St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-03
ACADEMY Or SCIENCES.
sugar for Beets' One of Last
Nights Topics.

The acaden y Of sciences had session
last evening III It's rooms in the Library
building. The attendance was small,
the audience consisting largely of news
paper reporters. Some fifteen members
OF the academy were present. Prof.
Nachtrieb. the vice president OF the
academy, presided.
PROF. Harper, OF the experiment sta
ton. read paper OH the Introduction
into the state of the manufacture of
sugar from beetS and sorghum. The
professor described the scientific process
OF the conversion of the Saccharine
matter contained i'll beets and sorghum.
1t had been found that beetS could be
raised in certain parts or Minnesota in
sufficient quantities to make it prutitabe
Tor tile grower, provided Il market could
be found for them. Their manufacture
into sugar would accomplish that end.
Sorghum can ue grown as we'll in this
state. and Minneapolis was the cOm.ner-
cial center of SECTION of the country
that could produce sufficient quantity
or both beelS and sorghum to warrant
the establishment of retlnerieS. He had
no DOUBT that the establishment of the
Industry IN this state would prove mu-
tuallY profitable to the growers of the
beetS and sorghum and to the prOprIe-
tors OF sugar reiinerIeS. The scientific
gentlemen present evinced considera-
Die interest in Prof. Harper's paper.
Prof. Hall desired to Call the attention
of the academy to one result of the
manufacture i'll minneapolis of beetS
into sugar not touched upon 10y Prof.
Harper. The speaker said that the
necessity of diversitying crops must be-
come more apparent tn the farmer
every day. Pests. water famineS, Ii, at
and climatic Influences sometimes de-
Stroyed the entire crop OF farmer con-
fined to one cereal Or product. In the
event OF having planted a crop composed
OF two or more PRODUCTS The Iarlner
discovered himself comparatively safe,
from financial point of view. If one
serial was destroyed he might rely upon
the other to paw the expense of plant
ing and cultlvatlng two Or more. Even
the Investigation of crops. aided by
fertlllZlng natures, would always as
sure continuity of harvests. Rotation
IN planting was necessary. and the i'll
PRODUCTION of the beet or sorghum cane
would enable the farmers Oh this state
to more profitably follow that system.
Prof. McMlilen read d paper on the
grasses ami flowers of the prairie which
had been prepared by Prof. Warren
Upnam. The paper enumerated the
lldllN SpeClcS vi nora discovered III Tile
valleys or the Red river and on the
pralrIts of the Great Northwest. At it's
conclusion Prof. McMiller said that
some of the species of flora enumerated
| i'll Prof. Upham's paper were identical
with the flora of Alaska and Siberia.
10 discover the history of the passage
of these plants TO the Southern valleys
of the Red river was all interesting
study. During tue glacial period when
the near Northwest was largely COW
cred with ice, there was driftless
area embracing some 10000 square
miles, glacial island surrounded by Ice.
He desired To know of Prof. HalIwhether
i'll that driftless arc it were possible Tor
the seed of the Siberian plants to have
lived and possibly terminated, and then
to have followed in the path of the ice
as it melted. The life of seeds was
known TO have lived for as many as 5000
years, and then, when exposed to heat,
to terminate. Prof. Hall thought tnat
the cold in the driftleSS arc during the
glacial epoch was not only intensely
cold. but That IL remained SO for un-
known length of time, for decades, or.
perhaps, for centuries. He believed the
pOSt-glacial flood had different origin.
At the conclusion of the discussion of
Prof. Opham'S paper, ID. p. Jones was
| elected, his name having been proposed
10y Prof. Hall, member of the acau-
envy. The academy then adjourned, to
| meet Oh Tuesday evening. Dec. Ii.