The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-31
DENUDED TIMBER LANDS
 PLANTED WITH SUGAR CANE
Beginning of a Movement Which in South Alabama Will Be Widespread in Its ReSutS--Some
 Things Which Have Been Accomplished

I pa1rS the nrSt eVapOratOr DelnS on l higher level than the second. '.The bottoms and sides of these evap- | orators are of wood, while coils of cop per pipe, supported about an inch from the bottom furnish the means of heat ing the juice, steam being admitted to the coils or shut off by simply turning valve. The first evaporators are termed clarifers and in this part of the apparatuS.the juice is first gently boil ed and the scums are carefully remov- ed. The we'll skinned juice is next run out through a valve into the larger evaporator which Is located on a lower level, and the juice can be rapidly boiled down to syrup in this part of the apparatus.
 "In order to ascertain when the syrup has reached the desired density, a specimen of the hot liquid Is col lected in a tall jar and the density can be easily ascertained by employing Beaume Hydrometer, which is a cylin- drical glass spindle. weighed at the lower end, and having graduations on the stem by means of which the deps- ity can be readily determined. Results by MT. Smith. By the employment of steam heat. the temperature and the rate of evapo- ration can be regulated with, great ex- actness, and a much more thorough clarification and satisfactory evapora- ton is secured than by the employment of the ordinary evaporators, where a large proportion of the scums are fre- quently boiled down with the syrup. darkening it's color and rendering its preservation difficult.
 MT. Smith secured yield of about | 660 gallons of syrup per acre the sea- son of 1903 on four and one-half acres | of land, or d total of about 5000 gall Ions of syrup. I understand further that he has been able to virtually secure a market for his whole output in advance of its production largely by reason of the care and skill employed | in the manufacture of his syrup and | by reason of the uniformity in quality | and composition of the article. l T might further say in this connec | tion that a number of analyses of cane | produced in Baldwin County and one or two adjacent counties in South Ala bama have shown that the cane is much sweeter and richer in cane sugar | than the cane grown on the rich allu- | vial lands of Louisiana, and a given weight of this cane would of course l produce a relatively larger amount of | syrup than the same weight of the Louisiana cane. In addition to its | excellence in quality over the Louisiana
 
 is proper preparation and fertiliza- tion of the soil a very heavy yield of cane per acre can also be obtained in South Alabama. and in Baldwin Coun- ty. in particular
 Work of Cane Mill. This year the machinery of MT. Smiths plant. after he had ground all his cane and put 1t into cans for ship uent was taken up and hauled nine- fO fI,A rA1a ,.la was used in grinding the large crop of Dr. Foley The mill was installed in its new location by MT. Smith and who superintended the first runs. On the occasion of my visit to the Foley farm the mill was grinding and turn ing into the evaporation vats 800 gal Ions of cane juice daily.
 At the direction of Professor Ross Thomas Bragg, Assistant Chemist, has in December visited number of locali- ties in Baldwin County testing the syrup made in that county. The syrup was reported to be of fine quality and MT, Bragg found that in the past year the production of syrup had largely in- creased in that county.
 The visit of MT. Bragg to Baldwin is another indication of the interest of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in the growing of sugar cane.
 AS Professor Ross says: This de- partment of the college and experiment station has for a number of years past endeavored to encourage improved methods of syrup manufacturing as well as an increased production of syrup and 1t is our desire to promote the growth and development of this industry in every possible way"
 In these words there Is promise of assistance and encouragement to those who may see the possibilities of cane growing in the southern section of the State and who may enter into 1t. If they need any other encouragement they have but to write to the cane growers of Baldwin who have applied intelligent and modern methods not only to the growing of cane, but to the manufacture of syrup.
 The Cane Growers Association may it self learn of Baldwin County. It may learn how much results and profits may be increased by the latest scientific methods. And as the Association moves forward in its work of awaken ing the people of Alabama and of other States to the buried possibilities of the idle pine lands assistance that Is neither small or unimportant is given if hy Baldwin County