Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-02-18

5. was properly cooked. He offered the follow
1 ing resolution, which was referred to tn
Committee on Seed:
D Resolssa, That this Convention recommend tn
planting of both early and late varieties Of seed
. That for the main crop We recommend the pur
Chinese Sorghum, but that We experiment with I'd
. different kinds of Imphe which are reputed early
That the Chinese will make the Hghtest coIore
syrup, but that the Implies are best Tor sugar.
The question of seed was made the specia
order of the evening session. The Chair ap
/ pointed Messrs. Wiley, Seward and Grave
as Committee oBAseeds.
Adjourned till p II.
! EVENING SESSION.
The Convention re-assembled at o'clock
In the absence of President Atwood, Vice
President Wilcox took the Chair.
Mr.. Skinner read a resolution passed by
the Rockford Convention, recommending the
raising of both early and late varieties, SO
that the season of working up the cane may
continue as long as possible. Mr.. S. said
last years experience proved that the early
Chinese cane, recommended two years ago,
had deteriorated so as to be worthless, and
it would, like wheat, run out. He thought
that the earliest ripening heads deteriorated
faster than those that ripened later.
Mr.. Corwin thought the seed from the top
of the head the best to save.
Mr.. Skinner said the best fields to select
seed from are those that grow evenly.
Mr.. Corwin concurred in this, and said the
very large stalks were pithy, had no sweet
ness in them, and were worthless for seed.
Mr.. Gridley concurred in the opinion that
| early seed was not the best to save.
Mr.. Wiley thought deterioration came from
mixing.
Mr. Corwin instanced a neighbor who
| mixed an early and late variety which inn
proved them and made them both early, and
the syrup was better.
Mr.. Skinner was of the opinion that it
might be thus improved one year, but that
it would greatly deteriorate the next.
Mr.. Davis favored selecting seed from
evenly ripening fields and thought that large
stalks were pithy and worthless. He thought
the very black, shiny heads worthless for
seed-preferred those of a reddish brown
color.
Mr.. Grizzly thought seed should never be
saved from large, pithy stalks-this is one
cause of deterioration. Two hundred miles
south of where he lived, where they raised
good deal of broom-corn, Sorghum deteri-
arated very fast growing near it.
Mr.. Youngman spoke of kind (Anamoo-
na) which had numerous heads Others had
seen the same phenomena.
Mr.. COrwin thought it was produced by the
cane being stunted by drouth, followed by
heavy showers, which also produced suckers
in the same way. This kind never makes
good syrup. The cane needs to grow right
along from the time it comes up to maturity,
uniformity, to be first rate. Shoots had
Sprung out all over his after drouth.
Mr. Wiley decidedly favored genuine white
ImIk{ (Nee.4 za-na.)
Mr.. Davis thu -ht Sorghum produced most
and best syrup, bL for the two or three past
seasons, they being very short, he had had
found black Imphe to do best, as it ripens
earlier. 0om-se-a-na he thought very good
variety He had failed to succeed with seed
grown here, except with black Imphe;
thought seed from Ohio the best. Sorghum
is so late here that the seed does not mature.
Mr.. Davis was very lothe to give up his old
Sorg hum that he had succeeded well with
here for five years in succession. lie would
like some little earlier.
Mr.. Skinner said a new variety called Ho-
ANGELO, was represented as being very early,
it having been ready to work up by the 25th
of August.
Mr.. Seward thought seed raised in Ohio
stronger and had more vitality than seed
raised here. Grey Imphe stood up well
against storms, and was not effected by
chintz bugs. He favored planting both early
Mr.. Youngman thought the different
names had become very much mixed up and
COMPOUNDED by bogus agents protesting to sell
all kinds Of seed to suit customers from one
bag, and we found on testing it, that it was
the same old seed we had before. Every
man ought to thoroughly test a small portion
of seed before he adopted it, instead OF stalk
ing all on new and untried varieties.
Mr.. Powers thought nothing was less relia-
BILE than seed, but we were all liable to run
after new things. We should stick to seed
we have tried and know is good. w should
not put so much confidence in things we know
so little of. He paid his respects to the un-
fair manner in which premiums are many
times obtained, and thought nothing more
unreliable than many " premium" articles.
In reply to the resolution requesting Prof
Carr to give a chemical analysis of Sorghum,
he sent word that he could do so much more
successfully at his labratory in the State Uni
versity, and invited the Convention to meet
him there at o'clock on Wednesday. The
invitation was accepted.
The culture and treatment of Cane while
growing was then taken up.
Mr.. Davis plowcd and narrowed well, put
his ground in first rate order, marked it for
rows four feet apart, covered it one-fourth of
an inch deep, and packed down the soil hard
so as to retain moisture. Went into it with
hoe and cultivator as soon as he could see it
in rows, cultivated three times, but not after
it was knee-high, as injuring the roots spoil
it. Planted when ground is in good condi-
ton for corn, put from twelve to twenty seeds
in hill, and plated hills from fifteen to twen-
ty inches apart, let twelve stalks stand in
hill, for if less are left it is apt to sucker,
and the stalks would grow too large, and the
juice is sweeter in small stalks.
Mr.. Corwin added that small stalks are
most juicy and the juice is sweeter.
Mr.. Seward plowed eight inches deep, and;
marked for rows three feet apart, planted
three pounds of seed to the acre, cultivated
till two feet bigh, then left it, as breaking the
roots materially injured the cane. Leaves
twelve stalks in hill, prefers largish stalks.
Last year had 30 gallons of syrup per acre.
Had eighty-six gallons from one-fourth of an
acre of the 0taheitan variety. Planted his
seed dry.
Mr.. Youngman planted ten acres two years
ago; had a beautiful even field; plowed
deep, close and thorough /; narrowed twice
and rolled well planted four feet apart
cultivated till about twenty inches high
planted part dry seed and part soaked, but
the latter did not come well. Last year he
planted the same as before, except putting
the hills twenty inches apart, and left twelve
stalks in a hill; preferred medium sized
stalks planted half an inch deep, covered
with hoe, and rolled again, as the ground
retains moisture much better well rolled.
Mr.. Corwin thought the idea generally pre-