The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10

FROM / .|' Q
WATERMELON.
$Uakcsa Large Number Of A.. Al c 'l'1l's.
TO Bring Considerable
Results.
Bu7. The PRODUCT IS Fine
81'hc Taste Of the Syrup Is Nel'
and Soft and Leaves a De
lightful Flavor.
BUT THE PRODUCT IS FINE
tspee,a, 10 The Tlmcs Dispatch,

~
heard It rumored that sugar was '''''ue
from watermelons In York county ~
representative of The Times Dlsla ~
d made dligent inquiry. and ascer 'aii'ou '''e
srnthfnlness Of the report.
While the practice of obtaining su ,s'..1 ~
zinc productions from the watermelon -
nm and never was extensively prac'lceo'i
there are numbers Of individuals VINO nave
IA yelved far into the secrets OF the manu-
II factrre with most happy results, ,.
asT the operations seen, to be quite SIM
nlel involving little skill and only ialr
4 amount OF horse sense. IDEAS dlle WIZ ns
" with those who have attelhp.eu ~. liz
n scheme. but all are emphatic IN ,eneii
claims OF success As a rule the llpest,
N so,lndcs, and best fruit are selected ior
n he PURPOSE and ore reduced by very
simple method Of production me
NJ nrIn1c necessities are a large coloIoii,
3 the larger the better, and n SLOW put
steady IRE Before ignlting the furnace
The Kettle is filled with fruit, especiai
care being taken to save all the JUICE
so as not to require the addltlon oi wa
3 Tar 10 start the boil. Right here .is where
n tle radical difference takes place, some
folks use the entire melon, properly
n chonped M, some use the pulp only, and
y others nothing bit the rind. a gentle
Us Arc soon heats the contents OF the POT
to a. boiling point. which Is kept up Until ",
q the syrup Is gradually produced. ne
longer II is cooked the thicker heavier
II and darker will the result be.
IF takes an enormous quantity Of mel
3 1sDns to produce even a very ordinary
amount OF syrup and when stewed thick
The ratio used is increased very per-
~ THE PROCESS.
4 Just as with other syrups. y Is very
persistently skinned, the frothy portlon
being either thrown away or given 70
the hogs. who are very fond Of It, When
cooked thoroughly done the syrup Is diff
ferently colored as the selection OF the
IA stock may be, very light like honey when
q the rnd only Is used, medium when 1the
whole fruit Is selected. and dark IA rlch
AMBER and decidedly the best when the
& pulp alone is used.
Tho taste Is very rich and soft, Tree
from any foreign faint like maple syrup,
and leaves a delightful flavor in the mouth
after tasting. While the syrup only is
usually produced 1t is conceded BY al
q who have tried the experiment that the
rendering of the sugar Is a very simple
and easy matter, continued BOILING
and evaporation only being neces-
9sary Taken as a serious busl-
ness proposition, the production OF
y sugar from waterme lons is considered a
lucrative vocation. The vines generally
. bear enormously In this section, and nc
{, lack of stock can be produced, while the
requisites of manufa cture are mere
bagatele. Numbers of the older negroes
have experimental with the melon. al
ways favorably, and your correspondent
4 has been referred to a we'll gen
z tleman of the peninsula who has been
Il singularly successful in Investigations
along this line. Tho party referred to-.
x Mr.. Henry r. Armistead. on his maSni-
f1cient estate, ..Skipwith," near Will
Harrisburg has produced from this humble
member Of the vegetable kingdom a
nectar fit for the gods ali ambrosla that
few find the equal Those who have
tasted the syrup pronounce it superior
to any Of the mercantile decoctions offer
ed for sale in the country stores. and
equal In every way to the very best New
Orleans molasses, which is such diff
Hout article to obtain nowadays.
SORGHUM.
Coupled with this is the increased
amount OF sorghum being handled by
the small farmers for the last few years.
The moasses produced from this cane
4 is also very rich III saccharne qualities,
as we'll as profitable to the pocketbooks
OF the growers. In years gone by sor-
ghum was almsEt as much OF staple
here as corn, but s}Hcc the days OF the lato
unpleasantness Its culture dwinded and
\ Utmost became Obsolete. Recently. II OW-
ever, 1t again revived somewhat, and is
used rs a regular family supply, A vast
difference pertains to the selection Of the
peculiar strains Of the plant and far
& moro vast application Of the supposed
worthless portions OF the cane are brought
to light. The big bunchy heads Of seeds
which adorne the stock, very much like
the sumac, are wonders in their, way
Fowl are specially fond Of them, and
they prove most excellent producers OF
flesh on the barn yard pheasant"
while if they are treated to proper meth
cd OF roasting and grinding they resem.
BILE Very favorably quite u good quality
of coffee
The watermelon and the sorghum ca1,
when combined form a team hard to
beat In the race for the sweet things
OF earth. and are easily capable of revo-
lutionizing the business of the peninsula
y, and all the rest of the agricultural por-
tion OF the Old Dominion. the sun kissed
Heaven blessed old Commonwealth of
Il Virginia.