White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1857-07-23
for tbe farmtr.
The Chinese Sugar Cane.


and Water streets, Cincinnati. furnish
the following directions. in reference to
the choice Of ground, time of planting.
manner of planting. cultivating, strip
ping. and cutting the Chinese Sugar
Cane. when it is grown for the purpose
Of making syrup or sugar. which have
been gathered from practical men. who
have had experience in the field, in the
sugar-growing districts of this and other
countries:
CHOICE OF GRoUSD.-Upland soil is
better for sugar than low ground, though
the latter may he strong. deep soil. 1t
is supposed that the saccharine matter in
plants is absorbed chiefly from the at
mosphere Though larger growth Of
'a1e can lie re ned on low ground than
on high. there will be more water in the
sap; and. as the cost Of pressing and
boiling is considerable. it is not always
desirable to produce the largest growth,
but, rather, the richest juice.
TINE OF PLANTISG.-The seel of the
Chinese Sorgho. or SOrgho SHcre, should
not be planted till the ground has become
warm to a considerable depth. If the
season is backward. as the present spring,
the LIST or 10th of June will do very well.
Mr.. Whitney. of Washington. d. c.,
raised his best seed, last year, from seed
planted on the 9Th of june.
MANNER OF PLANTINe.-All agree that
one seed in place. eight or ten inches
apart, running north and south. gives the
best growth. and renders its maturity
more certain and uniform. 1t shonll be
horne in mini that the Sorgho or Imphoe
stools ont like wheat that is. one See,l
produces several stalks :, and it is, there
fore. not only useless hut detrimental to
a good growth Of the hest cane to plant
the seed too chick. AS Fight and air are
essential to the best growth for sugar, it is
better, as general thing. to have too few
than too many stalks therefore, no harm
is done if few hills fail to oome M. as
they probably will when there is but one
seed in place.
CuLTIvATToN-This does not differ
from the cultivation Of Indian corn, ex-
cept that it should be watrhed when near
maturity. When it is inten led to make
sugar or mOlasses. the seed head should
he plucked out. This should he done after
the Seerl has formed, and before it begins to
fill that is, before it begins to assume a
milky appearance or, in other words,
while the seeds are yet of a green color
inside. The seed-headS are easily pluck
ed ont by grasping the head and jerking
it upward. In short time after this is
done new panicles will shoot ont from
the joints below. on which new seed- heads
will form. As soon as the seed in these
new heads have hegnn to form. the whole
stalk shonll he stripped bare of all its
leaves AMI panirles, leaving nothing but
the naked trunk.
STRIPPrNG.-This operation is perform
ed very quickly bv those accustomed to
it. 1t is done with an instrument shaped
much like pruning-hook. only it is
larger, and is not sharp. A stroke down
ward with this instrument. close to the
stalk. strips off not only the panicles and
blades, but, also, the sheaths around the
stalk at the base of each blade. If-ie
instrument is sharp. it does not clean the
stalk so well, and, besides that. it wouId
be likely to wound the stalk, and cause
il to sour.
CUTTING This may he done as soon
as the stripping is completed, but not
till the mill and the kettle are all ready.
as the cane shoull he ground as soon as
it is expressed otherwise the quality of
the syrup male from it will be inferior.
and it will be nearly impossible to make
sugar from it all
BOILING AND GRANULArrxG.-Under
this head, at some future time. we pro-
pose to give the hest process known in
this Country. first testing them ourselves,
however. so That we can speak from actI :
al knowledge as TO the prarticability of
graduating the Chinese syrup.
We have some beautiful samples of
sugar and sample of alcohol, at r
office, which were obtained from Mr..
Leonard Wray. of Europe. who claims
to be in possession of a process by which
the Chinese syrup can be granulated sue
ccssfully by the most inexperienced hand.
We shall test his process thoroughly
some time in June, so as to be able to
communicate the result in ample time.
for those who may chose to adopt It in
their operations this season. Ohio Val.
ley Farmer.