The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-20
The sorghum Interest .

The Sorghum Interest.
The Ohio Sorghum Association held its third
annual meeting last week, in Cincinnati. The
following statement in the opening remarks of
tLe president, taking the chair, furnishes an
cultivation of sorghum;
"The past season has been one of the most i'm
portant and successful with the cane that has
been experienced since its introduction among
Us. Thous rnds have planted the this year
for the first time, and nearly all who have plan
ted in former years greatly extended their opera
tons. The spring was in many places backward
and unfdvorabie: this was followed by a short
and piucling drought, and this by a rainy season
o! most extraordinary character, extending
over period of nearly three months. The LIST of
September found the cane, well as the Indian
cOn, green, and growing luxurantly, about as
il Usually appears on tue LIST Of August. The
saechaIiHe matter was at this time undeveloped,
and Ugtncly frost would have caused the al
most total destruction OF both corn and cane
Fortunately for both crops, the autumn was as
prOI.Iti0us the spring and summer had been
uAtDwajd. This afforded time for the maturity
OF the cane and gave TO the husbandman a boun-
teogs sacchaTine return for all his toll and
anxiety. The behavior Of the cane and the phe-
nonena manifested under the peculiar circum-
sttlces of the last season have been 10 the high.
est degree interesting
From the best sources Of information a! icy
command, | estimated that the quantity OF cane
planted in OHIO, this season, was about 20 per
ceat greater than last year, and the product
about % per cent. greater. Taking Ohio and all
the states west and northwest, estimate that the
amount planted was % per cent and the product
Sa per cent. greater than last year.
We have now reached point In the develop
meat of this enterprise at which ii is appropriate
forus to take higher stand. We have solved
all the preliminary guest tons which arose upon
the first Introduction Of the cane among We
have demons rated beyond question that il can
be successfully grown IT, our latitude. Daring
the nine years IN which il has been cultivated
among ~ not single disastrous failure has oc-
CURED II has proved ITSELF more certain crop
than wheat or corn. IL ttriyes IN soils Of great
diversity and over a ram OF latitude a. broad rs
that upon which our common Indian corn Is cul-
tIyattd. Those who have employed skill, neat
ness and appropriate apparatus, have deuJnstra
ted that the cane l. capable OF producing ex-
ceilent table syrup, and sweetcnlng adapted TO
many Of the purposes FOR which commercial
sugar was formerly employed. And lastly, al
who have engaged il the business, either as
growers or manufacturers q. sorghum, have found
that il j. profitable oporatlgA-that soI ghum
pays.
We should now take a step in advance, and
that sup all Will agree should toe il the direction
OF greater perfection ia the quality OF the pro
duct. We have not yet developed the highest
capacIE of the cane tor ~yrHp, and have made
almost 40 definite and well defined progress in
the production uf sugar With reference to the
latter, L nav very properly be said that the road
and the only road. 10 success IL sugar making is
the 9 eat projection is syrup making for 4 strict
IL GOOD rup consists OF CrystailiZei sugar and
water and -UEaT separates itself from pure
unprecedented solution - naturally and certain
IL a. !. 4t~>uivtS itself lu aH excess OF water
EYusp /. make e have only make r,ur
syrup, when the sugar wi! most certainly mani
fest it, II. We may not expect to comprehend
and master all these obstacles and difficulties
with which this undertaking Is iUcumberei i.
once, and probably hot for many YEAR, but we
may sisuallzc our meeting here by some move
Mcnt toward ultimate, success and TO this trust
this convention will earnestly address itself
Wink upon this subject cannot refrain from
expressing NV convictions that cannot count
with any confidence upon the production Of
sugar from our canes through the Intervention Of
any Of the magical modes OF processes about
which there are many ignorant, fraudulent
and mSc!sievoUs preteHses. There Is no rOyal
road TO sugar. Many Of the most learned and
accomplished scientists Of the world have been
employed for half century in tie production OF
sugar from its various sources IN nature, and the
success attained in all cases has been measured
by the scientific and practical skill employed m
the operation, ami IN no case Dy ieEardema!n and
molutcbauk performances. / have the utmost
confidence that the farmers OF the north will Ul-
timately become their own sugar makers to tac
same extent that they are nov the makers of
their owa butter aud cheese, but this viii be
accomplished by the application of scientific
principles TO the whole practical operation. We
need TO test and determine the successful variety
Of seed and most appropriate soil and cUItiva-
ton, and the best apparatus tor tie manufacture
OF the Product. When We shall have become
familiar With chose elements OF the art. and shall
apply them with fidelity to the work, may cx-
pect To produce sugu regularly, systematically.
Without .Hcm not hope to produce It
ccpt accidentally, and ia comparatively rare
cases, a. - present.
There were, perhaps, hundred different sam
pies Of syrup ou exhibition, and some twenty
samples ofsuSsr Most of the former was equal,
in color and flavor, to the best of the southern
article. The sugar was fair enough to loyk at,
but did not dissolve iu the mouth as freely as the
Orleans qualities.