The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-04-24

cannery. too.
Making Sorghum Moiasses.
Experiments In the growing OF sorg-
hum In California have been attended
with an encouraging degree of sue
cess. Sorghum moiasscs is "A staple
farm production in many of the states
and could well be added to California 3
list OF rcmuneratiye products. The
government has for many years been
experimenting with sorghum, for Its
utilization for sugar and molasses pur-
poses, aud numerous valuable dis
eoveries have been made. The follow
ing circular just issued by the hgri-
cultural department will be of interest 4:
The sorghum canes, properly
stripped of leaves and with the seed
tops removed, are passed through n
mill adjusted to extract as large II
per cent as possible of the juice. A
iirst-class, three-roller horse mill,
properly adjusted, will extract from
GO TO GA pounds of juice from each 100
pounds OF clean cane. In ease the
molasses shows tendency to gran
AAtt tfht EitOhtl ht Nuh anu
allowed to lie In the field three or four
days before being worked. II the
molasses does not show any tendency
to granulate, IL is best to have the
cane worked rs soon as possible after
harvesting.
As soon as the juice is expressed it
should be treated with cream of lime,
which has been thoroughly strained
SO as to contain no large lupps of un-
dissolved lime. In tank OF con-
venient size, two-thirds filed with
juice, the cream of lime should be
added little by little, with stirring, so
rs to incorporate 1t thoroughly with
the juice. As the point of neutrality
is reached, the juice will show large
amount of tiocculent matter and will
slightly change in color, passing from
green to amber color. Care must be
taken not to add an excess of the
cream of lime, the result of which
would be Il darkening OF the molasses.
The proper point may be soon learned
by experience; IL can also be deter
mined directly by litmus test paper.
The blue litmus paper should be used.
When this blue paper is placed in the
natural juice it will turn to light red.
As the point OF neutrality is reached
the change OF color in the litmus paper
becomes less and less pronounced and
when 1t is distinctly purple it shows
that the proper amount of lime has
been added. II too much lime be
added the paper will not change in
color at all or be made more distinctly
blue. Litmus paper can be obtained
from any well-equipped drug store.
A very excellent article of molasscs
is made by adding to the juice, treated
as above, some bIsulphite of lime.
This bisulbhite OF lime is made by
passing the fumes of burning sulphur
into cream of lime until it is saturated.
The addition of the bisulphite of lime
makes the juice again acid but tends
TO produce n molasses OF much
lighter color than can be made with
of somewhat darker color can be
made without the use Of the bisulphite
of lime. A good article of molasses of
light color can also be made without
adding lime, and molasses made in
this way is exceptionally good for
baking purposes.
The juice, after treatment with the
lime or with the lime and bisulphite of
lime, or with the bisulphite of lime
alone, should be placed at once in n
tank and rapidly brought to the boil
ing point. 1t should, however, not
be allowed to boil, but when the scum
which is formed over the top begins
to show signs of breaking the heat
should be withdrawn and the blanket
of scum carefully removed. The heat
may then be again applied until all
the green scums have been entirely
The purified juice should
now be reduced as rapidly as possible
to the consistency of molasses. This
is best done in some form of con-
tinuous evaporator based on the Old
fashioned Cook evaporator, in which
the purified juice constantly runs in
at one end of the evaporator, passes
back and forth across it, and the
molasses runs out at the
other end. The more quickly this
can be accomplished the
better for the molasses.
When the molasses runs from the
it should be cooled as
quickly as possible and should never
be placed in barrels until it has almost
the ordinary temperature of
the air. These directions are only of
a general nature and it requires a
large experience to be able to produce
always first-class article of molasseS.
California Fruit Grower.
For three years or more the United
States department of agriculture has
been engaged in the investigation of
grape diseases, the object being to
if possible, cheap, practic-
able and efficient remedies for such
troubles as downy and powdery mil
dew, black rot, anthracnose, etc. A
means of preventing all of these dis
eases has been discovered, and now
thousands of grape-growers all over
the country are saving crops which a
few years ago were totally lost. Far
mers' bulletin No. 4, which will soon
bo iSS11a6 hU the 6anartment of q erIi-