The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-07
STATE AGRICULTURAL
CIETY.
Albany Country Gentleman's Report
srGAR FROM AMBER SORGHUM.

Gen. W. g. lie Due, Commissioner OF Ag-
riculture, explained what the Department
of Agriculture has been doing to induce the
people of the United States TO produce tue
sugar used the county. Sugar IL now a ne
cessity as weel a. s luxury, and all means
for increasing its production should DC
used. The 90, 900, 900 inhabitants Of the
United States use AZ pounds each, annually.
From $50. 600. 900 to 81 10, 0O0, 900 are an
nually paid TO foreign labor for producing
the sugar inpor.ad here. When entering
upon his duties the Commissioners atten-
ion vas directed 10 those agricultural
products which ought To be Produced here,
of which sugar is the most prominent. lie
found that our climate and the habits OF
our people precluded the successful general
cultivation of bects for this purpose, and
hence he turned his attention TO sorghum.
Careful experiments have demonstrated that
the amber sorghum will grow and ripen IN
most of the States, and sugar can be made
costing less than three cent. per pound,
wherever the seed will ripen. There are
several large factories now in operation ma
king sorghum sugar. BY means of a chart
Gen lie Due showed that it has been prov
ed that after the middle of August the am
Der sorghum will make as much crystalliza-
BILE sugar as any tropical sugar cant. The
cane must be so ripe that the seed cannot be
crushed between the thumb and finger.
Then the sucrose is in its greatest quantity.
and the gluclosc in the least quantity. A
central factory with machinery costing Sl2,-
800, will work up the cane from 500 acres,
and crystalize the Juice Of 1000 acres more,
which has been boiled down 10y the farmer
to ! lg-pouud molasses. S1me varieties OF
Dent corn have proved equally Is good as
sorghum for sugar production. lie urged
upon the farmers of this State, the practi-
cabi.ity OF making sugar a profitable crop,
and appeal to their patriotism to cultivate
sorghum In sufficient quantities to supply
home consumption at least, and thus retain
here the gold annually sent abroad for
sugar.
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
Wednesday evening. the subject of the
use and application Of commercial fertlll-
zers was discussed at the Agricultural rooms
Mr.. Jurian Winnie read a paper on the
subject, giving rhe result of many years
experience in their use. lie had found
most of the superphosphates i'll the market
to be good, and profitable, when applied at
the rate of 80 to 400 pounds per acre. He
sows them with the drill, at the same time
that the grain or grass seed is.own. Grass
is the principal money crop on Mr.. Ninnc@S
farm and other crops are made subseryIent
IL ereto. He raises, however, large crops of
winter wheat, corn and potatoes, lie BIAS
found that in order to get the best success
from the use of commercial fertilizers, it i
necessary to apply large quantities of barn
yard manure, which he therefore buys AMI
manufactures in the largest possible guam
tity. The presence of commercial fertili-
zers increases the effect of the yard manure,
rice rersa. On corn, which he plants with
Tho hill ha ,ttr n o,,, MOST ut thn tim. IF
planting, which starts the young plant Wig
orously, and enables it TO reach out for the
plant food in the soil, The compost is made
by mixing hen manure, plaster. road dust
and salt, and fixing the mixture, SO that il
can be sowed with the 1rill when painting
the corn. The cOInposv, except the salt, Is
made at cny time, and kept ready for use.
The salt is mixed in when the compost is to
be used, as otherwise it is rendered too
damp to be sowed by the drill. Mr.. Winnie
tinds that the best results are obtained from
yard manure ifspread from the wagon, after
the ground Is plowed, and then gang pillow
ed is about three inches deep.
Mr.. w. NJ. Habirshaw, the chemist of
the society, then talked Il little about com.
mercial fertilizers. He has found that most
ofthe manufacturers keep the 5 andard of
their manures up to the guaranty furnished
to the purchasers. in reference to the man
u~facture of superhosphates from ground
bone, he stated that be had found from re-
peated experiment, that finely ground bone
is as readily d~lsintegrated by moist soil,
and assimilated by plants when mixed thor
oughly in in the soil, as if 1t had previously
been reduced to a superphosphate by the
use of suiphuric acid. 1t must be. however,
in the condition of bonedust. Three nun
dIed hours in moist soil, is sufficient time
Tor its reduction. Coarsely ground bone is
not 50 acted upon, and must be reduced by
acids. Tn only question to he considered
is the relative economy Of grinding, or the
use oil acids.
Mr.. James Wood of Mount Kisco, Y. y,
gave his experience in the use of CONNER
cial fertilizers, warning farmers against
their use IN small quantities, or without the
application of sufficient plant food 10 sup
port the growth of the plant after the fer
tilizers have started it vigorously. By the
rse as phosphates, he can raise one hundred
bushels or more per acre of southern white
dent corr, and it i ripe enough 10 cut by
Sept. LIST. His land Is made very rich 9th
wise, by the use of barnyard manures, and
the phosplates force the growth OF Ills crops
SO rapidly that the effect i to give him the
climate of Southern New Jersey.
Judge Jones, of Ohio said that in his TO-
tdtIlg tloNCi 10 oetIhdId upon, Iii jim
ton with yard manures, to keep up the fer
tiIity of the soil. Mr.. J. +. Converse of JET
ferson county had found the use Of phos-
pilates very profitable, and he would not
haul stable manure a mile if 1t was gwen To
him. DIR. Sheffield of Connecticut said
that he feared Mr. Converse would leave a
poor farm to his children, If he depended.
Merely on phosphrates to keep mp the fertIl
lty. lie had found it pay to apply bone al
the rate of one ton per acre. and at the
same time applying - large loads of the
stable manure per acre. Land seeded down
after this application had yielded three tons
of hay per acre, weighed out in the spling,
for twelve or more years, with a topdress-
inc or three or four hundred pounds Of
bone once in three or four years.
Nearly all the speakers agreed in the nee
cessity of using stable manure literally in
conjunction with the commercial fertilizers.
THE ENSILAGE OF FODDER.
The discussion on Thursday evening was
on the subject of ensiiaging fodder for stock
Mr.. O. B. Potter OF Sing Sing read a paper
IL, e,b;o.% oiyipr his ayparIap,a tortIo