Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-01-15
The Melon Sugar Question.

Professor Calton, of the New York
World, and chemist of large expe-
rience, puts a quietus on the melon
sugar question. Thirty years ago when
sugar was scarce in the West we used
to make sirup from watermelons, but
1t did not pay even then. Mr.. Cation
says:
A long experience in practical man
ufacturing operators has taught us not
to accept any theory as q fact, if there
is possibility of proving it by actual
trial Hence, having known the water
melon IN sections where it grows IN the
greatest perfection, we have been some.
what chary IN accepting the glowing
statements OF the amount and quality
OF sugarto be derived from it put forth
by one of our contein poraries II the
| California land Of wonder 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 w8
treated in accordance with the direc
tions of the Pacific Burial Press, and we
know, in addition, probably as much
as they know about boiling the true
sugar-cane juice. The result of our
experience was: 10 pounds of water
melons yielded Sc pounds of pulp this
by pressure yielded four gallons and
gill of juice, Weighing eight pounds
nine ounces to the gallon. In boiling
we skinned off q gill or more of re-
tuse. From the. process we got one
quart OF very pleasant tasting syrup,
but 1T has not crystalized yet, and
shoWs no signs of doing so. -.-f
Now for figures. Suppose o man
raises 5000 melons on an acre of
ground; averaging six to a hundred.
lbs, there would be 50.eOe lbs. equiva-
lent IN the result tc 500 quarts of syrup
or 125 gallons. IF this molasses could
be sold at wholesale for seventy cents
per gallon, it would yield eighty-seyen
dollars per acre; but as new produce il
could not be sold for that price. Yet
estimate at eighty-seven dollars per
acre, and from this deduct expenses of
raising the melons and making the gu
gar, and there might be fifty dollars
profit per acre. we do not believe
that IN practical operation it would
amount to one-half that sum, and we
confess we do not see In this Ftmelon
sugar question :" the solution OF our
present difficulty of high-priced sugar
and continued sparse supply. We
may be wrong, but we still believe that
bringing under cultivation the
millions of acres Of good sugar
lands in Florida, the southern
parts OF Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,
Texas, and we may add California, will
much more surely produce us large
quantities of goods ugar than European
experiments with melons and beets.
There Is not an acre of those lands
which cannot be made to produce q
EO00 pounds OF sugar and thirty gallons
of syrup, while many will yield more.
What sort of competition would melon
sugar maker have with such product2
These experiments may be well enough
III Germany, where they cannot grow
sugar-cane, and where labor is chear.
but all we need is to improve the great
resources with which we have been
blessed. We do not need to try ex-
pensIve experiments with melons as an
uncertainty when we have an unoccu-
pied area of Is, 900, 900 acres which will
grow true sugar-cane with perfect ease,
and there is no part of our country in
which the sorghum or imphee will not
grow,..and from which a. better molasses
can be made than from the melon.n