The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1861-03-21

rCrrauondeucooi the Country Gentleman.
Progress OF sorghum Culture iu the
WVanf.


EDs Co. GEyr r-Thore arc many in
quiries from various parts Of the coun-
try, as to the success or failure Of the
North6rn Sugar CAGE or Sorghum Sac
oharatum will give you in brief, my
experience, and hope that others who
have tried 10 will do the same, for there
arc vet some who are still in unbelicf
-Four years ago last spring a neighbor
Of mine gave me some seed, which he
had raised The year before, from seed
from the Patent Office. This seed was
we'll maturod ns il proved, for IL all
grew. [ planted Il on the 22d Of May
Of that year latitude 4 deg 80 min.
north.
had no means for working mp the
cane. Itmade very excellent feed for
cattle. | however took a few canes, put
them into my stovo-boior, steamed
them and boiled down the juice, from
which [ got about a quart OF the very
best Of syrup, equal I think to any
ever saw, Notwithstanding I had been
raised among the hard naples and su.
gar bushes Of Jefferson county 10 your
State.
The next winter I took a sample Of it
70 the annual meeting of our Agricul-
tural Society, at springfield, and claim
ed it TO be the frst made in the State.
The State officers and several members
Of the Legislature tasted of it, and pro.
nounced it equal to any.
At this time large orders we're sent to
France to get o supply Of seed, which
sold here in small quantities at from
one to two dollars pound. Many we're
induced to try It, The year 1857 was q
very uniavorabIe season for growing the
crop. 1t was very cold during the sea-
son of planting, aud too cold for ripen-
ing in September. This discouraged
many.
There were no suitable machines for
crushing the cane nor for boiling the
juice. Immature cane and poor appa-
ratus for evapOrating the juice of that
year, caused many to denounce the thing
as humbug. But there were some
who succeeded well--made a good arti-
Gle, aud reported progress
In the winter of 1853 the friends Of
the Northern Sugar Cane met in con-
Veution at Springfield, to compare sam
pies, for the best of which several heavy
premiums were offered Some forty sam
plies Of syrup, and several samples Of
sugar from the cano, we're on exhibition.
The mode Of manufacturing was fully
explained, so far as experiments had
gone, The mode of clarifying or cleans
ing the juice seemed to be the most diff
tioult to settle Several of the state
Inents which seemed to be the most rea-
sonable, were published with the lengthy
proceedings Of the convention. Some
Of the samples presented there, proved
to be equal to the best we get from the
Southern market.
Boilers or evaporators were wanted,
that would DO the work rapidly. Sever
al new inventions we're brought out,
and now at our State Fairs, we find
evaporators that receive the juice at one
end, and at the other the syrup runs
of into the barrel--no cleansing being
used by some, but continual skimmiug
is kept up.
The year 1859 was no more favorable
for growing the cane. In some couu-
ties in the Northwest that year, from
twenty to thirty thousand gallons were
made. The new inventions for crush
ing the cane, and the great improve
ments in the construction Of cVapOra-
tors, and the cheapuess and excel
nceof the syrup, proved to us that it
would PAY This year has been still
more favorable, Many large fields, from
ten to forty acres, have been raised, and
the crop worked up, and syrup sold at
from fifty to sixty cents per gallon
But more general custom among our
farmers are to plant half acre, and as
there is now from FIVE to ten mills in
most Of our towns, our cane is taken to
them aud worked up on shares, the
grover receiving One-half the syrup in
his own casks, This one-half acre, which
has cost the farmer in the work about
the same as to raise a half acre of corn,
furnishes his family with about fifty
gallons Of syrup, enough for one years
use or more. This syrup, while boiling,
is equal to any that we ever get in this
market from the Southern States. But
whether sugar can be made from the
cane so as to make Il pay is yet a ques-
ton, though many are firm In the belief
that before long barrels and hogsheads
Of sugar made from the Northern cane,
will all our markets.
4 have seen sugar of very good quail
ity on exhibition at our Fairs, and from
the old adage, that 'what has been done
may be done, we may expect that en-
tire success in sugar-making will be ao.
complished
A gentleman from Iowa called on me
a few days ago, during my absence, and
told my family that he would be here
again, and with my syrup make a supe-
rioF article Of sugar When done, will.
report progress, and send you a sample.
IL is impossible TO tell the amount of
syrup manufactured in the Northwest;
bat We End from some Of the census re-
ports, that from twenty to fifty thousand
gallons we're made i'm some of the coun-
ties, and this in 1859. This year has
nearly doubled in the amount. la Rock,
Island county we have probably made
forty thousand gallons this year Croak
ors may murmur, aud those who know
nothing about it may call us humbugs,
but they win not stop us from making
our own sweetening 10 a climate where
Indian corn will rpeu
There are those who viii not succeed
in anything. They can raise a good