Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-07-20

SHO y AuP CiOp VI DllC StdtC' n uuHOO1
of interesting articles on the subject
have been received and will be given
space later. The following from Mr..
W. B. MERCER of Centreville, is of
especial interest. Mr.. Marcier is a
graduate of the A. & M. College, class
of 1892, and is a successful farmer
He is well informed and what he says
is worthy of careful consideration.
''There seems to be but few of our
people who realize that Mississippi
will produce sugar cane equal 20
Louisiana ii every respect, and the
hill land produce much superior
quality in saccharine matter | am
sure that cane can be grown profitably
IN any part of the state 1t looks
more than strange that a majority IF
our people go on years after years,
eating glucose, mixture and the var
ious substitutes for syrup, when pure
and wholesome syrup can be raised
so easily. 1t will produce anywhere
from 200 to 600 gallons per acre, ow-
| ing Of course to soil and attention
given it. 1t is easily cultivated as a
cotton crop. The hardest part is the
grinding and this is not so bad when
the farmers fixes up for it. Besides
you can always get help to grind cane
when you can It for other work. If
there is anything a crowd of negroes
enjoy more than another it is taking
off grinding.
The great draw back, or seems to
have been, is how to keep the syrup
from sugaring, also from fermenting
or souring when hot weather comes
This can be readily done by putting
up IN jugs, cans, bottles fruit jars,
etc. The incest way to put up for
home use in small families, is in pint
and quart fruit Jars. By this means
you can have perfectly fresh syrup
each day, as it will begin to fermeut
in hot weather within forty-eight
hours after the air strikes it. jugs are
good for home use or local trade, but
for shipping, the tin can is the only
thing practicable and safe. I have
been using the gallon can for several
years, and it has always been salts
factory. Have kept syrup perfectly
fresh and just as from the pan for
three or four years.
''I believe that [ am safe in as
serting that there was put up in this
section last fall 10000 gallons in cans
and it has been sold at profitable
prices and now the local markets are
practically bare of good syrup. I think
here is scarcely limit to the amount
hat could be sold if the business was
gone at Systematically and pushed
as amy other industry must be to sue
eed. 1t will certainly help to diversity
Dur crops, and | venture the assertion
that if we put the energy and time on
it that Is put on cotton, we would
make three times the clear profit on
the crop, do it with more ease, with
just as much certainty of ready sales
snd much more certainty of uniform
price.
"Cans may be either gallon, half
gallon or quarts and in some instances
smaller The gallon and half gallon
cans are supplied if one desires, with
self-sealing tops; the smaller cans
would have to be soldered which can
be done very rapidly with a little
practice. The syrup should be run into
the cans or other vessels while hot
from the evaporator as reheatine
takes from it that peculiar and most
desirable flavor found in choice cane
syrup. The best grade syrup is made
by boiling just to the point before it
begins to granulate in the cook pans,
or to about 35 or 36 degrees, Baume
sugar hydrometer, a simple instru-
ment which accurately gives the den
sity of the syrup. The syrup shoutl
never be allowed to cool before seal
ing air-tight, it matters not what
character of vessel it is put in. It
will keep all right in barrels and kegs
as long as the weather is cool, but as
soon as warm weather begins, nothing
but small air-tight vessels will pre-
serve it properly.
~ hope to see the day when can
ning syrup for the general markets
will be one Of Mississippi's leading
industries"
Those interested in the handling
and marketing of syrup are urged
to cut out and preserve this article
as well as those by Mr.. Harrington
and others who have been kind enough
to furnish them.
Amos Loveless of Collins, writes in
terestingly on the handling of syrup
and proposes something like the arti-
Gle from Mr.. Meroier this week.
Mr.. B. H. Mathews Of Hemingway,
Holmes county, planted lemon seed
in hot house and the first result Of
his care was a monster lemon that
measured five and one-half inches long
twelve inches il circumference and
weighed seventeen ounces. This mons
ter fruit was as large as a half dozen
ordinary lemons, and goes to prove
what Mississippi can do when the
trial is half made. We need people like
Mr.. Mathews
W. 7. Quinn, editor of the Neshoba
Democrat, announces the following
innovation in his section: son a trip
up the road few days since we fell
in with our friend, f. VI. Estis, Of
Noxapaper, who is branching out in
new line Of industry for this section.
He has put in a small canning factory