New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-21
Metp9lork Daily Iiba,rs
IMPORTANT TO FARMERS.
SUGAR FROM SORGHUM.


EXPERIMENTS OF JOSEPH :. LOWERING or PHIL
aDYLPHIA, FULLY SUCCESSFUL N PRODUCING
srGAR FROM THE CHINESE CAM.
The fact that the Chinese is sugar-producing
plant has been definitely settled, by carefulycon-
Quoted observations and practical trials BY Joseph =.
Lowering of Philadelphia, whose lifelong business has
been susar-reining His father having been one OF the
orgiuators Of the business in thi. country and the
Coverings refinery having been the first where sci
ence and steam successfully applied to the busi-
ness, i ia reasonable to suppose that his expert
mep,s have been inteIhgenty conducted.
detailed account of Mr.. Coverings experiments,
made up from his daily journal, he has published in
pam, hIet from which we extract the most important
information for farmers who may desire to enter into
the business of sugs-making in the Northern States,
which il must be borne in mind can only be proits
bly conducted where il "a made leading business,
and science and skill aud machinery applied with
care and economy of power and fuel, and then the
poipt kept constantly in yewtor upon that the whole
subject will turr-win i be profitable! That the
plant will produce sugar now demonstratedi that
would grow and ripen its seed and make strip in oil
the Northern States had been before proved. Mr.
Lowering says:
ON the 10Th Of May planted about half an sore,
on upland OF good quality, such a. would yield IN or
dinary seasons, fifty TO sixty bushels Indian corn 10
the acre the rows four feet apart and the plants IN
tended to be six inches apart in the rows but which,
on taking off the crop proved TO be little over seven
inches apart. When the canes were about eighteen
inches in hight had the suckers removed. During
the month of June passed the hoe-harro" through
il twice. man following with hand-hoe As IN the
case of Indian corn. II then left to take care o
itself Ii grew rapidly and evenly. aud attained the
hight OF twelve to fourteen feet.
NV apparatus and utensils for conducting the ex-
periments consisted of the following, viz;
pair of iron rollers inches diameter and IL inches
long set in frame of inch apart, with spout TO
catch ard collect the Juice. and crapk turned Oy
hand-a few sugar molds and pots, some very piacS
or animal carbon; two filters, made OF common oeu-
ticking in the shape of an elongated pudding Dag
thermometer Beaumes Pese-Sirop or saccharometer,
and polariscope. AL the other utensils Ho
the kitchen viz: copper kettle of I'D gallons capacity
lade some tin pans, bowls buckets, @e' 10 CONTAIN
the juice.
YIRsr POL ARIsCoPIC OBSERVATION.
Sept, 2s-Tempersiure noon IL +. Wind s. '" Clear.
or two canes took the fret joints above the stay
roots: ~
i.t ont inches long weighed gsmmes
% joint, inches long weighed .''''''''' @f- sarne''
WEIGHT Of first joints of two 2l2 $50 gamme''
Aner passing these three times through the roll 49,,
krs, the bagasse ghed''''''''''''''' oh'OV s''
Leaving &, weight of juice 6s7 per 2S Sramme'
Measured the juice, and found 1856 Aud sranme' a.,
ISL
After precipitation of basic acetate of lead of vo-
luminous green-colored foccuent substance, 1t filtered
with difficulty, then completed the deterioration by
passing it through animal carbon. and found by FIRST
observation in polsriscope:
A detection of the ray. right. 30
Add 10 per cent for dilu;iou ss1 right.
bypreciptalt. ........" any
Aner Inversion by H. c. |ro., ,,,,.e
.....l2OS renprsture Z''''nseN'
sum OF inversion. ........,............f29
This sum of inversion (i2.9) at temperature 20,
indicates jf35 grammes of pure dry sugar to the re
of juice and by reference to past results it is found
that 20i.2i grammes of sugar per litre, equal 1882
grammes per 100, 1882 per cent Then, as 2Oi "a:
1882 :: 54.3 5OOS per cent of sugar in the juice,
and "a 100 5OOS 6b7 3.49 per cent of sugar in
the cane second observation in polariscope of the
juice from the two joints of the same canes next
above these indicated jj7 pei. cent OF sugar in the
juice, proving them 10 be richer than those nearer tie
ground.
FIRST PRACTICAL Experiment.
Sept. 3o-Temp. m. 40, III. GO.
The fact of the presence OF crystalizable sugar IN
grind 20 feet Of row. and passed the 80 canes which
II produced three times through the rollers; about
fourth Of the seed had changed to dark gistcn-
ing brown color, but still milky the remainder
was quite green; ground to of the lower joints,
which together yielded - gallons OF jaice, weighing
g Beaume neutralized the free acid by adding milk
of lime; clarified with eggs and boiled it down to
2I0o +.
This first experiment looked discouraging and I'M
promising every step its product very dark
thick, viscid mass, apparently caput mortuumi It
stood six days without the sign OF crystal, when II
was placed over fue and kept four days longer,
when found pretty good crop of soft crystals the
whole very similar to the "Melada' obtained from
Cuba, but of darker color.
SECOND EXPERIMENT.
Oct. i3.-Temp. q. III. 800 M 10. ). r., cloudy
About two weeks having elapsed since the first ex-
pertinent, the weather in the interim having been
quite warm, temperature ut s a. m..4O to y and at
66 to ~ f.; and about one half the seed being
ripe determined 10 try it again, but not being very
sanguine of success no polariscopc observation was
taken.
Cut and ground 50 feet of row, which produced
80 canes and yielded gallons of juice, weighing 10
Beaume Tone degree more than the previous cuttngp,
from the 6 and 7 lower joints juice slightly acid.
First Qualification 4. gallons neutralzed with table,
spoonfus of milk of lime, stirred in 1b fine bone
black and eggs, and placed it over slow fire; at
2l5o +. took off very dense, thick, green scum;
when at l62 +. il marked Beaume.
second parcel of juice from this grinding Oh gal
lons was treated in the manner, and act aside,
both having been first boiled down to D. Beaume.
Oct. 4-Temp. Ca. IN. 80 noon 7Oo. n. w. clear.
Cut and ground 80 feet 81 canes produced II gal
Ions juice, TO- Beaume, which was treated as above,
except that the eggs were omitted.
Oct 15-Temp. g. m so, ZOE. n. 2, hsavy rain.
Cut and ground % feet produced 81 gallons juice,
weighing To- Is.
Oct. le.-Tenp. a. M. g., noon COO n. w, stormy.
Cut and ground 80 feet 81 canes, ~ gallons, TO- Is.
The whole Of the foregoing four parcels were at
this stage of the process concentrated to 2' Beaume
and set aside until had completed the series the
Dist October; they then collected together, and
again clarified with eggs, and second scum taken
OFF, they were then again placed over the fire, and
when at the temperature of 1852 f.. clear lime water
in small quantities was added to coaguate the vege
table abumen, which is not dsengaged at lower
temperature but which il then observed whit
ish scum, very tenacious and gutnous, and is very
detrimental to capitalization. After the various
delays, heatings and re-heatings consequent my
limited means of working the great disadvantage o
which those acquainted with the subject only can
appreciated, commenced filtering the whole but
found ii so ropy and glutinous that it would not