The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1862-10-11
FARMERS DEPARTMENT.


Sorghum.
NJ. Day, jr., of Mansfield, Ohio, has for
several years given his whole attention to
the cultv alton of sorghum, and the manu-
facture of molasses and sugar therefrom.
We quote portion of an article over his
turai Society:
Rarvesting.-When the head is black,
cut up the cane, tie in small bundles, and
shock it under a shed. It should by all
means be protected from the sun and wea-
Their. This arrests the tendency to fermen-
tation and second growth. Permitting it to
stand in this way for two or three days, or
longer if the weather is cold, allows time
for the elimination of the juice to the great
est per cent. of sugar.
If the cane is fully ripe-which may be
known by the lower joints becoming quite
yellow-it must be worked up as fast as
cut; but if the juice is moi perfectly ma
tured, the cane should be allowed to sea-
son.
Dry fall weather produces more perfect
elimination of the juice than warm and wet
weather. In the latter, the disposition to
germinate is SO great that the cane scarcely
natures before Rehabilitation commences,
as the first stage for sending forth new
shoots at the upper joints.
In securing this maturity of the juice and
preventing rehabilitation, lies one Of the
great fundamental means of success in the
manufacture of sugar from any variety OF
cane, and is difficult Of attainment, especial
ly in the imphee, owing to the disposition
in the canes not to ripen together. After
topping and blading the stalks, we are ready
for manufacturing.
In manufacturing, have tried various
modes of evaporating. Last fall, l con-
structed a flat pan with an inclined side,
upon an arch, for first heating and skim
ming the juice, and then running it upon a
Cooks evaporator. l also tried skimming
upon the evaporation and running the syrup
into a separate boiler, in which l had placed
a thermometer, in order to bring the syrup
up to particular degree Of heat; and l
have tried the evaporation without any of
these aids. In the fist mode, the syrup
crystalized in forty eight hours; in the sec
ond, could not make sugar at all; and IN
the last, the syrup crystalized in twenty
four hours. Frequently, the syrup lett IN
the cooler at night would crystalize by the
next morning.
In connection with the evaporator used
shallow coolers, which | kept IN warm
room by a fire, night and day, and the mo-
lasses was poured into these and stirred
once day, or until the process of crystal
zarion was complete. | then put it into a
draining vessel, with a sieve bottom, I r
drainage; but during the latter part OF the
fall I learned better plan of drainage
which was to put the CRY stalized mass into
a strong linen bag, and subject the whole
to pressure. With good common cheese
press, an hours pressure would bring out
fifty pounds of sugar sufficiently dry for
market.
I have found that the books have set the
scale to which the temperature of the syrup
should be raised, altogether too high. A
temperature OF $40 deg. by the thermome-
ter, makes perfect tatfy of the syrup. l
would not make my syrup thicker than
about eleven or eleven and half pounds to
the gallon.
Hv6ridization.-All the farmers with
whom have come in contact speak OF the
cane as running out; and much of the cane
l have worked speaks the fact as loudly as
the farmers l think this is owing, In a
great measure, to hybridization; and could
a pure article of seed be obtained, and the
crop be kept free from all contamination
with broom corn, should apprehend no
danger. In proof of this, We have the fact
that in southeastern Pennsylvania and New
Jersey they have, since the first year, raised
their own seed, and have as good cane now
as ever they had. So long as we mature the
seed, there is no more reason why 1t should
run out than that wheat or corn should run
mt.