New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-09
DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENCE
SUGAR IN NEW-JERSEY.
ACCOUNT OF THE RIO GRANDE SORGHUM
PLANTATION

PLANTATION.
IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT TRIBUNF.l
RIO GRANDE, N j., Sept. ST can scarcely
be called attractive country, this through which the
West Jersey Railroad from Camden to Cape May.
For must OF the way soil white sand and
the only considerable vegetation the small pine
and oak with here and there tangled clunps Of laurel
bushes anc huckleberry bushes, and the ground
thick coating of pine needles and along the roadside
pricky pear cactus. 1t fine country for mosquitoes
They say there black bears In the swamps,
and and then a deer is 10 the gades of the
woods IL Is about much OF wilderness IA one can
expect to find within few hours ride OF New-York
here at this lonely little station Rio Grande, the
scene changes somewhat There is town here, but
there some big modern-ooking buildings and there
fields of what looks good deal like only
10 much higher than known TO grow In
New-Jersey. II is not II is sorghum. and these
the muchtalkedof New-Jersey SUGAR plantations.
with cool days OF early autumn busy times
here. Workmen cutting down the stately canes,
stripping of the leaves and clipping OF the heads, or
seed tassels Mt the top Then they tie them up In
bundles like fishing rods and they carted of to the
buildings The bundles not very big, for the canes
almost heavy iron The wagons do not convey
the direct the buildings but little railway
that has built the plantation and there Is
transferred the which directly into the build
ings. There is no locomotive on the road. however
The motive power the train Ia team OF mules
able old mules, for of them bears well anthem
tcated Army brand Of 1861 Some idea Of the size OF
this Rio Grande plantation may be formed from the
know ledge that this little railway is no less than six
miles long
HISTORY OF THE PLANTATION
II only three years ago that this place was dscov
eIed invented. In 1850 the first considerable
amount OF sorghum raised here. There hun
drcd OF It, and the speculstors paid the farmers
SIS an acre to plant and cultivate it. They only got
-. hal.
1t only produced little seven tons Of sugar The
whole thing dead loss to the who went into
It. But they not discouraged. They bought
tract 3OO.acres OF land-sand barrensand put up
lot buildings for working up the cane on the spot
Last year they planted thousand acres in sorghum,
and It took sixty men sixtytwo days to do 1t. They
MANFRED the grou with lire to begin WITH at the rate
OF thirty bushels 10 the That lime dressing
will last three years. when II will NEED renewing. Then
they put on a compost made OF muck and seaweed and
mussels Then they planted the Seed In hills three
feet apart way and let half dozen plants in
hill IL cultivated much like corn aud soon 9rew
up tall ami robust ten, twelve fifteen feet high. and
almost stout enough for gus mosquitoes "
make their nests In its tusses
When September came around, and the cut
I'm TN To avoid fro-ts. which ruin itthere were from
eight eighteen tons TO the acre Altogether they crushed
That nt hey ret nice enough to maze About IGo tons
welt aud paid and the State paid bounty of dollar
every OF and twenty dollars every ton Of
sugar. making nearly S0,OOO on lasJ year 5 crop
THE PRESENT CROP.
This wear n much larger planted and in much
quicker time than year, because Improved machin
ery was brought 1to use The has been favor
able and crop. which is being cut bids fair TO
Yield handsome retL of sugar The cutters estimate
will be close to 10000 tons OF rst-class cane
It ought TO yield they say half million pounds OF
sugar and nearly "a hundred thousand gallons OF
lasses. All the planting done last spriug between
the 18th and the 18th OF May. Eighteen men AMI
fourteen horses did all the WORK.
The Early Amber variety Is now ripe ana Is being cnt
The Orange variety will not he ripe Tor nearly month
would give best satisfaction aud numerous experiments
are being made on pot OF tMehy i've acies 70 lh
different kinds of.sorghuu growing there
SOME SIDE ISSUES.
Besides the sugar aud Inolasses there other vau-
able products OF the sorghum plant II yelds an enor
nous quantity seed and this seed is rich nutritious
grain don't know how II would work Ia the long run
Az food family though have tasted pam
cakes made sorghum seed meal that fully pal
at,ble ,s those OF buck wheat -FOUR For and
cattle the seed Is good food Il mixed judciousIy with
other grain. chickens there is probably no better
food Ia wOrld-especIaly for laying hens But most
OF the seed grown here TO the hogs The hog pen
is leading feature the plantation. II is big enough TO
hold thousand porkers though at present there are
only about 200 In Il; but 1t will soon be full. The
pens are close TO the Shore the salt meadows, and
are on ground that consists purely OF mud. vegetable
mud the Accommodations OF hundreds OF crops OF rank,
salt hay have rottod where they grew. and seaweed
cas-, I'D by the waves There lots OF hdders In II,
too aud ussels. THIS the hogs root and trample into
splendid conquest and tuen there Ia thrown In another
sorghum product. the pulp or bagasse,-thGt is, the
crushed canes after tho Juice has all been squeezed out
This trampled into the mud. and the result Is SPLEEN
did bed post for the next crop The hogs are fed
mostly on sorghum seed boiled soft. and II atens
them Just well rs the best Indian corn would do:
There are said more than 100000 acres or land
IN this part the State Just well adapted To sorghum
culture this Is. lying waste aud much Of IL for
sale at "A merely nominal price There Is almost con-
stAnty talk ABOUT the purchase OF large tracts ny
city Ii be talk and nothing more
All the same. this Rio Grande experiment seems now
To be up established and though Its nall million
pounds OF sugar is only nfntesn share OF the bill
ions OF pounds this country, can't help max
ing such calculation this: If 1000 acres produce
half a million pounds. how many pounds would he pro-
duced on tue 30 900 acres which they say are only
waiting 10 be planted