Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-01-21
Sugar from Amber Cane.

Favorable results are reported from differ
ent states, of attempts to manufacture sugar
from sorghum or amber cane Everybody
uses sugar. We are all paying tax equal to
one-half its first cost on every pound of i'm
ported sugar which we buy. We are all, con-
sequently, interested in its domestic produc-
ton. The following account, from Fari-
bault (Minn. paper, of an establishment at
that place for making and refining syrup and
sugar from the amber cane, indicates an en-
couraging prospect that sugar may some time
be produced in large quantities from this
source
During the summer of 1879, Dr. ]. Will
helm, practical chemist came to Faribault
and announced that he had discovered, and.
in connection with s. F. Jolly, had patented
process by which the vegetable matter could
be eliminated from the cane juice, and that
article known as sorghum transformed into a
fine and merchantable syrup and sugar, and,
by tests made upon an ordinary coOk-stove
proved his assertion. In a word, DIR. Will
helm had, by years of study and experiment
discovered a method of extracting pure syrup
and sugar from the northern canes, and the
labor of Seth Kenney of Morristown and c.
Il. Miller of Bridgewater who may properly
be called the pioneer cane growers of Minne-
sofa, was to result in the development of a
great and important ndustry-nothing less
than cane-growing and sugar making in Min
nesOta TO an extent which will in the near flu.
ture not only supply home consumption, but
leave large surplus for export.
Our citizens showed their confidence in
Messrs Wilhelm Jolly by forming stock
company and furnishing the means to equip
refinery here but there was not sufficient
time to get thoroughly ready for the crop of
that season, and the best that could be done
was the production of a limited quantity of a
very fine article of syrup, which sold readily
and gave good satisfaction, even when brought
into competition with the best Louisiana pro-
ducts. But this was not enough. Sugar was
wanted, and anything short of that would not
fill the public demand. During the year, and
while it was feared the enterprise would fail
for want of capital, Capt. Russell Blakely of
st. Paul became interested, and showed his
faith by putting in sufficient capital to further
equip the refinery and make it possible to
thoroughly and extensively test the process of
Messrs Wilhelm Jolly, as well as the sugar
producing qualities of the Minnesota amber
cane.
visit to the Faribault refinery to-day, as
operated by Messrs Blakely, Wilhelm q Jol-
ly, will convince the most skeptical that the
problem of producing pure sugars, as well as
syrups, from amber cane, and in paying guam
titles, has been fully solved.
The capacity of the graduating room of the
refinery this season is simply eight tanks, each
holding 200 gallons of syrup while in process
of graduation. The contents of several of
these tanks are now ready to be run through
the Centrifugal" and thoroughly refined.
The best yield of sugar in these tanks We are
assured by Dr. Wilhelm, is nine pounds TO the
gallon of syrup, and the poorest six pounds,
while four or five pounds to the gallon would
have been very satisfactory yield. This SUI
gar would now be ready for the market but
for the fact that the Centrifugal" a second
hand machine, did not do satisfactory work,
and new one had to be ordered from New
York, causing considerable delay. The small
amount of sugar already refined, although by
an imperfect machine, and consequently not
well cleaned of molasses, was a fine article
and highly satisfactory, the crystals being
large and firm and entirely free from foreign
matter, the polarisoope test showing purity
of 90 10 80 per cent It is estimated that the
sugar product this season will be about ten
tons, valued at nine cents per pound. But
the production of sugar is but a very small