Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-08-20
THE SUGAR CANE.

our Office bottle of Syrup, made from the Cane
grow n this season, on his farm in the Indian Land.
1t has clear, rich color, and, save that it has
been slightly burnt, it tastes as we'll as the very
best quality of New Orleans Molasses-affording
a sure proof Of the rich properties as well as the
adaptability of the Cane to our soil and climate.
Col. WILSON'S experiment was made under all
the disadvantages of utter inexperieuce and
want of suitable apparatus. About thirty stalks
were first cut into pieces and in trough reduced
to pulpy mnss, from which juice Of dark green
color was obtained by pressing through common
cider.press. 1t was then subjected to the process
of boiling for three quarters of an hour, during
which the green coloring matter was thrown out
as scum and with the addition of small quantity
of lime to clarafy il, the juice was changed into
the taste and color and consistency Of tho genuine
Syrup. The process yielded nearly quart, but
with such imperfect apparatus not more than one
fourth-and that the most Indifferent portion
could be obtained. Col. WILSON thinks that 3
properly constructed Mill, with suitable boiling
pans, would have yieled three to four quarts from
| the same number of stalks
No additional testimony isneeded to convince our
farmers of the value of the Sugar Cane. The care
given to an ordinary crop, and the trouble usually
taken in the horse-apple season, would save every
household from the heavy expense Of the usual
supplies of sugar and molasses; while the refuse
is known to be the best possible food for all kinds
of stock. Let each neighborhood contribute to
the purchase of the necessary machinery, and,
next year, let the Sugar Cane have fair trial in
our District.
As it will not be uninteresting we append an es-
say, Of the highest authority, written for the
Beach Island Club by Ex-Governor HAMMOND,
and published, last year, in the Patent Office Re-
port:
ga rule of this Club, requiring every member
to make and report, each year, an agricultural ex
pertinent, will take this opportunity to acquit
myself of this duty. One of our members, Mr..
Redmond, of the Southern Cultivator," distribu-
ted among us, last winter, some seeds Of what is
commonly called "Sugar Millet." He very kindly
gave me enough to plant half an acre-about
pint perpared plat of ground on a northern
slope, of old, stiff and WORKOUT land, in such
manner and with as much manure as would prob
ably have made it yield, with average seasons,
about 90 bushels of corn per acre. On the 22d of
March, planted the seed in three-foot drills,
dropping every l8 or 20 inches some six or eight
seeds. twas ploughed and hoed often enough to
keep the grass down, and about the 1st of July
began to head The heat had then been unusual
ly intense for two weeks, and has continued so up
to the present time and latterly, the drought has
been very destructive. do not think this half
acre would have yielded bushels had it been
plantedi in corn. Having intended, however, to as
certain whether the millet would make syrup,
had rude mill put up with two beeoh-Hood roll
lers.
Finding that by the 22d of July the most advan-
ced heads had passed the milky stage, had $50
canes cut, which supposed were fair sample of
the patch. The first 800 or 400 were passed
through the mill twice, the remainder four times,
and the yield was 194 quarts of juice. But 10
canes, which selected and passed seven times
through the mill, yielded 8 quarts. The juice
was received in common tubs and tested by ther-
mometer, and saccbarometer with scale of 400.
The thermometer stood in every instance at 7S0
F. Thei saccharometer varied from 21lo to 233o.
At the latter point, the juice would float fresh
laid egg. boiled it in deep. old fashioned
sscow-pot" and after six or seven hours boiling,
obtained 80 quarts of tolerable syrup.
The next day, l selected 10 canes, the heads of
which were fully matured, 10 more in full milk,
10 more heads Of which were just fully developed
and the top seed beginning to turn black, and o.
gain 10 comprising all these stages, but from
which did not strip the leaves. They were all
passed through the mill seven times, and yielded
nearly the same quantity of juice-about quarts
for every 10 canes. The juice tested by the sac
ot Al =
rather the most, and the oldest rather the least
saccharine matter. The whole, together with that
of few other good canes, exhibited at 800 Of the
thermometer 241o of the saccharometer. From AZ
pints of the juice, | obtained, after four hours
boiling, pints of rather better syrup than that
made the day before. In these boilings. I mixed
with the cold juice about tea-spoonful of lime
water of the consistency Of cream for every five
gallons.
These selected canes grew on the best spots OF
the patch, and where probably corn might have
been produced the present season, at the rate OF
20 bushels to the acre. They were an inch in di-
ameter at the lsgest end, and y feet long after
cutting off the head and foot of the stem. At.
ter this, cut down all the inferior cane and cured
it for forage.
On the 28th of July, two of the members of the
Club (Dr. Bradford and Mr. H. Lamar being at
my house. remained to see the result of pressing
and boiling 400 canes had cut and stripped
Each of us selected 10canes and put them through
the press eight times; the result being as before,
about quarts for every 10 canes. But even after
the pressure, juice could be wrung from the canes
by the hands, and we agreed that at least one
fourth of it, and that the best, remained in the
cane--so inefficient was my mill. The rest of the
cane, I ordered to be pressed six times, but we
| m
we count the 400 canes. The yield Of the whole,
however, was 81 quarts. With the thermometer
at $50 in the juice, the saccharometer stood at
24Io we boiled the juice until it together on
the rim of the ladle and hung in a transparent
sheet half an inch below it before falling And
this in two and q half hours. The result was six
quarts of choice syrup. The next day l repeated
the experiment OIL a larger scale, with equal sue
cess, and have brought to the Club enough of
the syrup to enable every momber to try it and
Judge of its quality. All who have tasted it, agree
that it is equal to the best that we get from New
Orleans In these last bOilings, I put table,
every 10 gallons. The whole process Of clarifying
and boiling was carried through in the same pot,
and that very unsuitable from its depth
measured the grain from number of heads,
and the result was nm average of gill from each.
I weighed half peck of matured seed, after sew
eral days exposure to the sun. It weighed Al
pounds, equal to 3S pounds to the bushel. l
weighsd 20 of the best cut for forage, after
it was cured sufficiently to house. They weighed
"a pounds, equal to 10000 pounds for 25,oOo
canes, [per acre :? which l think might be grown
on land that would make 25 bushels Of corn with
average seasons have tried horses, CATTLE, and
hogs, aud find they eat the cane, its leaves and
seed, greedily, and fowls and pigeons the last.
think, however, when allow ed to mature, the cane
should be cut up fine for animals, as the outer