The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-15
The Sugar Industry.
EXPERIMENTAL WORK OF THE DEpART-
MENT or AGRICULTURE.

MENT OF AGRICULTURE.
Commissioner Loring asked Congress-
for $50, 900 for expenditure in the devel-
opment of the sugar industry during the
current fiscal year, and Congress, at the
suggestion, it is understood, of Senator
Plumb, who thought that sum insuffi-
cient, made an appropriation of $5O, 900.
The late day at which the appropriation
became available has proved matter of
some embarrassment, yet, in the opin-
Ion OF Prof.. Wiley, chemist of the Agri-
cultural Department, very valuable as
sistance to the several branches of the
sugar industry will be rendered.
The experimental work Of the depart
ment IN sorghum and beet sugar making
has been concluded, and the work of the
present and future will be in the direc-
ton OF practically developing the indus
try, and in aiding in the introduction of
improved methods.
The cheapening of sugar by the enor-
nous growth of the industry in Europe,
Prof. Wiley says, renders the crude
methods so far in use by the Louisiana
sugar growers and makers no longer de-
sirable. New and better machinery and
processes must be adopted if the man
ufacture is to continue one of profit.
The process of diffusion applied to
sorghum and cane, which consists in
cutting the stalk into thin slices and eX-
tracing the sugar by diffusing with
water, was a subject OF successful eXpe-
riment last year, resulting i'll securing
not less than SO per cent. OF the sugar
contained in the plant 1t is now pro-
posed to assist the Sugar Planters AS
ISOLATION of Louisiana in establishing
diffusion battery i'll that State, not for
M Int for oal
use, and to render similar assistance to
the sorghum sugar interests by making
an establishment probably in Kansas.
Efforts will also be made to stimulate
the facilities Tor producing beet sugar on
the Pacific coast-anew industry, which !
promises good results in the future.
Neither the sorghum nor the beet sugar
industries, Prof. Wiley thinks, have yet /,
been made profitable to those engaged |
in them, but there is reason for erlcour-J
agement in what has been accomplished. I
The beet sugar industry of Europe was
subject of costly experiment in differ /
ent countries for twenty-five years before
it reached the paying stage. Now it is I
one of the most gigantic industries in
the world, Germany alone making more
than ,000, 900 tons annually.
There were produced last year about
TWO DllllO4 DOuIluS Vi hOulSldlld 5CttllO sblt-s
gar, about 100000 pounds of sorghum
sugar, and /, 250, 900 pounds of beet sugar
in this country, about one-twelfth of it's
consumption.
The experiments of the Agricultural |
Department, Prof. Wiley says, has
proved the practicability OF making sugar
from sorghum, but the expectation of
making it with profit north of the Iso-
thermal Line passing through Washing |
ton, must be abandoned. Portions of |
New jersey and Indiana, and the State
of Kansas, localities where the industry
has already established itself, are south
of the line.
Sorghum, perhaps, may be made much
further north, and their manufacture
will doubtless sometime become prof
table industry. There are large areas
in Northern California and Oregon, espe
cially adapted to the cultivation of the
sugar beet.