Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-02-23
SOrgO Prospects for 1852.

SOrgo Prospects for 1882.
The inquiries made for sorghum seed
and machinery and outfits, exceed bv
far those ever made before at this sea.
son of the year. That there will be a
large increase in the business of raising
northern cane. and manufacturing syr
up and sugar therefrom, we have not a
doubt; wherever the business has been
carried on in q business-like way, it has
paid better than any other branch OF
farming, or better than almost any
legitimate business Of any kind, not
w!thstanding it has encountered two oil
the most unfavorable seasons it will be
likely to meet again in half century
If with such seasons it has been made
to pay, what will It not do in propitious
seasons? VI course we must expect
some failure. Men fail in all kinds oil
business, not on account of business,
but on account of business manage
ment. If a farmer will not post HIM
self about sorgo raising and manufac-
turing, if he lets his business drive him,
instead of driving his business; if he is
slow, always behind hand, lacking in
tact, industry, or executive ability, he
had better let sorgo culture, except for
stock feeding, alone. Such man would
fail in any business.
But if he has good judgment, tact
and the ability to keep up snug with his
work, doing the right things at the right
time, he can make plenty of money in
sorgo culture. Many men have cleared
thousands of dollars the past year
more than paid for their entire outfit
on less than half crop of cane. With
a good crop what would they not have
done?
1t should be borne in mind, however,
to be successful that if sorgo raising is
going to be embarked in, and especially
on big scale, that it must be made the
prime object, that it must not give way
to other work, but all other work must
give way tc it; that the seed must be
sown early, at the right time, and in the
right manner, and have cultivation
early, and often in its early stages, and
that then it can take care of itself. The
mills and machinery must be up and in
running order, and everything ready
and waiting for the cane, as soon as the
seed is in the dough state, and that
then there must be push, push, push
night and day, till all the cane is work
ed up. The cane must not wait for the
mill, but the mill must be hungry, nay,
ravenous, for the cane, and get away
with it as fast as it can be brought to it..
1t should have capacity to press all the
juice out of it so that it will be dry
enough to burn as soon as it leaves the
rollers.
The cane must be planted at differ
ent times, and different varieties should
be planted, so as to have it ripen in,
consecutive order for the mill, for q
period Of one, two or three months,
depending upon the latitude. All ex-
periments have shown when the seed
is in the hardening dough state, then is
the most sugar to be obtained, and
then is the time to work the cane. This
thing of having the cane ripen along
gradually for the mill is an important
matter. if sugar is the prime object,
and with the varieties we now have in
this latitude, it is very easily accom-
plished, IS there is wide range be-
tween, say the Early Amber and the
Honduras number Of varieties COM
ing in to fill up the gap.
Then fall planting hastens the ripen-
ing of the Early Amber or any other
variety couple of weeks. Those who
have volunteer cane, if they will watch
it, will see that it ripens couple of
weeks earlier than that planted in
spring. Early spring planting of seed
is also another matter of much impor-
lance to get cane to wolk early. The
longer the season of working cane, the
more profitable the business. Every
mill with large capacity ought to make
several hundred dollars a day-and the
large mills have done it in Kansas, Hi
nois and elsewhere when at work. The
first point to be looked to is to get good
cane, for that makes good syrup, and
that makes good sugar, and that makes
good profits. Poor cane is what farm
ers the past season or two have had
and the wonder is that they have done
so well with it as they have Colman's
Rural World.
1