New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-22

terms will become its manager l have no doub
that thousand people at least will undertake th'
manufacture of sorghum sugar this year, and.'
added the Doctor reflectively, have no doubt g
good many of them Will fail. / am not advising
people to undertake it upon a large scale at present
but to begin upon ten acres or so, and feel thelI
way up 10 larger enterprises | have demonstrated
beyond the shadow of doubt the practicability oi
making sorghum sugar, but people will need little
experience"
At this point DR.. Collier pointed to chart
hanging upon the wall, which, he said, he had just
completed for his annual report. Irregular lines OF
several colors this chart like the sother-
NAL lines upon q weather map. Across the top IS a
calendar of the Summer months, with lines like the
parallels of latitude for the days of the year, while
across the righthand side of the map is series of
figures running from zero to seventeen. with inter-
mediate decimal divisions Each of the colored ir-
regular lines represents particular variety of sor-
ghum, and the variations indicate the rcentage of
crystallizable sugar obtained from specimens of the
stalks cut at various dates A glance at the chart
dscoses the probable for the failure of pre-
vIOus experiments at sugar-making from sorghum.
Take the variety known as the Chinese sorghum,
which was the kind usually experimental upon by
farmers. Ii attained its growth, and to all appear
ance was ready for the harvest on the 9th of An
gust but an experiment on that date resulted in
getting only one and eightyfve-hundredths per cent
of crystalzable sugar, with about five and ffty-ive-
hundredths of glucose OF uncrystazable sugar !;
while three weeks later the percentage of
crystallIZable sugar had reached twelve
and fftcen-hundredths per cent and the
ncrystazablc matter was only three and
forty-huudredths per cent This species of sorghum
reached its maximum for profitable production
on the 18th of October, on which date the percent
age of crystallizable sugar fifteen and ive-hun-
dredths per cent Of the weight of juice expressed.
Experiments with the Early Amber, the variety
best suited to this latitude, began on the 18th of
July, giving result of four and forty three-hun-
dredths per cent of crystazable sugar. with three
and seventy-seven hundredths of glucose. The per-
centage of crystallizable sugar rapidly increased
until the middle of August, when 1t exceeded IouI-
teen per cent. There was very gradual increase
until the Doth of October when 1t reached seven
teen per cent of the JUICE expressed, the uncrys-
tallizabe sugar on that date beng only one and
ten-hundredths per cent.
About a week previous TO this date there was q
severe frost and cold weather continued for several
days. During the tine stalks were cut and expert
ments were continued. showing that the frost had
no bad effect upon the crop. When thaw came,
however the effect was Immediately apparent in the
rapid decrease of valuable matter and increase Of
worthless matter in the jnce and this effect was
noticed in all varieties Of sorghum. The inference,
n drawn and stated by Dr. Collier, Is as follows
Let your crop stand as long as you can, but II
frost catches you before il IS gathered, hurry up
and get il squeezed before a thaw comes"
Dr. Collier has the seeds of many varieties OF
sorghum which he has as yet had no opportunity of
testing. Among those who have written TO him for
information are "A number of we-knOwn capitalists.
whose inquiries indicated that they are seeking
profitable investment for their money in the new
sugar industry.