The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-07-05
OF NO VALUE.
Refined Sugar Cannot Be Gotten From
Sorghum, Ssys Gustav Theden.

Minneapolis Journal:
Gustave Theden, president of the
Minnesota Sugar company at st. Louis
! Park, ridicules the idea of new dis
covery for making sugar out OF sor-
ghum, according to the results obtained
by Seth NJ. Kenney of Morristown,
MINI. Mr.. Kenney's experimnets,
or, rather his experiences with bar
rel of sorghum which had fermented
were recounted in the Journal OF June
Is, and the greatest interest has attach
ed to the possibilities of his proposed
discovery Farmers all over the north
west have been eager to learn more
concerning his luck in changing bar
rel of sorghum into half barrel of
sugar, and they have been impatient
to hear more about it, Up to date,
however, all that is known is that Mr..
Kenney's sorghum was found to be
slightly fermented, and that upon dis
covering its condition he reboiled it
and sold it apparently in good cond-i
ton. The purchaser drew off two
gallons of syrup and returned the bar
rel to Mr.. Kenney because he could get
no more sorghum out of it. Investi-
CATION showed that the sorghum had
turned to "sugar.
Now, for Mr.. Theden, the local
sugar manufacturer, who presumable
knows whereof he speaks He says:
81 don't like to spoil a good story,
one that deals death to the sugar trust,
takes sugar, that is the sacchrine ar
ticle, out of politics. abolishes foreign
competition, decreases the value OF
sugar cane properties, wipes out the
beet sugar industry and opens a new
field for capital in the manufacture of
sorghum sugar. but I've got to do it.
"All of the deductions made from
Mr.. Kenney's experiments are worth
less, and will not assist the farmers
of this country one step in reaching the
goal of individual sugar manufactur-
ing. What Mr.. Kenney discovered
was discovered long before he was
born, viz, that syrup will crystalize
when it is boiled down to mesquite,
or thick syrup, but the stuff boiled
down, or left, is not all sugar, but glu-
cose principally. What becomes of Mr..
Keneny's discovery when it is known
that if you do not experimentation in
sugar juices and syrups there will be
no sugar left at all? Instead of Great
ing sugar, fermenting takes it away
Here is another rule. There is less
sugar in sugar juices and syrups after
than before fermentation.
Syrup will crystalize in barrel or vat
in the course of time even. without fer
mentation, provided the syrup is boiled
down thick enough, or to what we
call mesquite.
''There is large PERCENTAGE of glu-
cose in sorghum sugar, which prevents
its being refined, and if sorghum syrup
or sugar is used, for example, in pre-
serves, it will ferment and spoil them. |
During Jerry Rusk's administration
Of the department of agriculture, many
experiments we're conduct
ed in sorghum sugar in Kansas. The
government spent several hundred
thousand dollars in trying to success
fully make sugar out of sorghum and
finally quit because it was found i'm
possible to extract enough sugar to pay
the operating expenses of the plants.
The experts engaged in the work tried
all sorts of tricks, fermentation, car
donation, etc., but were unable to
make any of them 60.
"Mr. Kenny's experiments are abso-
luteIy valueless so far as their having
any bearing on the sugar industry of
this country is concerned"