Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-01-16
SUGAR MAKING.

The pleasant pastime of sugar making,
is in full progress, and It's presumed the
boys and girls are highly delighted with
the process and proceeds. II not being
generally known that sugar can and has
been made from the corn stalk, greater in
quantity, and equal in q 'ality, to that from
the sugar cane, the attention of farmers Is
invited to the culture and manufacture from
the corn stalk, this staple commodity OF
commerce. The Hon. HI. L. Ellsworth,
in his remarks on the agricultural statistics,
says the corn stalk possesses some very de-
cided advantages over the sugar cane.
It's juice having saccharine matter in quail
ity thee tines stronger than the sugar
beet, five times that ofmaple, and fully e.
quals,i if it does not exceed that of the or
binary sugar cane. By plucking Off the
ears Of corn from the stalk as they begin
to form, the saccharine matter, which usu-
ally goes to the production of the ear, is
retained in the stalk, so that the quantity it
! yields is thus greatly increased. One
thousand pounds of sugar, it is believed,
can easily be produced from an acre of
corn. Should this fact seem incredible,
reference need only he made to the weight
ofltiy bushels ofcorn in the ear, which the
juice so retained in the stalk would have
ripened, had not the ear, when just forming
been plucked away, Sixty pounds may he
considered a fair estimate, in weight Of. a
busheI of ripened corn; and, at this rate,
5000 pounds of ripened corn will be the
weight Of the produce of one acre. Nearly
the whole of the saccharine part of this
remains in the stalk. besides what would
have existed there. without such a removal
ofthe ear. 1t is plain, therefore, that the
sanguinc conclusions of experiments the
past year have not been drawn from insult
fcient data. Besides it has been ascer.
taihed, by trial, that corn, on being sown
broadcast (and so requiring but little labor.
comparatively, in its cultivation will pro-
duce five pounds per square foot. equal to
lO8 tons to the acre of fodder in a green
state; and it is highly probable that, when
subjected to the Treatment necessary to
prepare the stalk, as above described, in
the best manner Tor the manufacture Of SUI
gar, "a not less amount of crop may be pro
duced. Should this prove to be the case,
one thousand weight of sugar per acre
might he far too low an estimate. E1-
pcriments Oh a small scale have proved
that six quarts ofthe juice, obtained from
the corn stalk sown broadcast, yielded one
quart Of christalized syrup, which is equal
to Is per cent; while for one quart ~ofsyrup
it takes thirty-two quarts of the sap of ma
pie.
Again, tho cornstalk requires only one
fifth the pressure of the sugar cane, and
the mill or press for tho purpose is very
simple and cheap in its construction, so
hat quite an article of expense will there.
by be saved, as the cost of machinery in
the manufacture: Of sugar from cane is
great. Only a small portion of the cane,
also, in this country where it is an exotic,
ordinarily yields saccharine matter, while
the whole Of the cornstalk, the very top
ONLY excepted, can be used.
Further, while cam requires al least
eighteen months. and sedulous cultivation.
and much hard labor, to bringit to matu.
rity, the sowing and ripenipgo of the corn
stalk may be performed, for the purpose of
producing sugar, with ease, within 10 to
99days; thus allowing not less than two
crops q a season in many parts of our
country The Stalk remaining, after be-
ing pressed, also furnishes a valuable feed
for cattle. enough, it is said, with the leaves,
TO pay for the whole expense of its culture.
Should it be proved, by further expert
ments, thatthe stalk after being dried and
laid up, can, by steaming, be subjected to
the press without any essential loss Of the
saccharine principle, as is the case with
the beet in France. so that the manufacture
Of the sugar can be preserved till late in
the autumn, this will still enhance the value
Of this product for the purpose. 1t may, al
so, be truesthat, as inthe case of the beet,
no animal carbon may be nreIcd, but a lit
tie limewater viii answer for the purpose
of claritication; after which, the Juice may
be boiled in a common kettle, though the
improved method of using vacuum pans
will psovc more profitable when the sugar
is madaon u la &c scale.
Corn, too. is indigenous. and car H,e
raised in all the States Of the Union, while
the cane is almost confined t. one, and
even il that tie average amount Of sugar
produced, ii ordinary crops, il but 900 Oh
1000 pounds to the acre; not much beyond
one thirdd the product in Cuba and oIhor
tropical situations, where it is indigenous
to tIessoil. The investment in the slgaf
manufactures from the cane in this coun-
try has, it is believed. a poorer return than
almost any other agricultIral product.
The hudable enterprise Of introducing in
to the United States the culture O ftbe cane
and the manufacture Of sugar from the
same, has, it is probable, been hardly re-
Enumerated. though individual planters, on
some locations, have occasionally enriched
themselves. The amount Of power re-
qrired, with the cost Of machinery and the
meaps of cultivation, will ever place this
br4eh Of industry beyond the reach of per-
sons Of moderate resources, while the ap-
Paratus and means necessary for the pro-
duction ofcorn and otbec crops lie within
the abilities of many.
CARE FOR THE YnUNC.-"Whan," aska
governor Slad. in u recent a ldress at New
vi G..-.II H.. ~,xa .E ~