The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-12-10
Sorrhurn Culture.

The Princeton n. ~ Spy, in reference 70 the
above subject ssKyS
We have several times referred 70 the PROMISING,
future Of sorghum culture and the manufacture IF
sugar from this plant. In which such progress has
already been made that sorghum sugar Is now pro-
htable made IN Considerable quantities in New
Jersey and IN two or three Of the western states.
The measure OF success which this industry has
attained and It's promise for the tuture chiefly
due 10 DR.. Peter Collier, late chemist of the United
States department. OF agriculture. Dr. Collier
the possibilities of the sorghum plant and with
rare SiglcIty and patient labor be developed them
by a series Of experiments, Continuing through
several seasOus, IN which many varieties of sofE-
hum ard several processes Of manufacture were
tested. Other had experimental before him. but
with results much less satisfactory. Their con
ei1sl0ns as pGbllshed In s1rloue reports and tred
tises efs almost ali the critical points In the pro-
eesses Of culture and sugar Manufacture IN doubt
His experiments conducted under varying cundi-
tons solved these doubts and demonstrated that
the sorghum cane Of sour varieties CONTAINS a
percentage Of crystalliEable sugar not less than
that of the Louisiana cane, that the cane Is in IFS
best estate for sugar making when the seed is
thoroughly ripened, and that tue process Of sugar
making from sorghum Is not moro difficult ex-
pensIve or Its results less uniform and certain
than from cane The results of his experiueuts,
With all the important facts relating 10 the ecuno
mical production Of sugar and syrup from Sorr-
hum, are Systematically presented By DR.. Collier
In oetEvO volume. II contains full accounts of
his experiments and their results, DESCRIPTIONS OF
many varieties Of sorghum from North and South
Of the juice Of each, directions for the cultivation
Of sorghum, the time of cutting and subsequent
treatment, the machinery used Cor expressing the
juice and its reduction. with Illustrations and in
general all that any investigator of the subject
need care to know about il The sum of the whole
matter Is that sorghum Is grown in most parts of
the world for its seed and the fodder which its
leaves yield Il Is perhaps, more extensively cul-
tITated than any other grain producing plant Its
seeds are almost Identical IN the amount and
quality Of the nutrlmsut they contain, With Indian
corn and the yield Of seed to the acre Is about the
same 1hs amount Of available sugar in the stalk
not less IN the best varieties than IN the ene of
the LOUISIANA sugar Plantations If then sor- hum
Is pruHtably cultivated for its seed alone, and
sugar cane for its sugar only, plant which COM
bInes the advantages Of both, yielding as much
and valuable grain as the corn, and as much ava
liable sugar as the Louisiana cane. and which can
be successfully IN every state of the Union can
surely Be made profitable crop, and DR.. Golfers
prediction, that within few years all the sugar
used IN the United States viii be made at home,
does not seem e1traTlsant- Since DR.. Golfers
book vas p1blIsned his favorable estimates Of the
value Of sorghum have been confirmed by expert
meuts made in Italy under the direction of the
minister Of agriculture and by Professor Sharp
less of the Massachusetts, agricultural college.
These eIperImenters obtained from sixteen to
eighteen per cent Of sugar from the Juice of the
sorghum cane, while Louisiana cane averages only
twelve per cent That this industry is already
past the stage Of mere theory the production of
1888 shows At Bio Grande, New Jersey, 49,
III pounds Of sugar and 30 900 gallons of molasses
we're made; at Champaign, Illinois, leo 600 pounds
Of sugar and 1000 gallons of mOlasses; IN kansas
at Eve spearzte works, 5000 pounds of sugar,
and throughout the State, according to the report
Of the board Of agriculture, lz3 gallons Of
syrup, worth more than tEo million dollars The
cost Of uanufscture at Rio Grande Is said not TO
exceed one and three-fOurths cents a pound. and
other practical sugar makers put the cost con-
siderably hJEer: At that rate, and With sugar as
lO~ il Is nov, the value of the crop 10 the far
mer would be nearly fifty dollars an acre, and
this, it must be remembered. Is in addition the
grain and fodder, equal In value to crop of corn.
These anticipatiOns might not be fully realized
perhaps, bat the evidence seems to De satisfactory
that trey mirnt be cllsalv annroached