River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-10-30
SUGAR INDUSTRY,
A Profitable Employment with New
Methods and Skilled Workmen.

We have an institution in our vii
lage which ought TO become wider
known than our immediate vicinity;
viz. the syrup mandatory, owned
and managed by o. s. Powell, of this
place, Our worthy townsman has
fought against many discouragements
to prove to the people of this northern
country that the business of cane rails
ing, so profitable in southern ATTITUDES,
is more profitable here than wheat
raising, and has the proof in hand this
year TO convince the most incredulous.
In starting this enterprise on so large
a scale, he has been compelled to coz
front the prejudices of his farmer
friends far and near; as well as the
southern theorists who stoutly main
tain that Wisconsin is too far north
for the growth of cane, and the manu-.
facture of sorghum syrup. But hay
ing great faith in the possibilities of
this fertile and quick springing valley,
he has persevered until now the en-
terprise has passed out from the field
of the possibilities into the actuals,
and declares its right to live on its
own merits. There has been good
deal of hard work, money, time and
skill brought to the establishment of
this mandatory, the largest of its
kind in the Northwest, and Mr.. Pow
ell is deserving of the thanks of the
whole countryround about for holding
on to this in the dark days, as now, it
is not only profitable to Mr.. Powell
and the village, but ben citing to this
whole region. The time has come in
this section of Wisconsin when the
farmer must depend upon something
more than the raising of wheat for
support even. Diversified crops
must take the place of the constant
wheatfields of the past. What
to raise profitably in the change must
of course be a matter of years of ex-
pertinent with season and soils. With
Mr.. PowelPs success in the raising
and manufacture of cane into syrup,
it must stand settled, that, one year
with another, the growth of cane is
one of the most profitable crops to put
in the place of wheat. Does some one
say that the frosts are too early i'll this
section to be sure of securing the
cane uninjured! To this it might be
answered that wheat is not sure of
paying one year with another. All
crops must sometimes fail. But Mr..
Powell, who cannot now be consider
ed novice in this matter, declares
emphatically that cane will pay year
after year better than almost any
other crop the farmer can produce.
This perhaps would not be true if the
sorghum we're to be manufactured
by i'll arranged machinery and incom-
petent and unskilled workmen; but
fortunately we have here a syrup
mandatory that will compare favor
ably with any in the sugar states of
the south, whether we look at the
capacity of the mill or its adaptability
so as to secure greatest perfection in
the product; and this is open to all
who may raise cane and desire to Sc
cure its benefits. This year, aside
from what Mr.. Powell has manufact-
ured for others, he has forty acres of
his own which will yield him about
$40 gallons of No. syrup to the acre,
and what we mean by No. syrup
is that it is as good, if not superior to
most syrups in the market. 1t is
sweet, light colored. and by the slpe-
rior process of making, there is
scarcely the least flavor of the strong
sorghum taste SO commonly known as
belonging to this class of syrups.
There is ready sale in this market
for these goods at so cents per gallon,
aud at this low price it ought to dis
place the low priced syrups made from
glucose and chemicals, good to look
upon, but taSteless, and without
sweetness.
For SALE.-Twenty-five cords of
good oak wood. Inquire at this office.