The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-05-02

! In 1860 Foreign, 2s,7.4205 Z"
| '' Louisiana, ls 594 ,672 &"
| lu 1861 Foreign, 20, 3S3.556 ="
! Louisiana 10 Sos 900 :"
| In 1869 Foreign, 256O, 400 /"
-" Louisiana, q ,0ls 900 !"
Total Foreign in four years, l03.o5i.s .s7l "-
| Louisiana Z" 96,4Ss.43. "
Average amount, Foreign 25752542 "
| e" =" Louisiana, "a l2l I0S !"
Average per year, 59,S53.95l "
| There Is a neavy duty on the imported
now, and Louisiana syrups are minus, and
will our 100000 barrels or 100000 gal
| Ions supply the demand? think not
| Can it be raised at the above price on a
| large scale? 1t is conceded fact that il
only costs five dollars per acre to grow it,
| and it yields, when we'll raised, from 200
to 300 gallons per acre, which is only
two and a half cents per gallon. Gather.
ing and manufacturing is very simple and
easy with the improved machines, and on
ly costs five cents per gallon. The :rfGr
after it is refined brings the highest price
or more than the foreign article of syrup
! There is no crop raised that pays better
| and there has never been a failure of the
! crop when we'll cultivated ANY good up
land or dry soil will grow it. Stable man.
ured lands in jure the quality of the syrup
| The soil should be pulverised very deep,
as the roots are very strong and penetrate
| to the bottom. The ground should not
| be prepared until just before planting, so
that the weeds will not get the start OF
| the canes. The easiest way to raise a
large crop is to drill in the seed A corn
| planter, with n drill attached, did good
| business last year Set them to drill very
shallow, not over one inch deep Roll the
| field as soon as planted. Be sure and
! have pure seed II possible, as it is no more
work to raise full crop than half one
| Put the seed in a bag and soak in. warm
! water over night, then bury in warm soil!
or straw pile, until the sprouts start
| Drill in rows about four feet apart east
| and west, or the heavy west winds may
| blow it down before ripe. Put about two
/ pounds of seed .pcr acre. If the seed is
very plump use more. Do not plant in
/ this way until warm weather Seed plant
! ed, last season, from the 18th of April TO
[ the 18th of May, did not ripen as soon as
I seed planted from 18th of May to the
/ 18th of June.
| We generally have cold rain about the
/ first of May. that Injuries the cane, and if
/ the seed Is Just terminating, it VIII Kill it.
! WI hen the cane get up about two inches
I high, harrow the ground over crosswise
OF the drills. The roots are SO strong it
| will not lnlure the canes, but will kill all
/ the weeds; and when the canes are up
! 10 inches high, harrow with the row,
/ with two horse harrow, knocking out
/ the forward tooth then plow or cultivate
/ once, and the cane will take care of itself
| Another good way TO raise it and plaat
! early, is to plow the soil deep. then take
a stirring plow and throw two furrows to-
1 gether, and plant on the ridge, two and a
! half by three and half feet Ii can be
! planted earlier this way thun the other,
as the cold rains do not affect il, and the
/ seed being up high and dry, the water
| settles between the rows 1t can be piow.
/ ed out when the canes are small as they
are not liable to get covered up. beng so
! high. Plant ten to fifteen seeds in the
/ hill, as there Is as much saccharine mat
| ter IN small main stalk as in a large one;
one; consequently we can raise three
times as much per acre as when planted
| thin. Do not get humbugged with some
new variety of seed with a great name, as
do not believe we will all get Ilch raising
sugar, but may raisin5 syrup. Tne canes
should not be plowed amond late in the
season, as the roots that take the saccha-
rine matter Will be cut off, and the cane
ruined for syrup. The seed from the cane
will pay for growing the crop, if well Sc
cured. 1t weighs about AZ lbs. to the
bushel, and makes good feed for hogs or
cattle, and yields about 25 bushels per
acre. Sorghum has had to stand on its
| own merits. There has no article come
! into general use in SO short time, that
! has had SO much to contend with as the
| Sorgho Mention it is as a table syrup,
and 1t was sneered at by almost every one
especially the grocery gentry, stating that
| 1t would never come INTO general use? as
1t had such a peculiar taste. Did they
know that it was in its crude state and in
| its Infancy, that we live in an age of i'm
provement. This same sorgho is now re
fined and on their tables branded as gold
en- and amber syrups, and admired by eve
ry one, when it should be marked Western
cahe syrups, but such are the preJudices
of some of our people. Take the crude
Southern syrup, before it is refined, aad
now much more palatable is that peculiar
| taste, where the slaves have run over
through and into it waist deep? Has it a
better flavor than the sorgho made by our
Northern brothers? | think the peculiar
taste is in the sorgho's favor. Some may
try to keep it from being introduced ia
meet their trades and purses but it is
bound to succeed and come into general
use: and drive ether syrups ont OF the
market Thousands of dollars are now
being expended id sorgho machinery
which calls for great number of ma
chanics, and gives them the benefit in.
stead Of sending it to other countries fol
syrup to benefit the few. In fact the
machines are now so simplfied through
Yankee ingenuity, that every farmer can
become an Independent sugar planter II
he wishes. The coming year every tar-
mer should raise some of the sorgho, 1t is
taking the :place OF -uear to large ex'
tent-it being good substitute Tor brown
sugors in cooking Families formerly us
ing i've gallons of syrup for year now
use forty gallons of the sargho. Farmers
of the Northwest do your duty, and we
will become independent of any foreign
powers for sugar or syrup, and keep oul
money at home, and be a more independ
ent people than ever before
o. N. MAINERp, Chicago.