Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-02-06
making three crops Of sugar annually-twO
from sorghum and one from our southern

director of the Connecticut State Agricul-
tural Experimental Station, member OF the
National Academy Of Sciences and author
Of How Crops Grow" and other works,
visited the Rio Grande station to see util-
lied the seven years experiments. con-
Quoted under the direction Of Superinten-
dent Engineer Hughes.
Prof. Johnson's report is too long to be
given here In full at this time. He. how
ever. reports an average yield of fifteen
tons and maximum yield Of twenty-five
tons of sorghum cane per acre. from which
was extracted 1875 pounds Of first sugar per
ton OF cane.
The |. go pounds Of first sugar that saw
made. on the 29th OF October, from seven
teen tons and six hundred and fifty pounds
of cane grown on one measured acre. Ia
therefore only little above the average
yield reported bv Prof. johnson.
EXPERIMENTS IN JAVA.
have interesting reports OF recent ex-
periments in Java, but have room here only
for mere mention. They made the water
absolutely pure by filtration before using 1t In
the dffusers. The pure water was found
TO extract the sugar more readily and more
OF it. The result was large reduction Of
the dilution. and consequently saving OF
uel in evaporation and . better quality Of
ugar.
The experiments in converting diffusion
chips into fuel were also successful. These
are the two most important features in the
Java experiments.
PREPARING CANE FOR DIFFUSION.
The first and only really suitable ma
chine for preparing cane for diffusion has
Just been perfected here and thoroughly
tested. Mr.. Hughes saw the need Of such
. machine n early ~ 1884, but the sorghum
sugar makers generally have not seen the
need OF il until this season.
There are expert sugar chemists now
who think that sorghum can be topped,
stripped and cleaned by hand, and that .
simple cutter Is the only machine necessary
to prepare sorghum for the diffusers- Mr..
Engineer Hughes. In his report for 1855,
makes the following statement to the con-
trary:
lone hours work with thirty men proved
cenclusvely that il would cost 50 per ton
TO completely remove leaves, including the
entire sbeathS. from cane by hand. Diffu-
sion upon large scale with sorghum. strip
ped by hand, was therefore impracticable. "
l should say so. ''lmpfacticable" Is the
proper word. Hon. Edward J. Gay. pf
Louisiana. who Is high authority on all
matters connected with the sorghum in
dustry, wrote me to the same effect last
year 1t will be seen, therefore. that the
machine that will meet all the requirements
of the service must not only cut the cane
as heretofore. but do five other things be-
Sides and oil with once handling the cane,
as follows:
I. Strip the leaves and closely adhering
sheaths from the cane.
9. Separate the same from the stripped
cane-stalks and throw them into separate
receptacle.
s. Cut of the seed tops.
4. Separate the seed tops from the cane
and deposit them In separate receptacle.
5. Cut the stripped and topped cane stalks
into two inch sections.
8. Tear the sections of cane into shreds
suited TO diffusion.
All this has heretofore been done partly
by hand and partly by two or three
separate machines. II can now be
done wholly by one automatic machine and
with once handling Of the cone. Once put
upon the carrier. the leaves and sheaths
come out at one place, the seed tops at an
other. while the shredded cane passes di-
rectly into the diffusers. all done by ma
chinery.
The machinery heretofore In use is . sue
cess as demonstrating the advantages of
dlffusion. but the cane had to be handled
too many times; besides, there was great
waste. All of which makes the sugar cost
too much.
The great success, however, OF the pres
ent season. particularly in New Jersey.
where the agriculturist, engineer and chem
list esch minds his own business and does
70. interfere with others, makes II certain
that the mechanical improvements, and they
are all mechanical. necessary to further re-
's--e tse cost of making sorghum sugar
will be forthcoming for the approaching
season.
Further progress and the retention
of the present tariff on sugar and
other products Of American manufacture is
now. however, in order. We must not
forget that.
Let the friends Of the Louisiana sugar
industry. therefore, unite with:.their power
full allies. the sorghum sugar-makers. who
are found wherever corn grows. and ,chO
hare at least ttoO hundred friends In con-
gress. who will come to their rescue In case
Of need. Let ali our allied industries
unite against the common enemy, and there
can he no doubt Of our ultimate triumph!
ID. ID. Cone.