Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-12-19
The Melon Sugar Question.

Professor Cation, of the New York
Hprta, and chemist Of large expert
ence, puts qnietus on the melon sugar
question. Thirty years ago whensugar
was scarce in the West, we used to
make syFnp from watermelons, but itI
did not pay even then. Mr.. Cation
says:
"a long experience in practical man
ufacturing operations has taught us not
to accept any theory as fact, if there
is a possibility of proving it by actual
trial. Hence, having known the wa
termelon in section where it grows in
the greatest perfection, we have been
somewhat chaEy in accepting the glow
ing statements of the amount and
quality of sugar to be derived from it
put forth by one of our contemporaries
in the California laHd of wonders and
plenty. In fact, we went further, and
tried the matter by practical operations
We went to Washington Market and
bought some good, sound, Southern
melons, fresh from Norfolk. These we
treated in accordance with the direc-
tions OF the Pacific Rlsrat Press, and we
know, Ia addition, probably as much as
they do about boiling the true sugar
cane juice. The result OF our expert
enoe was 100 pounds OF watermelons
yielded 56 pounds OF pulp; this by pres
sure yielded four gallons and a gill of
Juice, Weighing eight pounds nine
ounces to the gallon. In boiling we
skinned Of a gill or more of refuse.
From the process we got one quart of
very pleasant tasting syrup, but it has
not crystsiized yet, and shows no signs
of doing SO.
Now for figures. Suppose man
raises s00e melons on an acre OF ground;
averaging six to a hundred pounds,
there would be $4,000 pounds. eQuiva-
lent in the result to 500Quarts of syrup,
or i25galions. II this molasses could be
isold at wholesale for seventy cents per
gallon, il would yield eig igiity-segen dol
tars per acre; but rs new produce it
lconid not he sold for that price. Ye
lesiiaiale ,ss eighty-seyen dollars pen
acre, and from TINS .dsduct ,e4 penses OF
raising the melons ana making the su-
gar, and there might be ifty dollars
Eproiit per acre. Wedo not believe that
ii practical operation it would amount
to ole-hah that sum, and we confess we
do not see in this ''melon sugar ques-
ton" the solution Of cur present difii-
Guilty OF high-priced sugar and continu-
ed sparse supply. We may be wrong,
but we still believe that bringing under
lcuitivation the millions OF acres of good
lsugar lands IN tlorida, the southern
hjartS oil Georgia, .AlndaIna, Mississippi,
i Texas, and we I3ay add California,
VIII much more surely produce us large
lquantities Of good sugar than EUROPEAN
Iexperiin9nt with melons and beets.
There is not an acre of those lands
which cannot be made to produce 2.0JC
u pounds vi sugarand thirty gallons OF
sWhiie many Will yield more.
s. What sort OF competition would mel.
II on-sasar maker have with such a prod.
lfuetz THESE experiments MAY be vel
enough IL Germany, wners they can.
not grow sugaI-cane, aud where iabo,
is cheap, blii ail we need is TO improve
the great resources with which we have
been blessed. Wedo not need To trS
expensive experimenta with melons q,
an uncertainty when We haze an unoc,
? icupied area oi 2j,000,000 acres which
: will grow true sagar-cane with perfec
ease, and there is no part OF our country
ia which the sorghum or imphee vii
, not grow, and from which better mo
2 iasses caa be made than from the mel
d on.
/, A famous rose tree III the island O.
] Leglon is 50 feet in circumference anG
10 feet high. 1t has been known L
bear 200 roses in full bloom at one time
A number Of Long Island farmers
: have undertaken to keep clean the gut
tiers in parts OF Brooklyn for The saks
j Of the fertilizing materials thus collected