Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-12-24

consistency of ordinary syrup, the yield
would be two gallons more to each ton
of cane worked.
The company while disappointed i'll
cane crop, are nevertheless highly elat-
ed at the success of the experiment, and
feel confident that the making of sugar
with outfits costing small amount of
money is soon to become an established
business. According to data at hand,
some statements concerning the cost
of plant, cost of working cane, extrac-
ton, and amount, and value of product
can be made. A plant capable of work
ing 500 acres of good cane can be put
up, with machinery all first class, for
an amount not exceeding $1,000. All
machinery can be obtained with war
ranty of responsible parties that it will
accomplish certain amount of work.
Such factory would turn out from 700
to 1000 gallons of string proof syrup
each day in operation, and would re-
quire the work of eight men each shift.
Those of the men employed should be
men of experience, I. e. superintendent,
engineer, and men for CHARTERS and
evaporation. AS for the remainder any
attentive persons who are willing to
work are all that will be required. The
average extraction this season was
about 81 per cent. of juice contained in
cane, while last year the extraction was
~ per cent. with the same pressure. 1t
is safe to say that in ordinary sea-
sons with fairly good presses, from IS
to 20 per cent. OF the juice may be OBJ
tanned. The waste cane, I. e., bagasse,
will furnish very nearly, if not quite
enough fuel to run a factory, leaving
syrup at string proof density. This is
a most important factor, as In this
section the fuel used in diffusion sugar
factories costs as much, OF perhaps
more than the labor employed. AS IL
lustratiOn of this, it may be mentioned,
that at Medicine Lodge last season the
cost for the fuel was about 500 more
than for labor, the cost each being near
ly $1,000.
With an extraction of 65 to 20 per
cent. on good cane the syrup output
from ton will be from twelve and one
half to fifteen gallons. The factory ex-
pense OF working will be from 81 to
cents per gallon. Counting the cane at
prices usually paid in this section, the
syrup will cost total sum of IA to Is
cents per gallon. According TO numer-
Gus tests made, the syrup will grain
from three to four pounds to each gal
Ion of syrup made from good cane,
worked promptly after being cut. The
remaining syrup is of high grade,
which can be readily disposed of. With
a syrup costing a total of IA to 16 cents
per gallon, which turns out upward of
three pounds of sugar, the remainder
being good syrup, it would seem as If
here was broad field for energetic
work, and corresponding profit. The
sugar having value of 4 cents per
pound, together with a national bounty
OF two cents, besides State bounty. the
syrup will remain clear profit to the
producer. About two thirds the weight
of product will be syrup, and the re-
mainder sugar, and in proportion there
would be little difference in value. The
seed crop is quite an important item.
and it may be said that the seed from a
ton of cane will be II bushels, which
threshed, has feeding value equal to
| three-fourths the same weight OF shell
| ed corn.
The success of sugar plants working
OH small scale makes it possible fol
two or three farmers to unite. put UP
their own factory, raise and work Their
own cane with very little expense, only
their own work after the factory is once
erected. The requisites for success
are good cane ground in close proximi.
ty to the factory, good well, spring
pond, or creek, experience in and taste
for the business, economy and business
management in every branch of the
work. It may be said that very little
water is required to run one of these
factories, as the steam being condensed
is used over and over again, for boiler
feed water.
In the south large proportion of the
sugar and syrup made is the product OF
small factories, and it is known fac
that in that region it is the very large
and very small factories that are profit
able. Why may this not be the case il
the north? While it has not heretofore
been thought possible to use the rollel
process and open evaporation success
fully in sorghum sugar making, the ex
periments for the two years indicate
differently. Where sorghum can be
cheapIy and surely grown; where there
is energy and pluck among the people
it would seem that this new departure
in sugar making might engage the at
tention of some of the farmers who arr
now raising grain and stock for glutted
markets. 1t certainly looks as if small
sugar plants wouid take az least least s Il {
same prominence in northern sugar
making as small factories have occu
pied in the south for the past fifty
! years.
The French court is behind the age
| in not raeopnizir1r maarneriaul in ,te