The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-11-22

l did not attempt to make champagne from
1t, though it is said to n AXE a good article
The great difficulty is to express the juice
from the stalks, and nothing know Of will
do 1t effectually but sugar mill, and those
We do not have in these parts Blu, if this
article proves on further trial tc be what
think 1t is, sugar mills will be erected in al.
most every town Of the good old Bay State,
and We no longer be dependant on slave labor
Tor our supply Of sugar and molasses.
II this article should succeed perfectly. VIC
cannot sufficiently estimate the glorious re.
suits OF its successful cultivation. fully
believe from my limited experience that we
may successfully compete with Louisiana
with its slave labor in producing sugar and
molasses. With this sugar cane no part is
LOST, the caves are stripped Off for fodder
the tops Will answer for brooms, like broom
corn, and even the refuse cane is said to
make fine article of paper. 1t is q fine
article Tor stover, (green fodder it is so rich
IN saccharine matter; cows, pigs. and even
horses will eat the stalks as well as leaves
with the greatest avidity The seed when
ripened is good for fowls, pigs, &C. believe
1t to be one of the most valuable articles that
has been introduced for many wears. second
IN importance to few things a farmer can
grow. 1t is very desirable that it should be
more extensively grown another year, and
careful experiments made with it, SO as to
! determine its compai a.ive value as a field
crop. hope we may IA, ar from others who
nave raised II, that We may the better Judge
OF ITS value on different soils and under diff
fercnt circumstances"
Surely, Mr.. Hyde is quite ent: usia,,ic
and sanguine in his idea. OF the great value
OF this newly introduced sugar cane; and
trust he has not overshot the mark, but
am led TO believe future trials of the plant
VIII iuliy sustain his patriotic views for |
nave just received printed circular from
Richard Peters, Esq, Atlanta, ia, headed
/ thInese Sugar Cane and Georgia Syrup"
( from which | will make some extracts. Mr.
/ p. says
feel it my duty TO make known to the
/ Southern public the result of INV sugar
making from the Chinese Sugar Millet, in
hopes that others who have sown this valu-
able variety of mi!let, may be induced to
work II up into syrup this season.
81 obtained my star; Of seed during the
spring Of 1855, from ID. Redmond, Esq, Of
the " Southern Cuitvator" | considered it
" humbuS' from its close resemblance in
seed and growth to the "Gunes corn" un-
I'll my children, towards fall, made the dis
covery Of its being to their taste equal 10
the true sugar cane
This year | planted one patch April
10Th, another May 18th, near Calhoun,
Gordon county. on land that would produce
during " seasonable' year, forty bushels
OF corn per acre, and this year not over
twenty bushels.
Seed sown careessly in drills, three feet
apart, covered with . one horse pillow. in
tending to "chop out" to a stand of one
stalk TO SIX inches apart ~ the row, but fail
ed to get good stand, as the seed came up
badly from deep and irregular covering;
worked out, same as !or corn, blowing twice
and hoeins once.
South Carolina, l determined TO give the
dered from the Messrs. Winship, Of Atlanta,
a very complete horse power mill, with YER
teal iron rollers, that has worked admirably,
crushing out juice for eight gallons Of syrup
per hour, worked by two mules, with one
hand to put IN the cane and boy 10 drive.
''On the 18th OF this month (September),
finding the seed fully fipe, had the fodder
pulled and the seed heads cut. Yield Of
10 der (!eave>) per acre: ]. 100 TO ], 800 lbs.
Yield OF seed per acre: 25 bushels of 81
lbs per bushel. First trial of mill, 20 cane.
gave 20 quarts Of juice. COO average canes,
passed once through the rollers, gave 3S
gallons and / quart Of juice: passed a second
time through, gave gallons; 40 gallons
and quart, gave gallons thick syrup
(ncarly one gallon Of molasses to five gallons
Of juice.)
~ carefully measured an eighth Of an
acre, having the best canes and the best
stand, and another eighth having the poor
est canes and the poorest stand. The result
give bsIow, the canes having passed once
through the rollers.
Best Eighth Of an Acre.
Yield ofjues from 3, 3 ) canes, 253 gals.
g syrup from 253 gallons Of juice 5Ss "
Rates per acre Of syrup. ......4 46S :"
Qn this trial, Al gallons Of juice yielded a
gallon Of syrup
Poorest Eighth Of an Acre.
:" syrup from l.9 gallons of juice AT d"
Rates per acre OF syrup. .346
Qn this trial it required four gallons and
one pint Of juice for gallon Of syrup)
Thirty selected canes weighed 49i lbs,
and yielded 25l lbs. Of juice
1.-The juice should be placed in the boil
ers Immediately on being pressed out, then
boil slowly until the green scum ceases to
line to five gallons Of juice continue skim
ming and boiling until the syrup thickens
and hangs down in fakes on the rim of the
dipper.
{" have made the clearest syrup by Sim
ply boiling and skimming, without lime or
other CHARTERS.
The lime is requisite to neutralize per-
ton of the acid in the juice the true pro-
portion must be determined by well-con-
Quoted experiments.
The cost of making the syrup in upper
Georgia, in my opinion, will not exceed 10
to Is cents per gallon. This l shall be able
to test another season, by planting and work
ing up tJty acres Of the cane.
Il Am satisfied that this plant will enable
every farmer and planter Of the Southern
States to make at homo all the syrup re-
qured for family use; and l believe our
chemists will soon teach US how to convert
the syrup into sugar, for export, as one Of
the staples of our favored cline.
Obtaining such unlocked for SUCCESS
with the Chinese sugar cane, l concluded
to try our common corn. From "new
ground" planted 3 by 8, one stalk to hill,
a week beyond roast;ng-ear stage, selected
thirty stalks
Weight of 80 stalks, .35a lbs
Juice,- lot
Yield of syrup, ,..............4 pint.
1.-The syrup of a peculiar dlsagrseable
taste, entirely unfit for table USE"
have no wish to aid in getting up an un-
due cane excitement, of any kind-but while
have pen in hand will figure little, be-
cause | think the statements of MessrS.
HYDE and Peters afford US pretty correct
data or starting point. No doubt but the
Chinese sugar cane, like all others of its
genus, undian corn, broom corn, &c;,) is
subject to great fluctuations in its yield, de-
pending greatly upon the season, soil, ma
nuring and cultivation it receives. Mr.. Pc
terS' land. in favorable season, would have
Welded forty bushels of corn; but the past