New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-02
THE SORGHUM INDUSTRY.
GOOD NEWS FOR sUsAs con ,UMEas.
A PROFITABLE CROP FOR FARMERs-PR0FEssoR
swExsON's ABLE REPORT.


swENsON's ABLE REPORT.
WASHINGTON Jan. (spec.aD-The announcement OF
the successful results OF the efforts la Kansas the last
season to manufacture sugar from sorghum CANE exciea
Widespread tcrst and strong and general desire mas
beeu exhibited for detailed statement OF the opera
tions The report of Professor NJ. Swcnson. who lad
sole charge OF the work. has been received BIZ the Com
missiouer of Agriculture and will he published rs
special bulletin as certain illustrations which
are to accompany 1t can be made ready In tho mean
time the importance Of tho subject and the eagerness OF
tho demand for information in regard to IL justify the
publication Of an outline OF the WORK ana MI exact S'a
mont Of the results obtained
From Professor Sweusous report 1t appears thar az
soon a. tho earliest Of the amber approached ripe
ncss about July 90 experiments were begun In defeca
ton and ltrationof Juices When sugar making began
month LATER the seed heads were cut from the cane In
the neld The cane then hauled to the mill and
passed through cutter 1t was cut into pieces about IN
inch loag, which elevated by drag 10 the top OK
series of fans four In number The cleaned pieces OF
cane were cut by rapidly revolving cutter carrying
thirty knives Experiments with cane mill juices ana
with Juices obtained by the diffusion process respect
lively showed that the yield Of syrup by the latter was
twenty-five gallons Of syrup to the ton OF cane ~ com
pared with ten gallons from the juices obtained by the
mill rrocesa The Of very poor quality but the
syrup obtained by the diffusion process was OF very
good quality" On this head the report says:
SThis Ia matter OF great Importance to all engaged IN
the sugar business both the beginning and close OF
the season there considerable cane that IL not nc
for sugar making. AMI the fact that twenty-five gallons
of first class syrup be made from such cane oy
diffusion makes II possible 10 WORK oven sucn "
q good p. oft"
The first run Of sugar was begun August rs according
to the folio wing described process:
aThe Juice was made alkaline with lime. and about
Der cent of carbonate OF lime added. 1t was then
filtered To other portions juice instead Of carbonate
NJ Iahal
sandy loan were added respectively The vibrations
were very imperfect except with the carbonate OF me
and in every way c0rresponded wiih.tne preliminary
experiments Satisfactory vibrations were only pro-
duoed when tho JUICE hal been naio strongly akahe~
and no material was found which would filter the Juice
when lef slightly acid. On August 80 the hrst strlXe
was mIte and the yield was a little more than loo
pounds OF washed sugar per ton of clean cane
To prevent the inversion OF the In the diffusion
battery ten pounds Of dry precpiated carbonate
of lime was mixed with enough water to form INN
pastel This WAS added to the fresh chips while the cell
was being flied and wholly prevented any loss OF sugar
By inversion. The report continues: On September
filtration was dispensed with and experiments tried with
simple DELEGATION The defscaors were similar 10 those
I'm ordinary use, being simply round tankt with concal
bottoms and furnished with coils for heating the juice
This method OF DELEGATION, however, was not satisfac-
tory and DELEGATION tried In shallow PAM 10 iect
long and 20 inches wide, with partition running
engthvse In ccntro the inlet and outlet OF the pan
on opposite sides Of tho partition. This pan was gotten
I'D very hurredly and supplied with iron pipes Tor
hs ing the juice Tho juice. after being previously
'nei and somewhat heated was pumped into one slie
of the long heating pan and out al the opposite side
continuously"
The juice evaporated at from 20 to 80 degrees
Reaume I'm double effect evaporation. built at Whining
ton Dell which gave entire satisfaction Every sIrixo
was boiled to grain In the pan. Boiling In anu IN -
that IL. enrichins the juice with sugars not recon
meuiei except where the juice Is 80 poor that good
grain cannot be obtained other way The total
amount OF worked for sugar was 26lo tons, WINCH
included all used for experimental purposes Inc oai
amount of first " sugar made was 23of'o pounls'
Th. sugar was all washed and poarzed ON an aver.
ago 90 per cent The total amount Oh oisses Pi'u"oo
was 81 900 gallons. $3.50 o.,
In orer TO ascertain the average yield or sugar per to
TENDER ID, when strike was made from l,J tns o ny
clean cane In order to obtain better grain -ooo
onds of sugar were aided TO the juice after 1t had been
defecatel. The result. rs follows: