The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-02
farm aud 6araeu.
Conducted by DR.. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Report of Gen. LIE Due. U. S. Commits
sioner of Agriculture, for 1879.

time to examine 1T, seems to be good one
We consider Gen. LIE Due, from our in
tercourse with him, and from a review OF
his work, to be good officer of the gov
ernment, and it is to be regretted that
him with more .liberality, and heed his
suggestions as to the advancement of the
interests of agriculture, the predominant,
interest of this great country. Our Con-
gress seems to regard his advice with the
utmost Indifference; appropriates about
two hundred thousand dollars to advance
Agricultural interest, and millions for the
State Departments and the War and Ma.
Wy Departments. While our government
is appropriating hundred of thousands to
advance this great and predominant in
terest of the country, other governments
are appropriating millions to sustain their
agriculture. France 'appropriates for
Bureau of Agriculture and Commerce
twenty million dollars annually; Germa-
ny, for agriculture, twenty million dol
lars, &c.
The Commissioner in his report dis
-cusses, among other subjects, sugar from
sorghum, with analysis of the different
varieties of sorghum and of sugar cane.
He says the making of sugar from sor-
ghum has been success; the syrup can
be made with inexpensive machinery
weighing II pounds to the gallon, nearly
one-half of which is chrystallizable sugar,
andiat cost of 16a cents per gallon;
that sugar can be manufactured in guam
titles sufficient to meet any demand like
ly to occur at a remunerative rate even
if the price should fall one third below
what it is now, and that the smallest
farmer, as well as the largest planter,
may profitably engage in its production;
that :" by means of larger and better APP
pointed mills that need not cost more
than SlOOOO,* sugar and syrup has been
made the past season from sorghum bv
the car load, which commanded the high
est market price" This has been ac-
complished mainly by Gen. LIE Dues eff
forts. For several years he has been
taking great interest in this matter, dis
trlbuting seed and urging the manufac-
ture OF sorghum sugar In the garden of
the Department, last summer, we saw
about twenty varieties of sorghum that
ne was growing. Four of these were
analysed by the Chemist, viz: Early Am
Der, Honduras, White Liberian. and Chi
nese. The conclusion arrived at is. there
is but little difference between the differ
ent varieties as sugar producing plants,
and that the Juice of each Of them is at
certain period of its development nearly
as rich as that of the best tropical SUGAR
cane grown. The Early Amber natures
IN less time than any of the sorghums. but
the Honduras makes much the heaviest
growth, and of course yields most sugar
and syrup-for instance, the Honduras
yielded to the acre 66,l51 pounds, the
Chinese sorg hum $4,000, and Early Am
Der 32,4l5 Gen. LIE Due experimental
with corn also. The varieties used were
Lindsay's Horse Tooth, White Prolific
and White Dent Ordinary white corns).
The sugar. of Chinese sorghum gave 81
per cent, the corn gave SO per cent
The yield of syrup for the corn was about
one-third that of the sorghum, except
Honduras, of which it was about one
sixth. But what is remarkable about
the corn was that the ears were plucked
after tLey were thoroughly ipe, and the
husks were dry. This and other expert
ments go to show that sugar may be pro-
ftably made from corn. The sweet Vari-
ETY. OF corn has been raised in Pennsyl-
wanna tor this purpose-the corn gathered
and dried and sold at high price to
grocers, Eve think at about 500 barren.
and the stalks converted into sugar. It
Is useless to speak of coffee and tea, as
tthey cannot be raised in Virginia, and
the other topics are discussed in gene
raj way, leaving their full discussion to
the Reports of other officers of the De-
partment But an interesting letter is
contained in this part of the book address
ed to Gen. LIE Due by Mr.. Willis Weaver
of Bogota, s. America, portion of the
letter being devoted to the cultivation of
Olnchona (the source Of our Quinine. one
OF the greatest boons ever bestowed on
suffering humanity He SAYS in ali
South America the Cinchona tree has
peen almost exterminated in all accessi
ole regions, and you can scarcely ever
see a tree of it. But as compensation
IGr thls, the plantations in India of Gin.
cnona have surpassed the most sanguine
expectations of their founders. Some OF
tne papers in England have reported the
annual ann yield as reaching a value of So
OoO per acre" Mr.. Weaver thinks this
quite possible in view of the price the
parks bear in the English markets But
more - interesting still he says ito sum up
Cne matter, | believe that with ,y;sa