The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-02-28
Observation-Disclosures
Held a Large and Interesting
Meeting at Louisville.
APPLES ARE ALL RIGHT
In Stark County But Peaches are
Killed-Other Fruit Reports
Proceedings of the County
horticultural Society.

Proceedings of the County
horticultural Society.
The February meeting of the Stark County
Horticultural Society met in the town hall, at
| Louisville.
Owing to the lateness of the arrival of mem.
bers no meeting was held in the forenoon; those
members who arrived in time, repaired to the
Lesh House, where the usual good dinner was
served.
| At about 80 p. m. the hall was filed, and
a neighboring lumber yard was raided to pro.
cure lumber from which additional seats were
improvised, and even then standing room was
required; altogether II was one of the largest
meetings yet held in Louisville
The Louisville Mandolin Club and orchestra
kept the society in high state of hilarity.
Harvey Susser and William ShafIer were
appointed as IA committee on membership.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
read and approved.
The following letter from II. II. Aultfather
was read and ordered placed on record:
MINERVA, o., Feb. 10, 1895.
Secretary Stark County Horticultural Society:
DEAR SIR have placed petition in the
hands of the trustees of Paris township, signed
by fifteen farmers, asking them to appoint a
committee to cause the destruction of the
| black knot"
| desire to request you to examine the same
and to have the Stark County Horticultural
Society appoint committee, in each township,
in the county, to do the same.
Yours truly,
II. II. AULTFATHER.
Harvey II. Slusser, essayist for February,
read the following interesting paper on the
subject of Sugar"
There is probably no article of general con-
sumption now in use in this country, of which
so little is known of its growth and manufaC-
ture as that of sugar Few people have any
idea of the statistical importance of this
saCcharine matter and the extensive expert
ments and preparations made for its cultiva-
ton and manufacture in this country the past
few wears.
Sugar today is one Of the most valuable of
the worlds commercial products, and is
no longer considered a luxury, for 1t is found
in every hut and hamlet, however lOwly.
While not a necessity of lite like bread, it is
yet a necessity like coffee or a newspaper. For
this country or government to encourage the
industry and offer inducements for the produc.
ton of all our own sugar, by giving bounty
or high protective duty am not here to ad-
| wise; but will try and give my hearers brief
description Of the culture and manufacture Of
sugar as your reader has found it done in the
Y,
| There are many kinds of sugar produced here,
but the two principal kinds are manufactured
| from sugar cane, and beets; and as my time is
| limited il will be impossible for me to treat of
only the one kind, viz, cane sugar. Until a
very recent period the production and con.
sumption of cane sugar was far in excess of
that of any other, but recently the develop
ment of beet sugar in this and foreign countries
has increased so rapidly that more beet sugar
is now consumed than that of any other kind
and il is said TO be a fact that the beet crop
now governs the price of the world.
Sugar cane is a native Of tropical and
sub tropical countries, originally grown, we
believe in the East Indies, was
brought TO this country by the Crusaders
in'the 10th century, but for many years was
not grown successfully. The plant is a peren-
NAL with long creeping root, sending up
number of stems generally to 10 feet high,
which have many joints, are OF various COlors,
and about one TO two inches thick. The leaves
are ribbon shaped and four to five feet long. In
this country on account of occasional frOsts in
the southern states where II sgrOwn, the plant
is not allowed to fully mature, so only about
twO-thirds of the stock or stem can be utilized.
As the plant produces no seed it is propagated
by planting the whole stock, generally two
rows of cane in each fuuOw, and about to S
It. apart. TO plant an acre in this manner takes
about four tons of seed cane. The greater part
of the cane is planted in the fall Of the year,
though when farmers are very busy they bury
their cane in long trenches during the winter
months and do not plant until the following
spring. This cane then, when planted produ-
ces a new stock at each joint, and as the joints
are quite numerous, the plants are likewise; so
much so that when they have grown TO the
height of three to four feet, it is impossible TO
cross a cane field, unless you follow between
the rows, After the cane is planted the culti-
vation is much like that our corn. One singu-
larity Of this plant is, that it grows taller and
larger where it stands the thickest. Another
and very important feature in the raising of
| sugar cane is, that when once planted in this
climate, it continues to produce a crop for
| three or four years in succession without re-
planting thereby lessening to a great degree
the cost of production.
Nature seems to be more favorable in this re-
spect to our southern tillers of the
soil, than to our corn and wheat
Farming am sure would still be profitable in
this state If we were required to produce and
set aside seed only once every four years; yet
reap and harvest every season.
When the canes are grown and matured sui
fciently they are trimmed of their leaves and
cut close to the ground $50 the stubble is not
exposed to the slight trOsts which occasionally
occur in that country and conveyed to the
factory in large carts or wagons. On the very
! large plantations portable tracks are laid
through the fields and the canes carried in
cars holding about two tons each, and four OF
! five cars constituting a train, which is general-
ly drawn by two mules hitched tandem style
After the cane arrives at the factory the
most interesting part of the work commences
Here is seen the "festive darkie" in his true
character. / am informed he is allowed more
liberty and privileges during a sugar rolling
as the work is called, than at any other season
of the year. The object being TO get as much
work ont of him as possible; and If allowed tC
sing and dance and cut up capeTs from morn
until night he labors with unceasing effort.
The manufacture of sugar is always done
with rush, for fear that before the crop is en-
tirely finished a cold spell of weather may
set in and the canes be injured by freeze
SO about the first of October when the factories
commence operations, the object is to pusl
matters as speedily as possible and allow nj
stoppage of machinery day or night, Sundays
or holidays. The grinding season continues
then up until about the first of December
After the cane arrives at the factory it Il
dumped ON the ground under large shed
and fed by colored men and womer
into a long carrier which conveys
to the large rollers where the juice is extracted
by simple pressure. There are still in Louisi
ana and Texas some Of the rudest and ancien
constructed machines; though they are rapid,
being replaced by modern methods. These oil
factories produce only sixty to eighty pound
Of sugar to the ton Of cane; but this mode o
manufacture may be interesting to my hearer
I as II was up, until few years ago, the onl,
method used in making cane sugar The juic
which is of sweetish tast and the color o
dirty water passes direct from the mill TO
small reservoir, where small dose Of slacke,
lime'water is added TO remove any impurtie
which may be in the juice. Without delay
aNN 49, Nl.aI gE l-aN