The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-10
Sugar and Fodder. in One


scientific American.1
In disc@sins recently the (,stxs ssgss
81 the United States, under the title Of
The Sugar Canes, = number Of points
we're necessarily left untouched, and the
subject " one Of such exceedingly great
interest that It i worth while 70 recurto
IL again and again. In that article,
while urging that We ought 70 become
exporters Of sugar instead Of importer
IL was remarked that by 20 doing We
need not interfere with any crop now
cultivated. We will sec If that remark
was not strickly IN accordance with
truth We can scarcely afford 20 cut on
any Of our present resources. even for
the sake Of getting new ones.
Of course il j. UNDERWOOD, from what
has been previously written, that our
proposed supply Of sugar for the future
L 70 come from sorghum, and our expec-
tatiOns and promises are based on the
recent advances in chemical and manu-
featuring knowledge, by means Of which
the Capitalization Of sugar from sorghum
Is no longer a matter Of caprice and I'M
certainty, but becomes an established
business fact.
Sorghum, a. i, well known, eau be
grown, a. a general rule, wherever In
dian corn can be raised satisfactorily;
and il ha- this advantage in point Of /
success, that IL thriye- well on land 1
which j. too poor 10 yield any more than 4
a very Indifferent crop Of corn. Il fol- .
lows that the regions of extended corn .
growing are likely 10 be alsO the regions
demanded for sorghum when We produce I
our 1900, 900, 900 pounds Of sugar aud ,
then 20 on beyond that 70 supply the
. foreign market
shall We not, therefore, cut Of our
supply Of corn. II we turn our corn
I fields into sugar-ield-, are We not about
% diminish our Weld of beef and of
pork, the very bone and sinew Of tie
nation? And shall we not deprive our
/ people OF the ''hOminy" a. well a. the
hog, which have ineleganlly said 10
/ furnish the staple food Of many millions
| in our Southern aud Western border
lands.
l II Il could be- shown that the wide
I spread cultivation Of sorghum for sugar
/ production would result 10 a diminished
4 food supply for either man or beast, a
strong argument would at once be found
against such cultivation, notwithstand-
/ ing the fact that peeuniarily twas more
( profitable. But we propose 10 show that
, NJ such diminution need occur, or will
occur, even assuming that rot an acre
OF additional land should be brought
into use. Our great corn-prOducing sec
tiOns. the broad plains Of the Western
and Northwestern States, which will
presently be waving in every direction
with magnificent cane-helds Of sorghum,
contain, rs yet, almost illimitable ranges
which have never felt the pillow, and the
natural progress Of population and Of in
dustrv will, in due time. sweep them
within the area Of our wealth.viclding
land But, even without them, we can
produce our full measure of sugar. a.
already givcn-2. 1000. 600 0OO-and hog
and hominy shall still prevail. as now.
The present corn-ields, from Ohio to
Nebraska, and from Kentucky To Min
uc-ota, can do Il all
To make our position plain, we will
assume q definite case. \ farmer In
Iowa has this year 100 acres in corn.
The records of the State show that his
average yield may be expected at $500
bushels, worth IN round numbers S9OO.
OF this he consumes on the premises
We viii say 1900 bushels selling the re.
maindcr. OF this $500 bushels by far
: the largest portion has gone a. food for
J his hogs, horses, etc. The human con
sumption, according to the number
y in his family, has not in all prob
!, ability exceeded 100 bushels. II,
;. needed therefore To- supply his famil,
4 with their direct cOrnfOod only TIRE,
r acre Of corn; and to supply his stool
/. he needed >iXty-liyc acres. and outside q
this he had a money value of corn sol,
Of 1910.
7, Now turn the slate, aud cipher on tn
y other side. The next wear he plant
corn for his family, say ten acres, so a
to allow free margin, and his remain
y ing ninety acres he plants in sorghum
the variety selected being according
u his locality. The one feature whic
above all others is essential to his &c
ting the value from his sorghum as
sugar producer is that the crop shoul
become perfectly mature, the seed full
IN ripe. And here is wheHe the two valu
Is OF his coincide in giving him their I
lll turns. Experience abundantiy sho'
Is that sorghum seed, a. feed forlive sloc
nd is equal in every respect to Indian cor
ne Cattle, horses, hogs, eat it freely al
OF thrive upon il TO perfection. VIII
m thoroughly ripe, its fattening qualiti
1t are not at all surpassed by those Of I
1t corn; and acre for acre, the Weld of
d average crop of ripe sorghum is equ
I'M in feeding value TO an average crop
a corn.
fe. How does our farmers account the
nd fore stand as compared with last yea
ice returns? His family have had tn,
10 supply as then; on his sixty-five acl
To- he has fed the same amount Of stock
Ike then; on his remaining 25 acres he I
nd realized seed which has enabled him
he feed a proportionately increased nu
set Der of hogs, or Of mules, or Of VIII
a ever stock he has chosen, and he
ice their value in return, but he has not
de, 1910 for sales of corn.
er, l. the wealth Of the county dim
or. ished because the farmer plants mint
Inc acres in sorghum instead of in corn
Is has received all the pork and beef Il
nd Il did before, and in addition the p,
will and beef represented by the twenty-i
ON acres. And what has the farmer in
ust change for his 1910 of corn money!
or Mr. A. !. Russell, of .Ianesville, W
the President Of the Wisconsin Amber C;
lie Growers Association, reports to
en- Hon. Geo. b. Loring, L. :. Comm
at sioner Of Agriculture, in December IL
ng. that the yield from sorghum per a
the there was 1000 pounds of sugar. sell
lids for nine cents per pound, with sil
worth half as much in addition. A
9TH Mr.. Russell expressly states that thi
no fair return, inasmueh a the farm,
1n..1- r. J., e.
etc, had produced on an average o
about half Of what might fairly be
pccted, and oil what would actually
ana yielded in the future. He had him
was produced 1900 pounds 70 the acre "
us sirup in proportion.
'eal But taking the returns only a. Iii
me at these lowest figures, an acre vic
nat $3.50. We do not dare TO multiply I
arr by the 30 which represents the mum
NAT OF acres which our farmer had in
ere ghum, for fear the figure should sc
way too hattering for belief, but there Il
'wn are, and any one can take the slate
Gus pencil and work out the sum for h
en, self. We viii only remark that the
had mcr did not lose by giving mp the e
on, OF Indian corn, even il he lost
'ie) &3lo.
OUT Now, Jet no one suppose that We
nel going of in Wild visions Of bound
ne wealth to tumble into every ma
!" pocket from sorghum growing u Is
more certain than everything else
e, human labor. Crops win fail, Is CT
llli' Of all sorts fail. But crops also '
cen succeed. and where Indian corn will !
''cf ducc its value, sorghum will also /
o. dncc It's own value, aud the rclsi
acc value Of the two on hundred acrcs
un- have cnnsidered