Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-02-24
AGRICULTURAL.
SrolR FBou SORGHUM


Under the Diffusion Process.
A cuN7iNuAriuN oF THE PRESENT mon TAR
tFF uN SUGAR CALLED FOR ny TEXAS DEM
uCHNrS.
The Fort Worth Daily Gazette, Texas
has am article of two columns on Sugar .
from Sorghum by the diffusion process, |
which we might believe tended to show .
that Texas is to become at once great |
sugar producing country, if we had not |
heard substantially the same story 50 many
times before The Gazette correspondent |
interviews Col Cunning the inter
viewed classes of Texas are majors, colo
nes, or generals-a sugar planter at San
Antonio after describing the new method
Of making sugar by what is called the
diffusion process the colonel is asked
DO YOU intend TO adopt this method on
your plantation ~
Eyes, propose to plant SOOor 1000 acres
in sorghum, which | intend TO diffuse by
the process adopted in Fort Scott. | shall
have my battery ready to commence oper-
ations in June | have great faith in it
and think there is great opening over the
entire South for sorghum 1t would be n
crop that is easily raised and | think we
ought to obtain as much sugar from 1t as
they do in Kansas, if not more, to the ton,
and then in all Of our country located south
of latitude Of Northern Texas ! think we
can develop and save two crops a year, av
eraging probably from 1000 to 1900 pounds
of sugar to the acre from each crop. Then
in the country north of that latitude, be
tween u line from Northern Kentucky and
West Virginia, | think they can save at
-f,,11,
sion is that if the tariff duties are not in
terfered with that in five or six years the
sorghum belt Of country in connection with
the tropical country will be supplying all
the sugars the United States would con
sumo, and these $3.50, 900, 900 now being
paid for for foreign sugars will all be kept
at home. think it will place the whole of
the agricultural portion of our country in
more prosperous and a better financial con
dtion than they have ever been. They
can plant less cotton and get their money
earlier from sugar than they could from
cotton and by having diversified crops, of
course it will make it more certain that the
farmer will make money. The sorghum
plant is a very hardy one and thrives we'll
especially in countries more or less subject
to drouth. There is no plant | know of
now cultivated that will stand the drouth
that sorghum will OF course in the event
Of the sugar industry in Texas becoming
general the success Of it would require cap
ital, so these sugar refineries or factories
would have to be worked on the central
system, as it were, by the farmers taking
stock in them, or by outside parties becom-
ing stockholders and then buying the cane
from the farmers by the ton, paying for it
i'm so much sugar or in money, Just as they
may contract
"Would sugar making he more profitable
and safer to cultivate than cotton, in your
opinion . questioned the press man.
at will always be more profitable and
certain than cotton OF course, | don't
suppose it would take the place of cotton
entirely, but would be powerful auxiliary
to the farmer in helping him to diversity
his crops. Sorghum hitherto has not been
raised for sugar. | think one man could
cultivate very readily % TO 30 acres of
sorghum as it would be easy work with the
improved agricultural implements now in
use, such as cotton cultvators Putting
the yield at 100 pounds to a ton in this
country where two crops a year can be
raised, and ten tons to the acre, it would
be SO for the first crop and the same for
the second Then again the selling Of the
seed and fodder would pay for the work,
as it now goes for ordinary feed just COM
petng with corn They raise % to 30
bushels an acre each crop, and one bushel
of sorghum seed Is equal to "A bushe of
corn in nutritive qualities.
"1he by-products of sorghum too are
very valuable. There is no question but
that the pulp which results will make fine
paper and can he prepared to bear ship
ment. The profits arising from the cultiva
ton of sorghum for sugar are undoubtedly
great and in Kansas the farmers are per
Ia,
sing one crop year, they get 50 a ton fol-
the cane that goes to the factory, and then
there is the seed and fodder. They CLAIM
they make more money than in any other
business, and are all anxious to contribute
To put in sorghum for next year.
Are there any patents on the diffusion
process ("
"Nu: the diffusion process has been ap
piled for some years to beet sugars, anC
in Demorara it is used successfully on trOp
zeal cane. The sorghum experiment ha
been made under the supervision of Prof
Wiley, following Professor Collier chic
chemist of the agricultural department n
Washington, and it has been attended witt
entire success beyond the expectation o
every one
'ln the event Of a reduction of the tar
if, would that naturally affect the success
as a profitable undertaking =
Undoubtedly, | think any modification
of the tariff would have II very serious et
feet ON sorghum 1t will have the effect a
keeping capitalists from taking hold of il
This continued meddling of the tariff ha
retarded Texas for the past eight or te
years, especially i'm the development O
sugar. Capitalists were 10th to take hol
of it for they did not know when the tart
might be removed. If the tariff is allow
ed to remain, | have no doubt that SORGHUM
and sugar making will become grand fac
tor of prosperity in Texas | think tina
this prospect for the making of sugar fror
sorghum ought to make every farmer j
the country IA protectionist. 1t will b
largely to the interest of every one to max
our own sugars, that we may keep the mon
ey ut home without sending it to foreigl
countries. As any modiiction of the tart
would menace the future success of sorg
hum, | think it incumbent on the agricul
tural community and the people general
to exercise pressure on their legislators, an
it would he polite step for Congressme
to see if they had not better mend thei
fences in the sorghum districts. | thin
every farmer in the country should enlght
en- himself ON the subject of protection an
he energetic in getting proper legisatio
on the matter to protect his interests.
will afford me pleasure after | have trie
the experiment ON my plantation to Civ
the farmers the advantage of my eXper
ence. | have frst-class chemist to super
wise the taking off of the crop, and he wi
make numerous analyses of the differer
varieties Of cane to ascertain from whic
the best results are to be obtained, so thS
in the future we can go at 1t intelligently
We have, at times, been encouraged t
believe that the production of sugar in til
United States in sufficient quantity to SUI
ply the home demand might, within ret
sonable time, become AN established fac
For the past 90 years the public have bee
annually treated to the statement, appa
emily coming from trustworthy source
that now we have it; first, from suga
beets then from sorghum cane or eve
from corn stalks and for the past four
five years, from "A new process Of manufa
ture by which the quantity of sugar o
tanned from both sorghum and cane is
be greatly increased. But the sugar be
factories, after being heralded as a gre
success, finally prove a great failure II
corn stalks that were to yield crop
sugar worth more than the crop of cor
and at the same time allow the farmer Il
full benefit of both crops, have totally fail,
to materialile. Sorghum sugar, or at lea
sorghum molasses, has been produced to
considerable extent, yet not enough to IN
terially check the increased demand f
foreign sugar, During all these years
aft In lnArAalA b.a Of