Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-10-09
AChapter on SORGHUM MAKING.

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We have been requested to|
publish the following, it being
of great Importance to the farm
crs of this county. II is fur
nished the Marshall Gazette by
a gentleman of Pulaski, who has
established a factory for the con-
version Of sorghum into sYrups
and sugar:
To begin, it must be under
stood that it is not every variety
OF cane that contains good sugar,
and syrups made from such canes
] will not buy: But since it is
but little more trouble to make
sorghum for stigai' making than.
it is for molasses every cane
grower should make his cane
into molhsses according to a
few rules. The cane Should be
full ripe before it is cut and the
leaves should not be taken from
the stalk until the day before it
is to go through The mill, since
these leaves serve as channels
by which oxygen and carbon,
two veiy important elements Of
sugar, are conveyed. When the
cane is ground, the juice should
be well defeated, and | am sor-
|ry to say that but little atten-
ton is paid to this in our South
ern States. To do this, add to
every 40 gallons of raw, cold
juice, two gallons of clear,
strong, unslaked lime-water, STIR
ring it thoroughly. This lime
water should all be made at once
in order that it may be of the
same strength. Take a 10 gal.
tub, or other vessel, add two
washpansfull of strong unslaked
lime, agitate well and then allow
it to settle. Pour off and use as
you need this clear milk of lime.
The lime-water neutralizes the
acid in the juice and assists in
making the scum rise to the top
and thereby removes much Of
the vegetable impurities which
otherwise would remain and
which give that bitter taste to so
much of cur sorghum. To know
how to use lime-water with per-
feet accuracy it is necessary to
have litmus, or test paper. This
is a blue paper which OH being
plunged into any liquid contain
ing an acid, will turn red, and
its shades, according to the acid
fty Of the liquid. To use this
paper for molasses making, lime
water should be added until the
paper will turn a purple color.
Then the juice is ready for boil
ing, which operation requires
the utmost care. The heat should
be obtained gradually but not
slowly. The water from the
juice should be rapidly evapora-
ted but not allowed to burn.
Molasses standing over long
continuous heat destroys the
crystal in the sugar. The heat
should be carried as high as 236
Fab. thermometer and in no case
beyond that point. To do this il
is best and will pay every farm
ef or eyapolator to have a sugar
thermometer. But since many
i readers of this article will not
have time to procure such an in
strument, they may know that
their sorghum has cooked enough
! and is done when it will curl up
when 1T will do this it should be
cooked no more. Then it should
be put in shallow vessels, never
lin deep ones, and allowed to COO
lin a warm room, never out il
the cold which seriously retards
oranuIation. Molasses tn us
i made and thus taken care of will
Invariably granulate after being
lallowed to stand three or foul
days in the warm room referred
to, and will meet a ready sale.
TO close this article | will say
for the benefit of cane growers
that there is variety Of cane
known as the Early Amber
which has a very black seed and
lis 3 per cent. richer in saccha-
Irine matter than any cane known
and it is the cane which ] advise
.levery farmer in the country to
Iuse. At some future time l will
write a more. exhaustive article
on this cane, showing its supe-
rior points over all other varie-
ties. Very respectfully,
| q EDWARD s. JONES.
Bogus Certificates.
1t is no vile drugged stuff, pretending &c
be made Of wonderful foreign roots, barks
&C., and puffed up by long bogus certiii-
N 4nr Of rnrni nndnd mir en- lnus rlirns hut q