Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-04-22

sorghum making venture?" was one
of the questions that developed the
conversation.
at was not altogether satisfactory"
said Mr.. Wilkerson. THAT is, we had
some bad luck. For instance, it was a
remarkably poor season for making
cane-too wet. We got started late,
and had a great many other disad-
vantages to contend with. But we
got several hundred dollars worth of
experience, among other things, that
will stand US in good stead in the
future"
"And do you still think there is
something in the sorghum business ?"
II know it. We learned that last
year; although as 1 said, we did not
make any money. But l am more
than ever convinced that in the sor-
ghum crop there is the development of
an important industry.
"For instance, along with our appar-
atus we got what is called saccharom-
eter. This is an instrument used to
measure the amount of sugar, or sac
charine matter, in any kind of syrup.
Well, we found that in our cane juice
the saccharometer stood at 10. Our
receipt for making molasses directs
that the juice be boiled down to about
81; but we think it better to boil
to about 40. Now then, if you do
not know what that means, I'll give
you an idea. One day, by way of ex-
pertinent, we tested a good quality of
commercial molasses from the stores
with the saccharometer, and found
that the instrument stood at only 90.
From this you see that there are just
20 points more sugar in our molasses
than there are in commercial molasses.
Ours, therefore, are of that much
more value. But there is still another
way to look at it. Although more
valuable than the commercial molasses,
we cannot get any more for ours.
Then there ought 10 be some way to
utilize that surplus sugar; and if there
was enough cane raised in the country,
and enough molasses made, it seems to
me that market would surely follow.
In the meantime, also, it seems to me
that people should realize the superiori-
ty of molasses containing so much
sugar over molasses containing only
20 points of sugar, with the balance
composed of glucose and other mex
pensive substances, that are only add
ed to give it volume.
"But it is not in the possible sugar.
making properties that l am basing
my confidence in sorghum. 1t is a
good thing even without that. 1t can
be raised at profit even without the
slightest pretence of manufacture OF
any kind. But, of course, it is not
economy to stop short of conversion
into molasses. In the making up of
molasses, however, 1 find the skim
mings a valuable bi-product. They
are eaten greedily by hogs, and fatten
the animals rapidly, provided they are
not fed in too large quantities at first.
Then the pomaces are also valuable.
They are good for use in stopping
gullies in the field, patching terraces,
and also for littering the barnyard for
the absorption of manure. Including
these things, you can safely put molas-
ses making down as paying PROPOSE
sion."
Mr.. Wilkerson went on to say that
land that would make half a Gale of
cotton to the acre, ought to make at
least 100 gallons of sorghum, and this
is worth $25. There ought to be not
less than six bushels of seed, worth
say 80 a bushel, making the entire
product of the acre S37. Sorghum
seed, he says, are coming into great
favor for sowing with peas. The cane
lifts the peas off the ground, making
them easier to cut, and the quality of
the hay is greatly improved by the
mixture.