The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-05-24
TIE CULTURE OF soRGHUM.
Brief directions for ats Ca1tare and Manstacturc

ooA tue seed, Whicn L warrant TO be genuine and
pure. ! have taken great pains to keep them
unmixed from the broom, Doura, or any millet
corn, nsr have allowed the imphee or African
cane to be planted in mixing distance of the gen.
une sorgho. l therefore say that the seed
are pure. ~
When the Chinese sugar cane seed was first dis
tributed, in 1857, i planted few to test and try
their value. In 1858, planted few acres, and
from this date onward I increased crop and the
machinery for making syrup, and in 1868 plant
ed and cultivated and worked off five hundred
acres of land in the sorgho. My first tri al with
the syrup. proved that it had great value as an
auxiliary to hog meat and that every cotton plan
ter would do well to raise it. | was told by those
who had begun to tire off. that it would exhaust
the soil and ruin the plantations; others said it
had been well called the gum, for it would
saw all the gum from the richest soif; but nothing
daunted, planted on, and planted it ON land so
poor that it would not produce corn here it grew
better than corn or cotton, and made finer syrup
than uponsthe richest land
10 give you my experience in the fewest words
will say, it grows wen upon any suil that will
make corn. It should be worked DIS we work
corn, and win pay we'll when we'll cultivated upon
almost any soil. Il should be drilled about to
44 feet apart in the row, and its thickness in tie
drill should be in accordance to the richness of
the land-very poor soil about Is inches, and very
rich or inches apart. Leaving it this thick in
the drill prevents succoring, aud let's the crop all
rIpen together. 1t shouid be planted even earlier
than corn and then again at intervals if you desire
an extepsive crop. 1n this latitude, $50, | have
commenced its manufacture about the 18th OF
August, and continued on even after frost
The proper time for grinding is when the seed
begins to fully ripen begin early, and few xet-
ties Of the syrup will advise you if you are right
in the operation.
The fodder should be pulled off few days only
in advance of the grinding The seed cut off as
you cut down the cane, then the cane hauled up
and ground iu iron mills. Wooden mills, to make
short metre of them, are poor things for Il ~orgho
planter. The notion that is best to pull the fud-
der, then cut off the seed and let the cane stand
in the field, is all wrong In max the best syrup.
days it is positive injury-insead of the water
evaporatlng from the cane, the juice begins fer
mentation, and requires more boiling and makes
less syrup.
The best advice [ give syrup boiler, is to
tell him, go ahead and boil and burn few kettles
of the syrup and he will learn readily all about
the best mode of operating.
| have used lime water, ley and soda. All, or
any of these alkalies will do well if the cane juice
is little acid, but of use to the juice if it
is free Of acidity, and always dafken the syrup.
An important part to perform in boiling is the
skimming process. This requires constant and
persevering attention. 1t must begin with the first
warming of the juice, and be continued on until
the syrup is made. AS the juice is obtained at
the mill it should be caught in barrel or half
hogshead and strained by covering these vessels
with two thicknesses of India bagging or else
strained at the kettle through basket half filled
with straw. All this straining. will 10 the end
save labor and ensure fine syrup.
The sorgho syrup differs from the West India
syrup or molasses in this it has more jelly or
mucilag ginous matter, and this may be reason
why it does not crystalize and make the sugar.
This mucilage may be dissolved by the use of salt
in moderate quantities, by alcohol, the latter
article being expensive as to prohibit its
use. have got oeen successful in making sugar
from the Chinese sugar cane nor do believe it
can be done advantageously in the ordinary way
of making syrup.
An iron mill worked with two mules and two
boilers attached, is competent to make 80 barrels
of syrup in the grinding season, if the boilers be
each of one hundred gallons capacity 1t would
seem to be needless to write so much about sorgho
making, since it has been experimental with by
so many persons in the last five years.
If the syrup rs ,ceH boiled, it will keep without
fermenting, in barrels, for many years; this have
we'll tested If tanks be made of pine plank, 5
ing at the large end, put in without crozing, and
then caulked with cotton and set in the ground
81 feet deep, and covered, it will keep the syrup
as we'll as if put in. barrels and is the most prac
:ical and least expensive way to the syrup for
plantason uses
1t is often asked, why does the sorgho syrup
turn the teeth black? !? | because it was
never boiled enough and had fermeuted, and YVES
then eaten and the acid blackcned the teeth
est India moasses will do the same after it has
The seed is good TO feed away to hogs, horses
and mules, oxen and cattle--not, however, equal
to corn-and will yield on any soil more than the
same soil will make in The fodder is not re-
lished by aniinalS equal to corn fodder; but this
sorgho fodder, when well boiled in water, is not
inferior to hops in distiatng purposes, apd for
bakers and housewives The sorgho fodder liquor,
mixed with meal or -four, makes yeast cake al
most equal to the best hops | trust this Will be
tried and remembered.
could write you about the beer and vinegar
which can be made from the sorgho juice and the
syrup but we have so many hyperbolical writer's,
even among our farmers, that were | TO continue
on it would give me notoricty which do not
seek or dcsire-nay, [ shup it,
Since writing the above will add little more.
The demand for the iron mill mustbe SO great and
the facilities for getting iron and coal so limited,
that we must make one iron mill do the work OF
two mills This can be readily done at little ex-
peuse TRe lever is taken off from the roller, and