The Iola register., 1881-02-11

In the report of the Commissioner of
Agriculture recently issued fer the year
1879, the chemist of the department gives
detailed report of the Government ex-
periments made in raising sugar-canes,
and of the results obtained therefrOm.
The varieties of sorghum grown and
subjected to continuous investigation
during the season were Early Amber,
White Liberian, Chinese and Honduras.
The points chiefly brought ont are:
At what period in the growth Of the
plant does it contain the greatest per-
centage of sucr0se or crystalhzable
sugar; whether it is most profitable to
press the stalks before or after they are
stripped of leaves; what percentage Of
juice, and of sucrose, is contained IN the
butts of the stalks, as compared with the
tops; and how do different varieties OF
sorghum compare with each other and
with field-corn as producers Of sirup and
sugar. These points are not formally
made, but are developed in the course
of the report.
AS to the first point, it appears that IS
the plants advance toward maturity
there is steady diminution Of gincose,
or uncrystallizable sugar, and steady
increase of sucrose, or crystallizable
sugar. For this reason the suczOse Is at
its maximum at full maturity, "as indi-
Gated by the hard, dry seed, and the ap-
pearance of offshoots from the upper
joints of the stock" 1t % happened
that severe frost occurred October %,
sufficient to create q half-inch Of ice on
water, but the analysis made immedi-
ately afterward showed no diminution
of sucrose until thaw occurred, when
the sucrose lessened and the glucose
increased "From this it would appear
that the effect of cold, even protracted,
is not injurious to the quality Of the
canes, but that they should be
speedily worked up after freezing. and
before they have again thawed out. y
In early amber cane the percentage OF
juice was greatest July rs, when the
flower stalks began to spread, but the
average per cent. of glucose and sucrose
together at that time was only 1O.9 80,
while on October 20 it was IS 1. Slight
variations of this result occur in the eth
.er varieties, but the general result IS the
SdIuC uC carly dMuCI anu AAbO1AosA
correspond very closely in the period OF
their development, but the Chinese and
Honduras are considerably later in at.
tanning the period of greatest sugar coR'
tents, and are not SO well fitted to ouI
northern climate. The average sugar
contents of the first two is very nearly the
same from the middle of August to the
last of October, thus giving ample time
for working up the canes.
The experiments with the butts and
tops of the canes seem to have resulted
in nothing very remarkable In ths
early part of the season the butts natur.
ally contain the most sugar until the
seed has reached the milky state, wher
the juices in both parts of the plant ap
pear to be of equal value. Later on
there is slight deterioration in tht
quality of the juice from the lower hal
OF the stalk, the roots and leayes failing
to supply the amount of nourishment re
quired. thus showing that they are af
fecied by incipient decay. The statistic:
of yield of cane and sirup and sugar art
not as definite and satisfactory as eOuli
be desired. The following table exhibit!
the results actually obtained: