Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-03-31
;farnters' Guluu}lr.
From the Southern Planter.
CHINESE SUGAR CANE.
WESTON, We>tmorcland Co., Va,

whose curiosity WOuu Oc Siallileu DI slale-
mcnt Of tie result Of the cxpel iment which
tried last season in the culture Of the Chinese
Sugar Cane, will now proceed to give is accu,
rate an account of it as memory will permit.
The first seed planted the last of March
they were nearly one month in getting up.
only planted Il small quantity at that time. On
the 7th and SLh days Of May, planted about
1 acres i'll zane. in rows four icct one way anc
the hills about eighteen inches the other. w hcl
the plants got some lpur or five inches high II
was then thinned out to three stalks 10 the hill
then cultivated exactly as Indian corn; its ave-
rage height was about twelve feet. 1t com.
mcnced ripening early in August. or tue SEED
commenced turning black. The cost oil seed
fertilizers and cultivation, was fifty-one dollars
kept an accurate account of all the time ano
labor employed up to the maturity of the cane
but Was so situated when grinding ana boiling
the syrup, that could not give an accurate &C
count of expenses from the loss of time occa
stoned BY not having y suitable mill, or one tina,
was not liable to break every day.
was under the necessity to plan my OWL
mill. and have il built The first one was made
for the cylinder, 10 rcyulve horizontally, by at
tacling it to al eight horse power, which
found would not answer. then tore 1t aPar
and constructed one to work with vertical cyin
ders, with = sweep at tupiur levers. With thl:
mill could express about sixty gallons of JUICE
per hour 1t was he latter part of September
before started this mill there wiLs some part
Of it either wearilI: '''lt orglvlnS away nearly
every day. for neari, ;wo week. however
succeeded in getting tIr detective part made
strong, and thcu had h;u Title trouble except
for want of hands 10 strip I';c fodder, cut the
seed, and get the cane to the l!!. AS had tc
be seeding my wheat at the >.;n. time, had
to rely on the hired hands. I"'in'! that the
ripper the cane, the ricacr tic iH:'c wa* Ill sac.
cslarine matter The !irst syrup: carly in the
season. required about seven gallons u! Juice t.
make one gallon uf syrup. about this tim" W.
had severe killing frost and freeze Tic latlcl
part of October. five gallons of Juice made iii,
of syrup. | fouul the cane contained July one
pint of juice per stalk: taking Tie stalks just is
they came.
am satisfied there can be from two to tlra2
hundred gallons of good syrup raised per acre
with 4 gool mill that will extract the juice well
10 Tot think that saved morc than cNr hall
us much rs could have BEEN made il Ilaa been
properly tiycl in time. however made five
hundred gallons of syrup. There was c')i'sid-
erable quantity wasted, which let the stock.
horses, mules, hogi and cattle. feed on and
found they were remarkably tnnd III 1t and As
flttenng food ito not think the cane has lis
equal. believe ono acre planted in Chinese
Sugar Cane, ini feeding purposes for st"cH "i all
kinds, except sheep, & know not whether they
will eat it or not) is worth fully four times a.
much as anything else which can Lc raised on
the SAM land.
One OF ~ neis!lbor$, who raised lot Of il
the past year, thinks it far more valuable for
feeding purposes than have Stated above lie
thinks the product Of ono acre worth about as
much a, twenty in com; is stock consumes
every particle incluliny the stalk, which in In
dian corn is no value whatever, while the stalk
of the cane is more nutritious, if possible, than
corn ITSELF From all estimate made, think
made about sixty bushels Of seed pc: acre.
This is only supposition, as | have not yet
stripped the seed from the heads, and shall not
be able to state how much did make, as con-
siderable quantity was consumed by the work
oxen engaged about the lot. Every chance they
could get they would find their way t. the
scatfolds where the seed were placed TO dry and
would eat us long as they coull, and | never
saw stock f;atten faster than they did. In the
making OF the syrup used lime wafer for clar-
itying the juice, first straining it to set rid OF
all sediments. At first boiled it very slow
until all Of the green scum ceased rising, and
gradually increased tue boiling process until the
syrup would hang from the edge of L skinner
made Of sheet iron-at least one inch below,
There is no danger Of burning it if the kettles
are kept full found the broader the kettles
the better they were for the purpose. had
six kettles in two arches. in rows three III each
AZ the juice woulI boil away, would till the
kettle nearest the chimney out of the next one
to it, and transfer from tie utler kettle the CON
tents OF the reNt, and the empty one would
Till again with fresh Juice thus keeping it filled
up uati the syrup was finished. think: with
ten hands. | can take tic cane from the iicld'
strip il ur fodder aud seed, grind and boil one
HUNDRED! gallons of gusl syrup per CAY. 1t will
require Il pair cl horses or mules for the mill
and Il woke oi oxen TO haul the cane. The last
barrel of syrup made | did not strip the fol.
der from the calc, bat ran it through the mill
as il w.ls pnlT cutting oil tie seed. That syrup
was darker than the other, though ! believe
that was caused by the cane being troStc!, a>
we had q freeze about two weeks previous toits
grinding | made Il small quantity in bell
metal kettle; tue syrup made in it was abou;
the color Of honey tha, made in iron the color
of Orleans iiiolaS$r$.
found my pen hogs improved much faster
after had commenced giving them canc, after
had passed it through tic mill. than they lat!
any time previous.
rsctl eighteen dollars and forty cents worth
of s,E.no, Dc Bur.'s and Reese, manipulated
glauo. on the lot: the fertilizers costing four
dollars and sixty cents per acre; tic cult:va-
tion four dollars and seventy one cents per
acre. and the seed which it took to plant the
lot, three dollars and i0rty-fnur cents per
acre. could discover but little difference Gc-
tween the different kiud: Of fertilizers used. !
think there was ra;hc the ai;.c.t growth from
guano.
haze 10 douLt the lot wr'ii'l haze raised
one Or two more stalks to the kill. as | saw llo
difference in the size uf Stalks where there w;lI
but one, and where there were three. it is
my intcutioa to have some Of the seel ground,
and try what kind of Tread it will make. Ii
the -four or meal should be Us good for the pur,
poses OF bread, it will be u much safer crop to
rely on than Indian corn, as neither of the eX-
tremes Of excessive wet or dry Affects it like
corn.
( vii! ,.ow, in tho last and least important
quality which it possesses, inform .ou Of a,'
experiment made with the juice BY having
some Of it distilled. found that it took about
twelve gallons OF juice to make one gallon Of
suppose mus, call j: brariy, AZ it resembles
peach brandy more than any other spirits
have ever .ccn. Though it has it' peculiar
flavor, it is Tie strongest spirits ever saw.
Owing to my unprcparcd condition for the
Manufacture Of tho syrup, could form no accll-
rate account Of expenses per gallon as previous
l., ,Il,Lu;] TN h;t think tcn ccuts her ~all,