The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1859-03-12
The SorghO In Fra nee.

A correspondent Of the Michigan Far
mer. writing from Paris, uud date o
! March 5,h, 1858, gives some valuable
facts concerning the Sorgho, compiled
from a report made to the Academy OF
Scicnct s.--N w Farmer.
There has lately been made report tc
the Academy of Sciences in this city, on
the subject of the Sorgho, which may
prove of much interest to your readers,
as perceive that many persons in your
State, are about to try its cultivation
again the coming season. This report
was made by the celebrated chemist, Du-
mas, in the name of Monsieur Leplay, a
gentleman who belongs to the South of
France, and has experimental very large
ly wi h the Sorgho, having treated no
less than 1000 tons of the plant, in his
business as a manufacturer OF alcohol. --
The Sorgho itself was grown by several
cultivators in the neighborhood of Tou-
louise, Montauban, Carcassonne, and Mar
bonuc, and mostly on the alluvial lands
laying near the canal which connects the
Garoone with the Southern Canal. The
seed was planted in different ways, du-
ring April, May, June and July of last
year. That planted in April and May
yielded seed perfectly ripe; what was
planted in June had seed well formed, but
only slightly colored-- whilst that sown
in July had not had time to develop the
seeds so that they were perfectly formed,
1t is therefore evident that in the south
Of France the p liant requires the whole
season from May to ripen its seed -
Many will say that they do not care to
grow the seed, it is the cane and its pro-
ducc of sugar they desire; but here is
where the scientific observations Of NJ
Leplay come in use, and declare that the
ripcning of the seed is accompanied with
An increase of the saccharlne richness of
the plant Thus it is found that the
stems Of the Sorgho, when arrived at full
maturity have given the following pro.
portions, in 100 parts:
Water, 20 to 73
Dry rcsiduum, 80 to u
and that on the contrary, in the stems Of
the unmatured SorsEo, the proportions
were in 100 parts.
Water, 50 to SO
Dry rcsiduum, 20to Is
In both cases the woody fibre of the
dry residuum was nine. 1t will, therefore,
be noted that the remainder Of the dry
rcsiduum, which was mostl y sugar, was
eighteen to twenty per cent III the ripe
pnnt, while 1t IS on y nine or ten, in the
unri pc, SO that the ripe Sorgho yields
double the amount of sugar, that can be
obtained from that which is not fully
grown.
The following table which gives the
prop0rtionatc qualities Of alcohol obtain
ed from the plant, vcriGes this statement
still more completely. The alohohol was
Of ninety degrees strength, and is the
amount obtained from 100 kilogrammes
of the pIaut.
Alcohol from 100 xii of Sorgho
not ripe, 50 to 5 80
Alcohol from 100 Kill of Sorgho
half ripe, 430 to 745
Alcohol from 100 xii. of Sorgho
quite ripe, 7.45 to $50
1t will be noted that the Sorgho in the
second class, which gave I 40. was almost
ripe. If these numbers are increased by
adding to each two-ffths, we shall have
nearly the amount of sugar yielded By
each kind of plant.
The composition oc the stem and the
proportion ot sweet substance depends
entirely Oh the vegetation Of the plant,
and not on the period at which it may be
cut. Other cuttings OF the Sorgho have
shown the same results, aud that the
yield Of sugar or Of alcohol in every
case, was IN proportion to the state of ina
turily at which the plant had arrived be
fore it was harvested. 1t was likewise
Observed that the plant should not be al
lowed to remain uncut, when it had
reached lts mature state, as then it lost
in weight and in sugar The Sorgho
should be cut when the seed is quite
black, but not hard, and before the stem
loses its green color.
NJ. Leplay has also found that there are
some other phenomena connected with
the juice of the Sorgho, which are wor-
thy of notice. la testing the ripe and
unripe juices Of the Sorgho, with the
saccharomctcr, for the purpose of learn
il Z the amount of alcohol which each
crop would produce, he found a singular
result follow, which was that the polar
ixed light, when applied to the Juices of
the unripe plants, indicated either no
chrystallizable sugar or very small
amount, yet he was able to obtain the
usual amount of alcohol from these juices.
IT e differences indicated by these dis
crepancies Of the saccharometer aud the
production of alcohol varied as the Juice
Of the cane was from plants more or less
ripe when cut, and the chrystalIizable
sugar was indicated as freely in the ripe
juice as IN the matter expressed from the
Sugar Beet, or sugar Cane. The per.
centage of sugar thus indicated was fre-
quently over fifteen per. cent in the juice
of the ripe cane.
NJ. Leplay has also found that the
canes of the Sorgho when cut may be
dried by being submitted to currents Of
hot air, and that in this state the saccha-
rine matter is stored safely so that the
canes may be either put away, or be car,
rled great distances TO manufacturers
without sustaining any loss or dcleterious
change BY this process of dcsccation,
the Sorgho loses seventy per. cent of its
weight, and it is then found much more
easy to treat it either for sugar, or for tn,
extraction Of alcohol
| The above is brief summary Of thi:
report, which hope will prove instruct
i've to those who design to cultivate th'
plant