New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-18
A SORGHUM PLANTATION.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT IN NEw-JERsEY.
FAVORABLE REPORTS FROM RIO GRANDE-EsTI-
MATED PROFITS FROM oHE THOUSAND ACRES
VIEWS OF PROFESSOR COLLIER AND OTHERS.

VIEWS OF PROFESSOR COLLIER AND OTHERS.
iBT TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUSE.1
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17.-Rio Grande, ~ j., is n
little hamlet six miles north q Cape May, situated
In the midst of country which, until within the last
yearappeared desOlate enough. Much of the land had
peen abandoned for cultivation, and had grown mp
TO briars and other useless underground 1t 10 said
that Tor many years past any of this land could have
been bought for the cost of the buildings upon it,
Three years ago effort was made to grow sor-
ghum in this region, and manufacture it into sugar
disappointment attended the efforts of the first two
years. This year, however, under new manage
ment, the enterprise appears to have been sue
cessful.
10 Degln WITH !, 900 acres were planted In sor-
ghum, most OF which was of the Early Amber var-
ETY.. although 200 more were devoted TO the
Early Orange, the Honduras and the Links Hybrid
The land is not fertile and. as recent visitor ex-
pressed it: !" saw absolutely nothing growing In
that vicinity except the sorghum and my only Won
der was that such crop of that could be raised
The company has extensive mill, but It's capacity
has proved inadequate to the demands upon it this
year, and 1t is not probable that any attempt will
be made to work the product over more than once
that is to the molasses left after obtaining the
irsts will be sold molasses and no effort made to
extract the sugar therefrom. The officers of the
company feel greatly encouraged by the results of
TINS year. The president of the company, in letter
to a friend under date of October II, writes;
We viii have 100000 pounds OF sugar made by next
saturday night have about twenty sugar wagons and
we Keep them full Each sugar wagon holds about
and half barrels OF sugar. barrel Of sugar weighs
800 pounds net Forty therefore mold
made and the sugar in sight amounts to 235 pounds
We estimate we have 1000 tous OF to work after
this week We have $4,000 gallons OF mOlasses hand
nov and unless we can get 40 cents per gallon for it
viii work II over into seconds and thirds Mr.. Knight
we IN
From another letter it appears that Mr. Knight,
who is a sugar refner has bought 275 barrels of
the first product of the Rio Grande Company. Pro-
lessor Collier, of the Department of Agriculture
who has for several years, as TRIBUNE readers
know. been engaged IN experiments designed to
promote the manufacture of sugar from sorghum
recently paid a visit to the Rio Grande works. and
in response to several inquiries by TRIBUNE cor
respondent in regard to the methods in use there
said:
Their mill, and indeed all their apparatus is
practically identical with those used upon the
sugar plantations of Cuba and louisiana They
have threeroll MILL the rolls being thirty inches
in diameter and five feet long, driven by engine
of 80 horse power. They have two vacuum pans
which complete the concentration of the juice to
the crystalnzing point. From the vacuum pan the
mixture of sugar end moasses is emptIed into large
striking the pam and the contents of these tanks is
allowed to stand day two in the hot room,
about 1902 F., to complete the capitalization.
After standing a day or two these tanks cars as
they are called, are emptied into
mixer, the revolving arms of which stir
up into uniform mass the sugar and molasses
and this is by means Of large bucket which passes
below the mixer emptied into the centrifugal ma
chimes which, revolving with velocity of twelve
or fourteen hundred revolutions a minute throw
ont the molasses from the sugar through holes IN
the sides of the centrifugals. This operation is
called purging tue sugar.
After the molasses is nearly all removed little
water Is sprinkled over the sugar which removes
the last traces of the mOasses and leaves the sugar
of snowy whiteness. Each centrifugal land they
have four runningl puges at each charge about
seventy-fve pounds OF sugar, which sells
at cents per pound readily. All their
work is done by steam, they having boiler-power
Of 500 horsepower, besides the 100 horsepower
used for the grinding of the cane in the mill. They
grind so tons of stalks daily, although their mill
has a capacity of 300 tons but the evaporatin2
capacity of their pans at present unable to work
up the juice of 80 tons of stalks daily About
175 men are employed in and about the MILL and
in the fields bringing in the crop. Every load of
stalks is weighed and daily examinations are made
of the Juice obtained. These examinations confirm
fully the work done at the Department OF Agrlcul-
ture at Washington.
"The soil is light sandy loan. The section is
one which would hardly have appeared suitable
Tor such an experiment, but the fact is that they
have secured an excellent crop of sorghum, aud ac
cording to the testimony of an extensive sugar
PLANTER of Louisiana who recently visited the
works and personally examined the cane and juice,
the uce is richer in sugar and better in its degree
of purity than the average OF the Louisiana sugar
cane"
The correspondent further learned that it Is ex-
nected that the seed of the sorghum, which sells
readily at So cents per bushel Will pay all expenses
of producing the cane up TO the time when
cutting begins. and 1t Is estimated that
the expense of cutting and the manutac-
ture of the sugar ready for market Will
not exceed 81 per ton of cane. The company nave
already housed 5000 bushels OF seed and at inc
same rate expect that the total seed product will
amount to 10000 bushels which at 90 cents per
bushel will aggregate $4,000. The experience OF
the season thus far has shown that the average pro-
duct of a ton of cane has been 60 pounds besides
the molasses which may be worked into seconds
and thirds. II the estimate of 1000 tons or cane
remaining be correct the yield this season IN sugar
will be 495. 900 pounds, which at cents per pound
amounts to S34,55O. The $4,000 gallons OF mo-
Iasses already on hand 40 cents, will amount TO
$4,000 Adding to these sums $4,000 Tor seed'
there is an aggregate of S53,55O The company Is
30 well satisfied with the result of this seasons work
that it will plant 1000 acres OF sorghum heAV
year, and will double the capacity of It's mill.
A gentleman who recently visited Rio Grande
saws that, of the 1875 wOrkmen employed ny O"o
company all except three or four are residents Oh
the vicinity and the fact that the company YVES
able to pay them about double the wages hitherto
prevailing in that region has excited some dissatls
faction among the neighboring farmers. lie says
also that while it was before practicable to OBTAIN
auy amount of land at merely nominal prices IL Is
,,rbich daetres ~ x