White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1865-09-28
for tbf farmer.
The Sorghum Harvest.

The Sorghum harvest will soon begin. 1t
has been deferred BY wet wheather. As some
hints in reference to the subject of harvesting
and manufacturing the cane may be valuable,
we will publish portion Of statement made
by Mr.. Henry P. Ninde, of Oskaloosa, Iowa,
and furnished originally to the Chicago Repub-
lican, as to the practice in vogue amongst the
Sorghum farmers of Iowa. Mr. Ninds gives
the following directions
GATHERING THE CAVE.
If you want sugar, when the cane is Just pass
ing from the bloom TO seed it should be gather
ed. Never wait until the seed is ripe, for then
the strength viii have passed, to some extent,
ont of the stalk. The blades should be strip
ped from the s-alks before cutting, which can be
done with a common pitchfork.
Cut close to the ground, and cut the top OF
with one or two joints, and throw in piles and
bind in bundles. At this point there is a gener
al rush to the mills. People think that their
cane must be worked Immediately or it will
spoil. This is all wrong. On the contrary, the
quality of syrup is much improved by allowing
the cane to stand under cover four of FIVE weeks.
Set 1t on end around your barn floor, or under
an open shed, and be sure that it is not wet
with rain or dew when put away. II IL is not
convenient to put under cover, it may be piled
up in the field, in narrow piles, with the butts
to the North, to keep the sun from them. The
may be done with leaves; when 1t will keep
for weeks, and be even better than at first.
sAsUFAcTURINe.
The first thing required for this use is a good
crusher, which combines strength and capacity.
Upon the toiIing depends the syrup and sugar.
Boil rapidly and skim thoroughly. When boil
ing for sugar, rush the fire very rapidly, raising
the foam in the centre of the pan, if possible,
six inches high. This will throw the scum to
the edges of the Fsn, where it must all be taken
off Immediately. Never throw the white scum
back into the pan, but keep it by itself, and use
it as you think best. Evaporate your juice to
about 40 deg. by saccharometer, and be sure to
have it all of the same consistency; or as near
it as possible. Draw off and cool in an open,
shallow pan or box. Stir well while cooling, af-
ter which it may be placed in tub or box in
warm room, say by the stove in the kitchen,
and stirred occasionally, which will granulate
it in very few days into mush sugar. when
it may be put away until ready to be made into
sugar.
We copy the following from the "Sorghum
Handbook" which may meet the wants of men
engaged in the manufacture of Sorghum as q
speciality
Pour the syrup, after it has been properly run
from the evaporator, into the sugar coolers, in
the crystaliZing room, in small quantities,
filling the first to the depth of one and a half
inches, then the second and third. Continue
pouring into them by turns until all are filed.
Stirring occasionally is found to favor a more
thorough granulation. The temperature of the
room should be kept regularly at ninety de-
grees, day and night; on no accour shouldit be
allowed to 60 below seventy-five degrees. If
the syrup is barreled and set away in cold
place, we cannot, of course, expect sugar.
DRAINAGE.
We are told by many customers that they can
furnish the mush sugar by the tun " five will
only show how to drain it.
The juice should be filtered carefully through
sleeves or straw, and the syrup reduced to about
225 degrees to 228 degrees Fahrenheit or until
the steam escapes in little puffs. If designed
for sugar, it should be reduced until it looks
"sharp, short and crispy," and free from all
appearances of vascidity or ropiness."
On draining out the syrup, at this stage, be-
tween the finger and thumb, the thread, when
broken, has a very thin point, and draws up
ward in the form of corkscrew.