Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-08-17
GbgeffsIb abbutiser,
sorsho and its Products.

Sorgho and its Products.
AS the period for the maturing of the sor
gho, or Chinese sugar cane, is rapidly ap
preaching, it may not be uninterestiDg TO th'
community to have some views on the man
ufacture of its several products-sugar, syrup
alcohol, vinegar and beverage from the
fermented juice analogous to cider. The in
formation is derived principally from the re
ports of Professor Jackson, Of Boston, Mass.
and Professor Smith, of Louisville, Ky. IN
the agricultural Report of the Patent Office
for 1851, and partly from other sources. That
the valuable articles above enumerated can
be produced from the sorgho there is not O
shadow of doubt, and the quantity and eS-
cellence of the product will depend upon the
care and skill with which the operations art
conducted.
1t is a matter Of some controversy ct what
period of its growth the stalk begins to con-
tain sugar, and consequently when its manu-
facture should commence. NJ. Filmorin, O
Paris, who has given much attention to the
subject, came to the conclusion that it coin
cided with the putting forth of the spikes, but
the proportion of sugar continued to increase
until the seeds were in milky state; anc
according to the report of NJ. De Beauregard
addressed 10 the Comics dc 1outon, the rlpen
ing of the sorgho in that latitude had no un
favorable effect; and he considers the seed;
and the sugar as two products to be conjoint
ly attained. On the other hand, Mr.. Gray
equally authoritative, says that the Touruse
caffres, to whose country the sorgbo is indi-
genous, are in the habit of breaking off the
panicles the moment they appear, in order tc
augment the quantity OF saccharine matter
in the stalks. The question may<ss of some
importance in our section, and experiments
should be made for its accurate determina-
tion.
To succeed well in making sugar, or syrup
of the first quality, tilt esseDtialthat no great
er quantity of the stalks should be cut at one
time than can be properly pressed, and the
Juice boiled down to the granuiating point,
on the same day. am aware that differ
.ent opinion has been entertained and acted
: on, but am also aware that the result OF this
action ha-been the failure generally to make
sugar at all, and the making of a very large
quantity Of inferior syrup. Those who have
not the means of pressing and. boiling the
mice of the canes the same day they are cut
had better con6ne their efforts to the making
of syrup, vinegar and alcohol ,as their attempts
atmaking sugar must result nDsuccessfullv en- l
unpro6tably. The cause of this is that as
soon as the cane is cut, an alteration com.
mences almost immediately, which gradually
creeps from the Cut extremity into the joints
Of the stalk, decreasing the amount OF crys-
talizable sugar contained in it. Even the
broken and bruised canes of ig will deteri-
crate the juice fpassed through the mill with
the perfect canes. The Toulous cafes, when
they have more cane cut than can be pressed
expeditiously, bury the surplus in the ground
to keep it from the effects OF the atmosphere.
she juice should be pressed from the canes
as thoroughly as possible.ieyen lift should be
necessary for this purpveto pass them re-
peatcdly through the rollers as that portion
which is most difficult to be expressed is con-
sidered the richest in saccharine matter. 1t
is necessary to filter the Juice as it comes
from the mill, in order to remove the cellnicse
aad fibrous matters, aud the starch, al Of
which is present in it when expressed. A
bag filter, or one made of a blanket placed in
q basket, will answer. Next add to each
gallon Of juice, three ounces OF lime slaked in
five or six times its weight Of water. The
Juice should then he boiled by application OF
a gradual heat, for twenty or thirty minutes,
when the impurities will rapidly rise to the
be easily removed by the skinner, and then
the liquid should again be filtered. 1t will
be of pale straw colcr, and ready for eyapo'
ration. 1t may now be boiled down quite
rapidly, the temperature not to exceed 2lo
degrees, to about half Of its original bulk,
after which the fire must be kept low, the
evaporation to be carried on with great eau
tion, and the syrup constantly stirred to pre-
vent it from burning at the bottom of the
kettle or evaporating pan. P Portions Of the
syrup are to be taken out from time to time,
and allowed to cool, to see ifit is dense enough
to crystallize. 1t should be as dense as sugar
house nolasses or tar. When it has reached
this condition it may be Withdrawn from the
egaporatingT and be placed in tubs or
casks to granulute. Crystals of sugar will
begin to form in three or four days, but it
often happens that weeks intervene before
crystallization takes place; but it may always
be hastened by adding to the thick syrup,
when cooled, few grains of brown sugar, or
n little pulverized white sugar. After it has
SOlluIdSu ~ iudg UO o"OoPS1 Oo' INV SootNo'
bags, made of course open cloth, or Of canvas,
which are to be hung over the receivers OF
molasses, aud the drainage being much aided
by warmth, it will be useful to keep the lem
perature of the room at so or 30 deg. F. Af-
ter some days the sugar may beremoved from
the bags, and will be found to be good ar
ticle of brown sugar. 1t may now be refined
by dissolving it in hot water, adding to the
solution the white ofan egg, mixed with cold
water, for every 100 lbs. Of sugar, after which
the temperature is to be raised to boiling,
and the syrup should be allowed to remain at
that heat for half an hour. Then skim and
filter, to remove the coagulated albumen,
and the impurities it has extracted from the
sugar.
1t must not be forgotten that sugarmahins
is an art, and that excellence in ii is only at
tained by close observation aud long expert
ence. Wharwas necessary for the extraction
of sugar from the beet root; from which France
annually produces l200OO,000 pounds Of
sugar, is doubtless required for the sorgho
yiz: thorough study OF its nature, with. Z
process OF extracting the sugar specially
adapted to it. A very large proportion of ouI
people will doubtless be satisfied with the