Wichita eagle., 1889-09-14
SECRETARY RUSK ON KANSAS SOR-
GHUM.
He Booms the Industry and Will Pay
Our Plants a Visit.

agriculture, whom, it will be seen, visit
Kansas in few days:
Uncle Jerry Rusk was in the city yes
terday on his way to Madison, where h'
viii spend few DAYS before returning
to his duties as secretary of agriculture
| In about a week Secretary RuSk vii
| leave for Missouri and Kansas, his triI
to the latter state being in connection
with the extensive experiments in sor
ghum cane that are beng conducted by
the agricultural department. Some 35,
600 acres Of land have been planted IL
sorghum cane, and the entire chemico
corps of the department, twenty-slX eX
pert chemists, have been turned loose Oh
| the product TO make tests. \ few days
| ago Secretary Rusk received advices
from them that the cane had yielded
| splendid results, some OF it showing IL
per ceng. of saccharine matter, whereas
| u per cent IS sufficient to enable the
profitable production of sugar. Secre-
retary Rusk was highly elated yesterday
over the news he had received, and be-
lieves that the agricultural department S
experiments will revolutionize the sugar
trade of the country if the results Keep
up as they have begun.
GREAT POSSIBILITIES.
eff the sorghum cane produces 12 per
cent OF saccharine matter, said he, 1.-THE
cost of the sugar can be brought down
to ; cents per pound. Were it not for
the fuel problem IN Kansas, 1t would be
shaved down to 2 cents. There Is no
profit in operating a small mill, for in
stance twenty or fifty ton mill, bat
there is in a two hundred and fifty ton
mill. Take a manufacturing season of
sixty DAYS, and two-mlie field would
supply the material nicely for such a
miI Now plant two hundred and
fifty ton mill every two miles in Kansas
and look at the enormous production of
sorghum sugar that there would be IN
that state alone"
''How much sugar does 250-ton mill
produce daily"
you can figure that cut yourself on
the basis OF II per cent s2charlne matter
in the cane. Every day there would be
3J0 tons of cane crushed, yielding some
10000 pounds Of sugar. In a SlXty-day
season that would amount to 1905
pounds from a single mill.
Don't you think other states could
do as well as Kansas:
Undoubtedly, If located south of the
north line>of Kansas. L don't believe
that the sorghum industry could be sue
cessfully carried on in Iowa, Illinois or
Wisconsin. You see, TO make it prOtita
bic there must be a manufacturing sea-
son OF sixty days. Now YOU can raise
sorghum cane in Wisconsin and other
states in this latitude, but you haven't
time to reduce it to sugar before it Is
nipped by frosts. The cane must be cut
as ii is used in the mill, for it sOurs forty
eight hours after it is cut, and the cane
would not mature in this climate early
enough to give manufacturing season. "
''How would an extensive manufac-
ture of sorghum sugar affect the south
ern cane plantations
1t would pay them to give up sugar
cane raising and go into the cultivation
of the sorghum cane. In Louisiana, for
instance, they could gather two crops Of
sorghum cane. and look at the difference
in cost. To plant an acre IN sugar cane
costs the plantation owner $50; to do so
in sorghum the cost is 10 cents. The
difference is due to the fact that field
Of sugar cane is planted from the slips,
while a field of sorghum is raised from
the seed. We have been gathering large
quantities of the seed this season, taking
only from the stalks that our chemical
tests show to contain II per cent or more
of the saccharine substance.
"But the sorghum sugar is notas good
as that from the sugar cane:'
AS GOOD AS ANY SUGAR.
GA roasting process has been invented
that sends the sorghum cane through Il
trench and burns away all the leaves and
green outside. BY this means the sor-
ghum sugar is made just rs good in
every way as the other The question
now is whether this roasting process can
be used without too great an expense.
The leaves and green outside of the cane
are what give the sorghum its peculiar
lavor. and when consumed by this pro-
cess the sugar is produced without hav-
ing that disagreeable flavor"
Another thing, said Secretary Rusk,
that added to the desirabiiity of cultivat-
ing the sorghum cane was that it had
been discovered that tie refuse syrup. of
which there were large quantities, could
be used to feed cattle with and proved as
fattenmg an article Of food as could be
obtained.
Are YOU experimenting with the
sugar beet also:' Secretary Busk was
asked.
Not much. Somebody else Is doing
that who can undertake the work better
than the government can-Claus Sprecl1-
els, the big sugar king Of California. He
has spent hundreds of thousands of dol
lars III prosecuting that work. There Is
this advantage that the beet hassover the
Cane-it doesn't spoil so readily. You
can dig It up and keep it III root cellars,
while the cane commences to sour with
III dag or two after being gathered in.
1t is the intention of Secretary Rusk to
visit the national agricultural fair ar
ranged by the p6oIle Of St Joe. No. to
begin on the 18Th of this month. and
after his trip to Kansas he viii return to
Washington previous to a trip among
the southern fairs. He viii attend the
sugar convention in Louisiana aud has
about concluded TO visit the state fairs
of Virginia and Alabama. but has not
concluded whether he viii attend the
other numerous southern fairs to which
he has received invitations.
The Burton Graphic OF this week
gives the details in part of the arrange
ments now making there for a gem
eral business reciprocity between the
Santa Fe and Frisco railroads
at that place. The Graphic says the
water tank and pump have been complet-
Ell and the large force of men are at
work on the transfer sheds, engine house
and union depot, which has until recent
lv baa,, q thing Of l0srbr bs,t has now