through the whole fluid mass, very distinguishable at the top of the fluid to the sight, and