The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-20
MANUFACTURE OF SORGHUM.

Cotton raising is losing its charms, and
its delusions no longer deceive our peo-
pie to their pecuniary ruin. Our motto
now is, first make suficiency of food
for man and beast, and then devote all
unoccupied time TO the making of cotton,
tobacco or any other crop that will COM
mand cash value in any market
Among the various food crops that our
farmers are devoting themselves to the
production of, not the least important is
the growing Of the several varieties of
the Chinese and African cane for the
manufacture of molasses.
On this subject we propose to offer
few suggestions on the harvesting of the
cane and manufacture of molasses, being
the result Of considerable experience and
extended observation. As the crop of
cane is now about ready for cutting, and
all mistakes and successes in planting
and cultivation are past and gone, we
shall take up the subject here and give
what we have found to be the best stage
for cutting down the cane, an economical
manner of harvesting, a successful plan
to make bright and we'll tasted molas-
ses, followed by some general remarks
on grinding cane and the management
of the juice.
There exists great diversity of opin-
ion as to the best time of growth to cut
the cane. Some maintain that the seed
head should be cut off ten days before
the seed are ripe. This, they contend,
prevents the sap in the upper section of
the stalk from losing its saccharine matter
by going to perfect the seed. Admitting
this to be so, yet it is a wasteful practice,
as the seed thus early cut off are light
and inferior, and the gain (if any in the
stalk is worth far less than what is lost in
the seed. The seed constitute (when
properly taken care of a very large pro.
portion of the value of sorghum crop.
Others advocate harvesting when the
seed is in the flower or milk state. This
practice is being rapidly abandoned, as
many have found by dear bought expe-
rience that green cane will not make
good molasses, with due regard to quan-
ity. Our practice is land it is profitable
by experience) to harvest the cane when
it is ripe-maturity Of cane is necessary
to the best results in quality and quanti-
ty. By examination of the stalk at the
three following stages of growth, the
following conditions will generally be
observed: When the seed are in flower,
or in milk, the upper third section of the
stalk is sweet, the remaining two.thirds
not sweet; when in dough the upper two
thirds of the stalk are sweet and the
lower third not sweet; when maturity is
near by-the seed getting hard-the up
per third section seems to have lost its
saccharine matter, and the lower two
thirds are sweet-at no time is the entire
stalk sweet. Therefore, the proper time
to harvest the cane is when it contains
the largest amount of saccharine matter,
and that undoubtedly is when the lower
two-thirds of the stem is sweet. At this
time also the seed are about ripe, and, If
properly taken care of, are about equal
in value to the corn crop that could be
made on the same land.
When harvest time comes the farmer,
after stripping the leaves off in the usual
way, goes into the field with two large
knives to every three hands, Ia piece of
old scythe blade makes good knife) and
proceeds thus: No. l lad with a knife
starting along row with his left side to
it, presses the cane from him with his
left hand, and with one blow'-an upward
cut-severs all the cane, about the Sec
ond joint, his left arm bends from him,
throwing it at right angles to the row.
No. 2 follows and arranges the cut cane
in bundles of forty or fifty, heads togeth-
er. No. 3 with knife grabs as many of
these heads as he can in one hand, and
with one blow of his knife sewers them
from the stalk, leaving two or three joints
with the seed head. The hoe should
never be allowed in the cane field, as it
is dirty and slovenly way of harvesting
cane to cut it down with the hoe.
AS little delay as possible should be
allowed in grinding cane and making it
into molasses. The sap is highly fer
mentable body, containing in most cases
much free acid, and if it is to stand long,
say more than two hours, after it is
pressed out, it should be Immediately
treated with some alkali, soda, lime, &C.,
to neutralize the acid. Even when the
sap is to be boiled at once, the addition
Of some alkali in proper proportions will
make it clarity and yield its impurities
more promptly, but the use of these
chemicals, though harmless, by an un-
skilful hand will lead to unsatisfactory
results. A bright and wholesome mo-
lasses can be made by rapid boiling and
thorough skimming. The form and style
of the evaporation is not of much conse.
quence; take care to have it arranged so
that the sap may flow to and from it in
thin stream, entirely under control; have
a good furnace; never put the fire on the
ground, but upon CRATE bars, with ample
space below for air to reach the fire;
throw the fame we'll against the bottom
of the boiler. A series of cross walls
should be built for this purpose-let