Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-02-19
How the United States Makes Agricult'
ural Experiments.

down to Winthrop Beach to witness the al
most daily trials of rifled cannon and patent
projectiles, and how we were struck with
the reckless expenditure of public money in
these costly experiments, very few Of which
ever yielded valuable results. We have since
seen money thrown away by the half million
in the trials of various sorts of new ma
chinery in government vessels, in torpedo
experiments, and divers other methods of
killing people. Most anybody with "influ-
ence can get a commission appointed from
Washington to try anything of this Sort to
any extent, at the peoples cost We do
not say that this is not all right. We never
heard any one find any fault with it, so we
suppose it is all right. We could but smile,
however, in recalling what we had seen and
known of governmental experiments in
other directions, when we came to read over
our old friend Professor Golfers recent re-
port to his principal, the Commissioner of
Agriculture, recording his experiments in
aid of sugar manufacture from the new
Gambler cane" and from corn-stalks. Per-
haps our readers may think it was foolish
to experiment in this direction at all. Most
of them, we have no doubt, will laugh at
the very idea of making sugar out of corn
stalks But let them wait and see what re-
suits were obtained by well-skilled chemist
using poor tools, in this direction. 1t has
not in fact been believed, even by experts,
that either corn or sorghum contains crys-
tallizable cane sugar in any considerable
quantity. Molasses, or syrup, has long been
made from them, but the constant failure to
make this syrup "grain has given the I'M
preston that no sugar can be obtained from
the juice of either of these plants.
Recent experiments have put an entirely
different face on the matter. In the Report
of the Department Of Agriculture for 1877
MIR. F. L. Stewart, of Murrysville, Pa, gave
the details of method invented by himself,
whereby, with inexpensive apparatus, he
was able to make the syrup from sorghum
or corn crystalline so perfectly that product
of from one to two thousand pounds of SUI
gar, equal to the best raw New Orleans or
West India sugar, can be made from an acre
Of corn stalks, after the green corn had been
removed for sale or feeding. A still larger
yield was got from the amber sorghum cane.
The product runs from one hundred to three
hundred and fifty gallons, I" so d ense as to
become almost a solid mass of sugar when
left to crystalline"
So remarkable were these claims, and APP
parently so well substantiated that the
commissioner directed his chemist, Professor
Collier, to prepare himself to test them by
practical trial during the past season, and
we are lately in receipt of the report above
alluded to, and make from it the following
extracts
1.-THE corn-stalks were from common field
corn, said to have been a cross between a yellow
and white. The ears had been plucked from the
stalks and sold in our own markets as green corn
some three weeks before the stalks had been cut,
and brought to me for the making of sugar.
1.-THE sorghum was variety known as the Min
nesota Early Amber. Both corn and sorghum
were in a condition of vigorous growth when cut,
the leaves being green. The seed of the sorghum
was sufficiently mature to warrant its preserva-
ton, and indeed the last lot received sheed
slightly upon handling. The sorghum had not
been planted or cultivated so as to produce even
fair average in size.
THE mill made use Of in expressing the juice
was an old sorghum-mill of common construction,
which, through previous use and misuse, had
been rendered quite unfit to give satisfactory re-
suits After most of our experiments below given
were concluded, it was repaired, so that after
ward its working was very much better.
"The apparatus used in the experiments, be-
sides few barrels and pals for holding the juice
consisted Of copper tank OF the following di
mansions; four feet three inches long, two fee
three inches deep, two feet three inches wide;
galvanized iron pan nine fee. long eight inche
deep, three feet six inches wide. This iron pal
was surrounded by wooden frame of two-incl
plank 30 as to support the sides, and each pal
was placed in brick-work with chimney, and s.
arranged as TO permit a fire to be kept below it il
direct contact with the bottom. In the case of tn
copper tank the flame played about the sides also
so as to heat the contents more rapidly. The COP
per tank was used for DELEGATION with lime; tn
galvanized iron pan for evaporation.
1.-THE process made use OF in these experiment
patented by Mr.. F. l.. Stewart, Murrysvillt
westmoreland county, Penn, and which has bee
described in the report Of the department for 1871
THE process, in brief, is as follows: After toI
ping or stripping the corn or sorghum 1t was passe
through the mill, and when sufficient juice la
been obtained it was heated in the copper tank I
temperature Of $40 Centigrade-ls 1890 Fahrenheit
After the juice had reached this temperature thei
was added to it, with stirring, Of lime, unit
piece of ltmus paper dipped in the juice Shove
purple or blueish-purple color. The heat wa
now raised to the boiling point, and so soon as tn
juice was in good ebullition the fire was drawn
and thick scum removed from the surface @
the juice
After few minutes the sediment from tn
juice subsidized, and by means OF syphon III
clear liquid was deoanted off, leaving mudd
sediment which was equal to about one-tenth
one-twenteth Of the bulk Of the juice. Tn
muddy sediment was then drawn off by means
a stop-oock, and filtered through a plaited-ba
filter, and the clear filtrate therefrom was adde
to the liquid previously syphoned off.
"The clarified juice which, during the aboy
operation, Is not allowed to cool below a tempe
ature OF $50 Centgrade, or 1900 Fahrenheit, WI
now empted into the eyaporatine pan, and the
was added to 1t, with stirring, solution of su
phurous acid in water, until the lime present W.
neutralized, as was shown by the reddenng
litmus paper when it was dipped in the jue
The evaporation was now fastened as much
possible, and the juice concentrated 10 syrup
q bong-point Of 1880 Centgrade, equal to 22t
Fahrenheit, or thereabout.
at was the intention to concentrate the syrl
10. hoili
equal To 1850 Fahrenheit), butt was found impra
ticable TO do so in the eyaporator, as the dang
Of screening 1t was great, over naked fan
which could not well be controlled.
"when the syrup reached the density above
dcated, II was drawn OFF into wooden tubs, t
fire having previously been drawn from benea
the evaporator