The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-24
Sugar IRON CSrn;Staiks;

IT is possible that new department
OF American industry is about to BIZ
thrown open to the country. Az ID
we'll known, Gen. LIE DUO, Commission
or of Agriculture, and Prof. Collier.
chemist of the same department, have
been jointly engaged for some time in
demonstrating the feasibility of extract
ing the saccharine principle of corn
and sorghum stalks In sufficient guam
tity and quality to make the manufac-
ture OF sugar from the same . paying
business. Their work has now SO far
advanced toward completeness A. to
admit of q statement of results already
obtained, and the drawing of inferences
from future probabilities.
In cOrn-stalks the percentage of Juice
to the weight of raw material was found
to average 24.70 with different lots. In
sorghum-stalks, this percentage was
found to run up as high as 50, although
on account of the imperfection of the
old machinery used in the experiment.
ing process, it was only possible to
really extract IS. leaving the most
sugar-producing part still untitled.
The general results as tocorn were rs
follows: Whole weight of corn-stalks,
IL ,237 pounds; lost by stripping, $500
pounds; weight of juice obtained, IT'S
pounds; specific gravity of Juice, 1854;
percentage of juice from stripped stalks,
36.41.
General results of sorghum: Total
weight of stalks from field, 1855
pounds; lost by stripping of stalks,
1892 pounds; weight Of juice, 1865
pounds; specific gravity, 1888; per-
centage of juice Of stalks as they came
from the field, 1856; percentage of
juice of stripped stalks, 1896.
In the course of the investigation,
5000 pounds of corn-stalks were OPP
Grated upon. and 781 pounds, or 81 per
cent, of good crysta1lized sugar was
obtained. This amount, with better
machinery, could be increased, it is
thought, to at least 1900 pounds. In
the same connection, it comes out that
several practical farmers in Minnesota
have been engaged in making sugar
from a species Of stalk called amber
sorghum for the last tive years, with q
profit of from $50 to 800 per acre.
While the Commissioner is quite en-.
thusiastic over the prospects, and is al
ready confident that the making Of
sugar from corn-stalks and sorghum
will be permanent and profitable in
dustry in the Northern States, and that
the Introduction of a new kind of
sorghum in the South will tend to sup
plant the regular sugar-cane, the man
agement of which is very expensive
and the crop uncertain, yet the Pro-
lessor, with cooler head and more sci
entific judgment, it may be, thinks that
another year of experiment will be re-
quired before the question can be fully
decided. If the question is decided
afirmatively, an immense amount
of corn-stalk material which is now
practically useless and generally wasted
can be put to q most valuable and
savory use. No one has passed by large
corn.fields and seen their wealth OF
rich, green stalks waving in the wind,
without feeling or wishing that they
could be utilized in some way, instead
of being allowed to dry up, blow away,
or be trampled under foot by cattle and
w0rkmen. One facts settled, and that
is, these corn.stalks really contain .
considerable quantity of sugar-juice,
which will make them rich and nutri-
tious food for cattle, even if they do
not contain this juice in quantity suffi-
cient for profitable use in manufacture
ing the crystallized sugar of commerce.
There is no reason, therefore, why
corn-stalks in the future should not be
taken out of the fiddle-producing cat
egory of materials and elevated to
their own proper place among mer-
charitable and manufacturing COM
modities. For many years commercial
and manufacturing men have wrestled
with the problem how to release this
country from the grasp of sugar-pro-
ducing capitalists In the Indies and in
other "furrin parts" Perhaps the
labors of Commissioner LIE due and
Prof. Collier, before they are completed,
will furnish factor for its satisfactory
solution. Chicago Euening Journal