Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-18
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR.
The Success Which Attended the Efforts OF the
State Chemist last Year.

| state chemist last Tear.
The following extracts are made from
q recent letter of Prof. Henry to the Mil
Republican: As shown BY replies from
2l2 manufacturers of amber cane syrup
! the yield in 1881 was 400, 600 gallons al
their works. From this data | estimate
the syrup product of Wisconsin for last
year at 100000 gallons This was sold
at about fifty cents per gallon and
scarcely a gallon can be found in the
state to-day, SO great has been the
| demand for it.
| You will observe that the yield of syr.
| up varies from one to three hundred
gallons per acre, according to soil and
other conditions. As yet we are in the
experimental stage in this industry but
the advance is most rapid So far, most
OF the syrup made has the raw sorghum
| taste, but this is not necessary accom-
paniment and this season 80 per cent. OF
| our syrup boilers will use lime in defe-
| eating the juice, thus securing a rich
syrup agreeable to the taste of the most
| fastldious.
AT the experimental farm, Mr.. Sven
son made more than thousand pounds
of raw sugar last season. A portion OF
| this he partially refined. | send you a
sample of this sugar. You will notice
| in the report, that in one instance the
sugar obtained from one-fifth of an acre
was 1899 pounds, or at the rate of about
one thousand pounds per acre. The
sugar was obtained by The same methods
as are employed at the South, using the
cane crusher. open steam pan and va
cuum pan. Our experiments show that
in an acre of cane, such as can be grown
on any good Wisconsin soil, there is
over ton of sugar of which it is
possible to save about half as sugar and
part as syrup. Several hundred small
packages of sugar have been distributed
over the state as samples, and at several
OF the farmers conventions we have
given it away by the pailful
Our appropriation by the legislature
last year was $4,000; this year we have
y, 900, then we not only had all the
machinery to buy or construct but also
had to acquire experience as Mr.. SVEN
son who secured these favorable results,
had never even seen northern cane grow
ing before he saw this with which he
worked. With the present appropria-
ton we shall test varieties of cane to
determine which is best adapted to our
soil and climate. We have secured seed
from Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Kan
Sas and several other states, also Canada
and China.
We shall also endeavor to ascertain
the best methods of planting and Gull
ture. The main experiment will be to
ascertain the exact cost of producing
sugar with our facilities. Our machin-
cry of quite limited capacity, worked
well last season and should do better
this.
Many farmers will plant from ten to
fifty acres of cane this season and with
this crop hope the experimental stage
OF syrup making will end in Wisconsin.
Amber syrup will become a standard
article in the markets along with Wis
consin cheese and butter.
Sugar manufacture requires so much
expensive machinery and skilled labor
that our progress in this direction will be
slower and years will be required to de-
eide the question of home production of
sugar. Never was there more need. of
interest among our leaders in industrial
progress than in this regard. Without
the encouragement of the press, or
outside help of any kind, our farmers
have moved on, until last season, they
made over 100000 worth of syrup.
But with sugar making, if there is no
help from other sources, the industry
ends.
Capital and science must now come
to their aid, and our press must keep
before the people the true condition of
affairs and the wants that should be met
when announced. The production of
glucose, for time, may cripple us sew
erely, but amber cane syrup, well made
is so far superior to the best glucose in
flavor and sweetcning power, that it
really has no rival in that quarter
w. A. HENRY.
Professor of Agriculture, University
pf INicconci,,