Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-12-02
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From the Richmond South.
FAILuRE OF TIE CHINESE AND AFTICAN SU-
GAR MILLET (SORGHUM SACCHARATUAD
IN pRODTCE SUGAR,

MI. t,uUUT - w I'LL tuC VI LA
Governor Hammond, of South Carolina, | send
to you for publication the following, extracts
from two letters, recently received from him.
From these, in addition to all other known and
recent testimony, deem that there can remain
no longer any doubt of the imposslblllty OF OBJ
tanning sugar, to any useful end, from the juice
of either the Chinese or the African Sugar Mil
let. Gov. Hammond had grown these on
large scale-on more than 100 acres-embraclng
Is or more of the African varieties. Every
proper care was taken for the culture-and
fine crop was raised No proper expense was
spared for the machinery, &C., for grinding the
cane and boiling the juice. The results are
stated in his letters.
But though (n contradiction to former gen
eral expectation, and to much prior and partlcu-
lar evidcnce,) it seems tt at sugar cannot be
produced from these plants, that conclusion, in
nv opinion, dctracts but little from their value
for this region There is no doubt that excel
lent syrup may be made, even by very rude
means and mcthods-and, by. proper means,
probably in profitable quantity, for general home
consumption. This is enough for Us. Also, the
feeding value of the green plants is OF much
importance. Even when formerly gave Gre
dence to the many assertions that sugar could
be made, did not then suppose that the prac-
teal operation could be profitable here, or as
cheap as to buy the sugar made from sugar cane
in hot climates. hope that numerous expert
ments and fair trial will be made Of the Sugar
Mlet, and Of all it's varieties, SO that the true
general value, and the most productive kinds
may be known. EDMUND RCFFlN.
REDcLTFFE, S. c., Oct. 18th, 1857.
-l,nn1
made, and started my mill again on the 2nd
October. But Mr.. Wrny, who was absent and
unwell, did not commence his experiments UNI
til the 9th October. lie did not try my battery
but used his little apparatus, with steam evap-
grafton. He selected his canes, and had what
Juice he wanted, and made don't know how
many boilings during that and the next days
The juice was good-stanlng several times at
10 deg. Beaume. But neither by his patened
nor any other process could he make sugar from
his Imphee. He has brought up Solue syrup
which lie thinks will grain yet. don't think
it will, OF that sugar can be made from either
the Imphee or Chinese cane. dare say both
of them have u small portion Of cane sugar in
them, but fear not enough to be worth look
ing after. If the Saccharine matter indicated
by 10 deg. Beaume were cane sugar, this plant
would be far superior to the sugar cane. But
I give it up for sugar purposes. The Imphec,
as you saw, is larger growth than the Chi
nese cane, but from all that | have seen and
heard would [not like to say that any va
riety of it is superior to the Chinese.
With regard to the seed, am now fully sat
ised that all the varieties Of the Millet readily
hybridi=c; and / think also that the kaffirs
were correct in telling Mr.. Wray that if the
ripe seed were long planted the cane would
lose all its saccharine qualities and take rank
with Dourah corn l found SO large propor-
ton of worthless cane-with the largest stalks
and finest heads gcncrally-tlat cannot have
any part in selling the seed. | have gathered
the seed Of the few assorted canes that seemed
pllrcst and placed them at Mr.. Wray's disposal.
The remainder | am feeding TO my stock.
would not be willing to guarantee that single
seed will be pure-but Il Mr.. Wray vii! ma Ike,
rs he says he will, careful selection, head bv
head, they will probably be Us pure us most Of
the Chinese. 1t SO happens that these assorted
seed arc perhaps his best varieties. They arc
the Necazanl, Boojana, koombana, Boomvwana
and Enyama These and the E-engha and
Slagoova, are so different in appearance from
Dourah corn, that Mr.. Wriy, in asserting his
seed last spring, ut my request, was more Sue
cessful in selecting them than the otherS-but
they were all near enough to the Dourah, or
degenerate Imphcc, for some hybridizing to
take place, and therefore guarantee none.
shall plant all the varieties next year, by
no means emitting Chinese, but not SO largely
as this year. l shall only aim to make what
syrup want for my own use, and to test more
carefully the forage value of the plant shall
plant upland that is good for twenty bushels of
corn, in five feet drills, and expect 100 to $50
gallons of syrup per acre. Unless alcohol may
be made economically out Of this plant, or it
proves better for forage than now think, it
will produce nothing for sale-and syrup can
be made from it for use only when there is no
other pressing plantation work, or at some dis
tance from tho great highways of commerce.
4
j. H. HAMMOND