Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-05-29
FARM TOPICS.
Sorghum Sugar.

Sorghum Sugar.
The results of the experiments made
by the chemist of the agricultural de-
partment Of Washington to determine
the practicability Of obtaining merchant
ablesugar from sorghum in paying guam
titles are of the most gratifying character,
and will be read with no little interest
by those who are at present-as well as
those who contemplate-growing
sorghum in this state. The
time is now on the farmers Of Min
nesota for them to determine in what
way they will diversity their crops.
Wheat, like. everything else grown on
farm, can not always be relied on, and, in
case of failure, leaves the farmer who
has no other crop to rely on, IN bad pre-.
dicament. In connection with wheat
the staple crop Of this ceun-
t1y-there is nothing which the
farmer can turn his attention to-,
giving the same promise of success,
and adapted to our climate, as the plant
ing of sorghum for the syrup and sugar
for marketing and the seed to be ground
and mixed with other grain for feeding
to hogs and cattle. The great difficulty
has heretofore benin securing mer-
charitable quality of sugar in paying
quantities from cane grown in this cli-
mate; bat the report Of Prof. Sill
man on the result Of the in
vestigations Of the National Acad-
envy of Sciences on this subject, gives
promise Of q complete revolution in the
future Of this important industry.
Referring to crop in the Southern
States this season, the Professor says:
To come right down to business, with.
out circumlocution, think may safely
say that your planters can secure crop
from the seed Of say half dozen sorts Of
sorghum. which will fully mature in
periods of from three months to six
months from date Of sowing, and which
will produce from one to two hogsheads
of good sc" sugar, polarizlng SO per
cent, and which cannot be told from the
best Ribbon or other cane sugar Of the
same grade. This they can do with
no other treatment than they now
employ in working the old stands Of cane,
and with q longer working period the
juices will read at least 10 degrees B.,
equal 1,O75 specific gravity and will po-
larize good IL per cent. to 16 per cent,
which is, if am correctly informed,
fully as well as the Louisiana planters
now do. This Juice they can defecate
with lime and treat with sulphur fumes
or sulphurous acid and reduce in vacuum
pans as usual or in open trains.
The Professor here referred TO the
quality Of sugar which can be made
from the variety Of Sorghum
adapted to Southern ATTITUDES; and
of course, the same grade of sugar can
be made from the Early Orange and Early
Amber, and other varieties adapted to
this climate. The essentials to success
in producing good grade of sugar from
Sorghum, are thus stated by the Pro
lessor, and will be read with interest by
those engaged in Sorghum culture in this
State. The GLOBE invites criticism OF
this paper from Professor Silliman, from
cane growers, or others competent to
throw light on the subject. The Pro-
fessor says:
!. The plant should be fully ripe be-
fore rolling commences. Its ripe condi-
ton is known by the seed being fully
hard and the upper leaves beginning to
wilt. If rolled before this time the juice,
as appears by thousands of analyses, con-
tains less sugar and more glucose than
at maturity, and of course the amount Of
sugar available is diminished in proper
ton.
2. The canes should be rolled as soon
after cutting as possible-all in the same
day if possible. 1t is not important to
remove the leaves; by some evidence the
removal of the leaves appears to be an
injury. But the top must be removed, OF
course, as well to save the seed as to
avoid injury to the Juice.
3. The JUICE shows by its density just
what it is worth. 1t should run from 8
degrees to IL degrees B., say from 1000
to 1000 specific gravity, averaging about
1,O75, or 10 degrees B. And it should be
handled without delay AS it is more prone
than Cuba cane juice to chemical changes.
But the same rules for acldity, the same
treatment by lime and by sulphur will be
found available as at present with your
planters.
4. For the matter of culture, it is suf-
|.ficient to say that any soil that will raise
a good crop of corn will do we'll for sorg-
hum, which is best drilled in with com.
mon drilling machine in rows three and
half and four feet apart, the plants to
be thinned out to about four inches apart
in the row. During the carly weeks of
growth, sorghum is delicate and requires
little more care than corn. But once
well under way 1t requires no extra care.
LereL culture.
Cor. Maine Farmer: For thirteen
successive years have MANFRED, plowed
and planted two and half acres Of land,
the rotation being change from corn
to potatoes and pototatoes to corn, yearly.
I have used about half an acre each year
for garden. The average value of my
crops for the thirteen years has been
e122, raised at cost of about $50 year.
Value of manure used, board of man
and horses everything inc1uded at its