Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-09-12
5a1istelIaueuns &eadiug.
MAKING SUGAR FROM SORGHUM.

AYlakEktaukpAa &ka"@Ay-
MAKING SUGAR FROM SORGHUM.
During the Interstate Farmers En-
campment, at Spartanburg, on Tuesday,
August 7, the United states commissioner
of agriculture, the Hon. Norman j. COL
man, delivered the following address on
the subject of the manufacture OF sorghum
into syrup and sugar, which was reported
for the News and Courier:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen ::
Our people are the largest sugar -consum-
ing people in the world. BY the last re-
mort on the subject it is ascertained that
we consume so pounds of sugar per capita
throughout the United States, taking all
purposes for which sugar is used, which is
about 25 per cent. more than the next iarg-
est consuming people use, that is, the Eng
lish people. We are paying out annual
ly to the Iaborers of other nations over
one hundred millions of dollars of our
hard-earned money, which l hope to be
able to show you can be distributed among
{ our own people by the home production: prod ., oi
sugar While we are paying our at tnls
time one hundred millions OF dollars
wear, vet our growth of population is
going on, the consumption is annually in
creasing, and in twenty or twenty-five
wears from now, at the least, we shall
be having, unless there is change, two
hundred millions of dollars to the people
of other nations. Have you ever consid-
cred the drain upon your resources caused
by taking this vast amount OF money
from YOUR pockets and sending it to en-
rich other nations? 1t is a question worthy
of the profound consideration OF the states
men of America. We hear a good deal
about our great national debt; but that,
gentlemen, is mere bagatelle in comParl-
son with the drain caused by the purchase
of the necessities Of life. Our public debt
is due mainly to our own people. When
it is paid the money again goes into clrcu-
lation and the country is not exhausted of
this blood almost vital to its life.
PROUD OF BEING A FARMER.
lam proud to be called one of that class
who are engaged in cultivating the soil,
and I generally feel at home in such meet
ings as this, because / was born upon
farm and nv whole life has been devoted
to the elevation of the farmer and to the
development of our great agricultural in
terests. [Applause.1 We farmers all know
that there is no plant more at home among
us than the sorghum plant: AS have
travelled on my way from Washington l
have seen numerous patches of 1T growing
with great vigor and freedom. dare say
wherever it is grown in this or surround
ing counties or States, it is one of your
most vigorous producing plants. You
know as well as I do that rich and heal
thy syrup has been produced from it ever
since it was introduced some thirty years
ago. the Chinese sugar cane. At that time
I commenced its cultivation, receiving
nv first supply of seed from the patent
Office. I made syrup from it, and to my
surprise, at times I would find one-third
or one fourth of barrel of crystals in the
bottom of my syrup barrel. l then COM
menced studying the production of sugar,
and have from that time to this given it
my careful consideration.
SUGAR CAN BE MADE AT HOME.
concluded then that if this sugar would
crystalize when no effort was made to pro-
duce that result, all the sugar needed In
our country might, in time, be produced
at home. I had noted the cultivation OF
sugar beets. You probably know that
more than half of the sugar now consumed
by the civilized world is made from beets.
You probably recollect that Napoleon Of
fered bounty for its production: Al,
though the first beets used for sugar showed
only about four per cent. of saccharlne
matter, enterprising sugar manufacturers,
encouraged by the Kindness and bounty Of
the government, have improved it from
year to year until it now shows about six
teen per cent. ofsaccharine matter, result
accomplished by careful and scientific cul-
tivation.
I argued that the same improvements
could be made in sorghum culture. The
first advance in that direction was the in
PRODUCTION of what is now called "amber
cane" Mr.. John Y. Keys, OF Indiana,
brought home some seed obtained While
on visit to Paris. He planted it and sue
ceeded in raising one stalk. 1t ripened
earlier; he found upon examination that
its Juice was richer in saccharine matter;
and from that stalk of cane has been pro-
now to be found on nearly every farm
where sorghum is cultivated. Being so
early, it was taken to Minnesota and was
there cultivated. The syrup was of fine
amber color. It was found to crystallze
readily, and you will recollect that a good
deal of sugar was produced from the am
ber cane. A great many barrels OF sugar
have been made from it. My friends
here, Senators Butler and VOORHEES,, will
probably recollect that barrel of that su-
gar was sent to President Hayes at the
time that he was in Washington. Thls
gave great boom to the production OF
sugar.
ACTUAL EXPERIMENTS.
1t went so far, finally, that large man
ufacturing establishment was erected at
Campaign, ILL.,, and some 10000 or 10000
pounds of most excellent sugar was pro-
duced. But it was produced by what is
caled'the "old roller mill process" which
failed to extract all the saccharine contents
of the cane, 10 pounds only of sugar being
produced to the ton of cane. The price OF
sugar was then very low, for German and
French manufacturers were making sugar
in large amounts, as those governments
paid bounty, not upon what sugar was
produced in the country, but upon what
sugar was exported from the country,
thereby bringing in money. This caused
its manufacture to so large an extent that
sugar was cheapened throughout the civil
lied world. So it was found, after the eX-
penditure of some $4,000 or $60,0OO in
erecting that mandatory, that 1T did not
paw. It was likewise tried in Kansas ana
other States on small scale, and under
the old milling process 1T was 1ound tnat
not enough juice was obtained TO make
the industry profitable:
Such was the condition of affairs when
came to take charge of the department
of agriculture at Washington. Having
been giving careful consideration to the
manufacture of beet sugar, 1 felt satisfied
that there was enough saccharine IN sor-
ghum to make it profitable plant from
which to raise sugar. During. the very
first interview / had with President CleVe-
land, before my appointment, l stated to
him that if placed at the head of the de-
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